Category: BBC

JUST A REVIEW

9/3/2017

Just A Couple is a new online comedy series created and directed by Sebastian Thiel.

It depicts a young modern day couple going through highs and lows of an adult relationship.

From living arrangements to jealousy - you name it, it's in there.

Brilliantly written to be both serious and funny at the same time.

Starring Frieda Thiel as Shavon Scantlebury and Michael Salami as Mark Johnson.

Shavon is the strong independent type who does not put up with nonsense. Whereas Mark is prone to putting his foot in it and tries to get out of situations he's got himself into.

Mark wants to do the right thing by people. The trouble with Mark is, he doesn't know exactly what the right thing is. There is no denying his heart is always in the right place.

Shavon's parents warned her about people like Mark and that she should go for someone with prospects. Liking a challenge, she hooks up with Mark in hopes to mould him into the man her parent's would like.

Each of the six episodes are portrayed amazingly. Watching, you would think you are witnessing real life.

The first episode highlights Frieda & Michael's talents as actors.
At just over 10 minutes for the episode they are the only two performers who appear in it.

There may be no foolproof manual on how to be in a successful relationship but if you watch Just A Couple it does give you some pointers.

Will Shavon & Mark survive the gauntlet which faces millennial couples? - Tune in for the next six weeks to find out.

From today, Thursday 9 March 2017, Just A Couple is available every Thursday afternoon on BBC Three's YouTube channel.

Just A Couple is produced by UpShot Entertainment in association with Big Talk Productions.

If you want to watch the first episode, this is it here:

Images copyright: BBC / Big Talk Productions
JustACouple.com

0 Comments

BRING BACK THE CORONER

5/3/2017

3 Comments

On Tuesday 2 March 2017, we learnt of the BBC's decision to not recommission another drama, Sally Abbott's The Coroner.

There has only been two series of the programme - 20 episodes in total which is not long enough. - Not by a long shot.

The programme contained compelling storytelling and provided work for performers in the drama industry.

The backdrop of Devon provided viewers of beautiful scenery - scenery people may not have been aware of in that part of Britain. I'll come back to this point a little bit later.

With all due respect to the male cast members of The Coroner, in television drama, there is hardly ever a strong female lead - well, Sally Abbott created not one but THREE lead female roles.

Claire Goose, Grace Hogg-Robinson & Beatie Edney all harness incredible talent to lead the programme as its protagonist which, as I mentioned, is a rarity. Most dramas - or programmes based on fiction for that matter - have a male lead; Midsomer Murders, Lewis and Death In Paradise come to mind. In the West-End all three could easily lead a theatre production.

I'm taking nothing away from Matt Bardock, he is an incredible actor in his own right. He has shown his diversity as a performer and then some - just listen to that accent for a start. He can have you roaring with laughter one minute and terrified the next. Brilliant performer.

All performing artists in the series are versatile in their field of work which makes it extremely difficult to comprehend the British Broadcasting Corporation's decision to not make a third series of The Coroner.

Being an actor in 2017 is extremely hard, there is fewer productions being made each and every year due to "reality TV" amongst other elements. The Coroner was an ideal programme for up and coming actors to not only show what they can do, but to learn the subtle tricks of the trade.

Actors cannot go into any old job, for example they can't be employed by a supermarket and be expected to learn television drama - they need outlets to shine on and The Coroner was perfect for that purpose.

Time and time again we see television dramas bite the dust and for what? We never get a categorical reason. We are still waiting for the BBC to give us a new drama to replace Waterloo Road which stopped being broadcast almost 2 years ago to the day.

If The Coroner was horrendously produced I could fathom it being proverbially binned by the BBC - it wasn't - The Coroner was very entertaining afternoon viewing on BBC One.

We've grown to love the characters, Jane, Beth and Davey. Claire Goose, Grace Hogg-Robinson & Matt Bardock garnered an ideal balance of fantastic dynamics. - Although Davey was not Beth's biological father, Jane & Davey were Beth's parents. They were a family. Beatie Edney & Ivan Kaye provided a great pair of characters (Judith Kennedy & Mick Sturrock respectively) for the three main cast to bounce off of. They were the ying to their yang.

As viewers we became part of their family.

Devon itself was being visited by more people, keen to see where The Coroner was made - this brought revenue into Britain. - Money coming in to the United Kingdom can't be a bad thing, surely?

Sally Abbott not only created a wonderful drama, she created a fictional universe which can go on forever and for that fictional universe to come to an almighty halt is a crying shame.

I'm running a poll which ends in three days on social networking site, Twitter.com. Over 300 votes have been balloted and the current result stands at 84% of people want to see a third series of The Coroner. Come on, BBC, what does that tell you?

Sally Abbott's The Coroner has so much more to give and many more stories to be told.

3 Comments

JUST A REVIEW

BRING BACK THE CORONER

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