Green Wing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Green Wing
Green Wing title screen
Genre	Comedy
Running time	Approx. 50-55 minutes, Special 90 minutes
Creator(s)	Victoria Pile
Executive producer(s)	Peter Fincham
Starring	Tamsin Greig Stephen Mangan Julian Rhind-Tutt Mark Heap Pippa Haywood Karl Theobald Michelle Gomez Oliver Chris
Country of origin	UK
Original channel	Channel 4
Original run	3 September 2004–present
No. of episodes	17
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Green Wing is an award winning British television comedy, set in a hospital. It was created by the same team as the sketch show Smack the Pony.

Although set in East Hampton Hospital Trust, there are few medical storylines; most of the action is generated by soap opera/Commedia dell'arte style twists and turns in the personal lives of the characters.

At sixty minutes including advertisement time, the episodes are twice as long as is usual for a British comedy series. They proceed through a series of often absurd sketch-like scenes connected by lazzi or sped-up/slowed-down motion, which often emphasises the body language of the characters. The show has eight writers and several main characters.

The first series consisted of nine episodes made by talkbackTHAMES production company, and was broadcast by Channel 4 on Friday nights between September 3 and October 29, 2004. It subsequently ran (modified for content and running time to eliminate sexually suggestive material and language and allow additional advertising) on BBC America between 19 May and 14 July 2005.

A second series of eight episodes, also broadcast on Fridays ran between 31 March and 19 May 2006. A ninth episode was filmed with the second series, which will be shown as a 90 minute long special on Thursday 4 January 2007 UK, but it will be shown in Australia on 29 December 2006.^[1]

The DVD for the first series was released on 3 April. The second series was released on 2 October, as well as a box set of both series. The Special will be released on 8 January 2007.

Separate from the series, a special sketch was made for Comic Relief and screened on 11 March 2005. Another was performed live at The Secret Policeman's Ball on 14 October 2006.

The cast, crew and writers of Green Wing have shown no interest in creating a third series because of scheduling difficulties due to new projects being undertaken by the creators and talkbackTHAMES not having a big enough budget. However, creator Victoria Pile meantioned in an interview in the Radio Times she may do a spin-off, saying, "I'm hoping to do another Channel 4 comedy imminently, possibly starring some of the same cast. Hopefully, it will be some kind of spin-off from Green Wing."^[2]

[edit] Situation and plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The East Hampton Hospital Trust logo.

Tamsin Greig (pronounced 'Greg') plays surgical registrar Dr. Caroline Todd, a newcomer to the East Hampton Hospital Trust. Her colleagues include smarmy Swiss-born anaesthetist Dr. Guy Secretan (Stephen Mangan), high-flying and effortlessly cool surgeon Dr. "Mac" Macartney (Julian Rhind-Tutt), hapless house officer Dr. Martin Dear (Karl Theobald) and the irritatingly perfect Dr. Angela Hunter (Sarah Alexander).

Director of human resources Joanna Clore (Pippa Haywood) is carrying on an affair with pompous consultant radiologist Dr. Alan Statham (Mark Heap), which they persist in thinking is secret despite the fact that most hospital colleagues know about it. Oliver Chris plays Statham's student Boyce, whose failure to conceal his contempt for Statham progressively turns into outright bullying. Meanwhile, Joanna secretly adores IT specialist Lyndon (Paterson Joseph), although he can't stand her.

Joanna's team of human resources assistants also feature; Olivia Colman as forgetful mother-of-four Harriet, and Lucinda Raikes as Karen Ball, who suffers the bullying of fellow co-workers Naughty Rachel (Katie Lyons) and Kim Alabaster (Sally Bretton).

Michelle Gomez plays possibly the show's most absurd character, the sociopathic Scottish staff liaison officer Sue White, who will do anything to avoid work, and will do anything to win Mac's love. However, like most of the staff, Mac sees her as a total nutcase.

The first series features Caroline toying between Guy and Mac as to whom she really loves, with an envious Sue trying to stop any romance happening with Mac. Alan and Joanna's relationship deteriorates as she attempts to go after Lyndon, while she also tries to keep quiet the fact that Martin is her son. Jealous of Joanna's lust for Lyndon, Alan temporarily turns to religion to find comfort, in the shape of chaplain Cordelia (Saskia Wickham), while Mac eventually finds a girlfriend in the shape of posh Emmy (Daisy Haggard).

The series ends with Caroline and Mac finally realising they are meant to be together, and Guy finding out Joanna (whom he just slept with) is actually his mother as well as Martin's. This leads to a drunken rampage which leaves Guy, Mac and Martin trapped inside a precarious stolen ambulance in a literal cliffhanger ending.

Series 2 picks up eight weeks later with Mac in a coma after the accident, and Guy temporarily suspended. During his coma, Sue steals some of Mac's semen to attempt to impregnate herself. After Mac awakens, he is initially unable to remember his feelings for Caroline due to amnesia.

Angela leaves the hospital to start a career in television, and Guy moves in as Caroline's replacement lodger. The arrival of Mac's ex-girlfriend Holly Hawkes (Sally Phillips) and her son puts Mac and Caroline's relationship again in jeopardy, as Guy realises he too has fallen in love with her.

Harriet has an affair with Lyndon, while Karen and Martin briefly date. Joanna scares Alan by dressing her dwarf cousin up as a monster, though the plan backfires when Alan beats him to death in panic with a stuffed heron. The series ends with another cliffhanger, as Joanna and Alan go on the run in a camper van, while Caroline agrees to a proposal from Guy and Mac receives some very grave news.

[edit] The making of Green Wing

[edit] The writers and crew

Green Wing was created and devised by Victoria Pile, who is also the casting director, one of the writers, the producer (with Peter Fincham as executive producer). Pile is involved in the editing, filming and post-production.

She is also the creator of the all-woman sketch show Smack the Pony, noted for its unique style of women writing their own sketches, and showing they could be self-deprecating and sexy, a style which Green Wing mirrors. Pile also describes Green Wing as being a continuation of Smack the Pony, and as "a sketch-meets-comedy-drama-meets-soap".^[3] Most of the people involved in Green Wing have worked on Smack the Pony.

The show has eight writers, who are Pile, Robert Harley, Gary Howe, Stuart Kenworthy, Oriane Messina, Richard Preddy, Fay Rusling and James Henry.

The show is directed by Tristram Shapeero and Dominic Brigstocke. Along with Pile, they contribute to the editing, which is used heavily in Green Wing. Sketches are sped-up or slowed-down to create comic effect, using body language to create humour. The other notable member of the crew is Jonathan Whitehead, who wrote the music for the show (under the name Trellis), which plays heavily in the show. His work won him an RTS Craft & Design Award (See Awards).

[edit] The writing and production

Green Wing's title is said to have come from a small plastic green pixie with wings that was on top of Pile's computer monitor. This appears at the end of the credits on every show.

Originally, the show had a half-hour pilot made a year before transmission that was never aired. Scenes from the pilot can easily be spotted in the first episode, "Caroline's First Day," due to the characters' appearance, most notably Stephen Mangan's and Julian Rhind-Tutt's haircuts.

Although each script is fully written, the actors are allowed to improvise their own jokes, frequently adding to what has already been written. One example was Stephen Mangan (Guy) who came up with the idea of Guy falling in love with Caroline. He said in an interview that, "‘Wouldn’t it be nice for him to actually fall in love with Caroline, rather than just be competing with Mac?’"^[4] Also, during series 2, Olivia Colman, who played a pregnant Harriet, was also pregnant in real-life.

Rusling, Howe, Messina and Harley all have had speaking parts in the show, most notably Harley playing Charles Robertson, the hospital's CEO. The show's crew often make appearances in the show as extras. Nearly everyone involved makes a small appearance. Henry appears in the background during Martin's exam in the episode, "Tests," for example.

Most of the filming was done at two hospitals, the Northwick Park Hospital in Middlesex and Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital in Basingstoke. However, some scenes such as those in Sue and Alan's offices (Gomez and Heap respectively) were filmed in a studio.

[edit] Unused storylines and deleted scenes

Like many shows, Green Wing did have some other plotlines that were never used, or had some scenes that were cut from the show. Unused storylines included Alan (Heap) having an eighty-year-old wife and grandchildren as old as him. Guy (Mangan) suffering from impotence.

Pile originally wanted the show to cover the entire hospital, not just doctors, but also porters, car park attendants and kitchen staff as well, however she eventually decided that they had enough material with the eight main doctors and human resources workers.

It is also known that there is an alternative ending to the special.^[5]

[edit] Characters

See also: Recurring guest characters in Green Wing

[edit] Main characters

Dr. Caroline Todd (Greig)

Dr. Caroline Todd (Tamsin Greig) - The new and undervalued surgical registrar. When Caroline arrives at the hospital in the first episode, she is homeless, hopeless, hapless, and "under-deodorised". She is constantly embarrassing everyone around her, and most of the time embarrasses herself, sometimes by her fellow staff, but mostly by her own stupidity or bad luck. From making rude remarks to her co-workers when talking about sexism, to accidentally getting a pen-top stuck up her nose, there is not one thing Caroline has not done wrong at some point.

Dr. Guy Secretan (Mangan)

Dr. Guillaume Valerie "Guy" Secretan (Stephen Mangan) - Arrogant, womanising and part Swiss, anaesthetist Guy is always on the look-out for a woman who might like him as much as he likes himself. Constantly talking about the members of staff he has done it with, he even spreads rumours that he slept with Caroline after her first day at work, and keeps league tables of the hospital's female staff (Caroline scoring nine for easiness). He is also the possible inventor of the sport Guyball (pronounced gheeball).

Dr. "Mac" Macartney (Rhind-Tutt)

Dr. "Mac" Macartney (Julian Rhind-Tutt) - The ever cool and professional surgeon, and quite possibly the nicest guy in the hospital (most of the time). Not much is known about Mac's background - even his first name is a mystery, though his former girlfriend Holly Hawkes nicknamed him "Paul". But none of this has seemed to affect his heart-throb status with the ladies - both in the hospital and on the other side of the TV screens. He is one of the friendlier members of staff, even helping out junior doctor Martin Dear, but Alan sees him as little more than a pain. His humour comes from his witty remarks, use of puns, subtle pranks, jokes and sarcasm, and his patronisation of Dr. Alan Statham.

Dr. Alan Statham (Heap)

Dr. Alan Roderick Statham (Mark Heap) - Consultant radiologist and one of the oddest people working in East Hampton. Very kinky, stuttering and constantly mocked by everyone around him, Alan has been having a not-very-secret relationship with human resources director Joanna Clore for some time now, and gets envious of other men trying to muscle in. He is unpopular with the medical students he is training, especially Boyce, who is constantly trying to wind him up and make life difficult, to the point of Alan questioning his own sanity.

Sue White (Gomez)

Susan "Sue" White (Michelle Gomez) - The most eccentric character in Green Wing. As staff liaison officer, Sue spends most of her time teasing and humiliating her colleagues, occasionally stalking them with either sexual advances or attempts at murder, and amusing herself with her own increasingly bizarre antics. She has many odd habits, the most disturbing probably being getting all her clothes from the "dead box" (a box of clothes that came from corpses), or regularly eating uncooked human umbilical cords from the Maternity ward, which she claims reduces the signs of ageing, telling Guy that she is really 72 years old (this was just after Guy had eaten a piece of it).

Joanna Clore (Haywood)

Joanna Yardley Clore (Pippa Haywood) - The mean and spiteful director of human resources. Married and divorced twice, forty-eight-year-old Joanna is irritated by her staff, her age, her relationship with Alan, and her two sons. She is constantly angry and rude, often resulting in her not getting anywhere in life. She constantly seeks love and sex, but her attitude gets her nowhere. She even threatens Martin with dismissal if he tells anyone that he is her son. Disastrously, she only discovered that she was also Guy's mother after she had sex with him.

Dr. Martin Dear (Theobald)

Dr. Martin Dear (Karl Theobald) - House Officer Martin, though caring and considerate, has difficulty in interacting with others. His mother Joanna ignores him, Guy (his half-brother) bullies him, and every woman (except Karen) he comes into contact with shuns him. He is also not the most intelligent person in the hospital. He can never seem to get anything right, and fails his exams constantly. He rides his scooter to work in order to (unsuccessfully) use it as a womanising aid - regardless of the fact that he lives directly opposite the hospital.

Boyce (Chris)

Dr. J. Boyce (Oliver Chris) - Junior house officer (now house officer) who works with Alan, and indeed spends most of his time trying to make Alan's life miserable. Making comments on his sexuality, playing practical jokes, and using his secret relationship with Joanna as a weapon, he is what you might consider the office joker, except he has only one target. His most spectacular joke to date is erecting a 30ft projection of Alan performing gay sex onto a wall outside the hospital. You might be forgiven for thinking that trying to think of new ways to weaken Alan's pomposity is his only purpose in life.

Dr. Angela Hunter (Alexander)

Dr. Angela Hunter (Sarah Alexander) - The ex-senior registrar in paediatrics, seems to be absolutely perfect in everything she does. She had a steady relationship with boyfriend Liam, before she dumped him - only to find out he was a millionaire. She was good at juggling and played the harp at Grade 7 standard. Her only flaw was that, as Liam says, "she dances like a wolf". She lived as Caroline's lodger for a while, until she left the hospital to pursue a career in acting.

[edit] Minor characters

Harriet Schulenburg (Colman)

Harriet Schulenburg (Olivia Colman) - Works in the human resources department. Married to Ian, mother of four - Oscar, Jamie, Robbie (who is 'gay') and Stuart - and pregnant with a fifth, she is constantly trying to balance her work life with her personal life, not very successfully. She is always forgetting to pick someone up from school, or even just forgetting to put on a dress. Recently, she appears to be starting an affair with Lyndon, much to Joanna's annoyance.

Karen Ball (Raikes)

Karen Ball (Lucinda Raikes) - Works in the human resources department. Karen has had a string of unsuccessful relationships, and is constantly worried about her looks. Out of all the admin staff, she is the only one who ever does any real work, getting coffee for the rest, and getting rubbish advice from Rachel and Kim. Loved Martin, and although when they went out, things didn't go as hoped.

Naughty Rachel (Lyons)

Naughty Rachel (Katie Lyons) - Works in the human resources department. Rachel is very dirty, cruel and nasty. If she isn't doing something perverted, she is being mean to Karen, or is outside smoking with Boyce. She also has a habit of licking bank notes because, as she claims, 90% of bank notes have cocaine residue on them.

Kim Alabaster (Bretton)

Kim Alabaster (Sally Bretton) - Works in the human resources department, has bad attitude towards life, and is somewhat foul-mouthed. She is constantly smoking and always cool. Most of her abuse is directed towards Karen. She and Boyce have a casual relationship.

[edit] Episodes

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Series 1

Main article: Green Wing (series 1)

Episode 1 - Caroline's First Day

Caroline arrives for her first day at work in a bad state, after spending the previous night in a car. She tries to figure out who is who: is Guy good or bad? It looks like he's bad after he lies about having a spare room in his flat.

Episode 2 - Rumours

After spending a sex-free night at Guy's, Caroline finds herself the subject of rumours spread by Guy himself. Elsewhere, Martin is trying to find a way to stop the cleaners moving his yoghurt and Mac discovers his former girlfriend, Holly, is getting married.

Episode 3 - Lodgers

Joanna is looking for some way to spice up her life, and new IT consultant Lyndon might be the answer. Caroline is looking for a lodger, but doesn't want it to be the perfect Angela. Also, Mac's fortunes get worse when he hears that Holly is now pregnant.

Episode 4 - Joanna's Birthday

Joanna turns forty-eight, which is bad enough for her, but when a present that she thinks comes from Lyndon turns out to be from Alan, it gets worse. Caroline is horrified when she discovers a league table of all the women in the hospital kept by Guy, who shifts the blame to Mac when confronted.

Episode 5 - Housewarming Party

Caroline is holding her housewarming party, and Martin asks Sue for help finding some new clothes. During the party, Caroline ends up getting drunk and kissing Guy, Mac, Martin and Sue. Alan, on the other hand, is taking some of Boyce's advice on being mysterious in an attempt to impress Joanna.

Episode 6 - Tests

Joanna and Harriet visit the pathology lab both thinking they might be pregnant, Martin sits his exams, Mac goes for a promotion interview, and Caroline tries to remember what happened at the party. In the meantime, Alan steals a milk float.

Episode 7 - Tangled Webs

Caroline is getting even more confused about her relationships with Guy and Mac, and after a while, she goes out for the afternoon with Guy. After being dumped by Joanna, Alan finds comfort both in God and the hospital chaplain. Meanwhile, there’s a giant cardboard Jesus around the hospital…

Episode 8 - Slave Auction

There is a charity slave auction in East Hampton, with Caroline, Guy, Mac, Alan and Lyndon up for sale. Things are getting very complicated in the hospital. Martin is in love with Caroline, who is in love with Mac, but Sue also loves Mac, Mac loves someone in the physiotherapy department, Guy loves himself and pretends to love Caroline, Joanna loves Lyndon, and Lyndon likes Harriet's big pants.

Episode 9 - Emergency

It is Mac's last day - Caroline will stop at nothing to keep him working close to her, and Sue will stop at nothing to lure him to her bedroom. Alan is attacked from all sides, with Joanna trying to win him back, while Boyce projects a 30ft homoerotic picture of the consultant radiologist. Martin's failed attempt to stop his long lost half-brother sleeping with his mother leads to trouble with an ambulance, a cliff and a discussion on The Three Musketeers.

The Comic Relief Sketch (2005)

Mac fends off Sue's advances by saying he will only allow her to touch his arse if she can raise £10,000 for Comic Relief. Sue then proceeds to try and ask Martin, Joanna, Guy and Alan for the money, which she eventually manages to raise, though Mac runs off before she can get hold of him.

[edit] Series 2

Main article: Green Wing (series 2)

Episode 1

Mac is in an eight-week long coma after the accident with the ambulance. Guy has been temporarily suspended from work, but continues to irritate just about everyone. Mac wakes up, but seems to have amnesia and describes his relationship with Emmy but not the one with Caroline.

Episode 2

Caroline continues to cope with Mac's loss of memory (and their relationship). Guy has to cope without his driving licence but is given his job back. Alan has to cope without any sex whatsoever, while trying to convince Joanna that he's still having it.

Episode 3

A documentary crew have come to film East Hampton. Guy gives the tape of him and Joanna having sex to a priest, who was really Martin in disguise. However, the tape ends up in the hands of Sue, who uses it as blackmail. Angela leaves the hospital to work in television.

Episode 4

The new paediatrics registrar turns out to be Mac's former girlfriend Holly. Mac has more than enough on his plate already, with Alan trying to get his unused parking space for his new car. Guy is forced into doing community service - painting walls and teaching school children how to play Guyball, and somehow he manages to become Caroline's lodger.

Episode 5

Caroline is not happy with Guy as her lodger (although he likes it a lot), but things get even worse when the characters hear that Holly never had an abortion, and that Mac's son Mackenzie is now about four. Alan is now entering politics, and it looks like Boyce might be able to help him. Joanna is angry about Lyndon spending a night with Harriet, and Martin meets a prostitute and becomes her pimp.

Episode 6

After the previous night, Guy has fallen for Caroline and becomes jealous when Jake takes her out on a date. Caroline in the meantime has separated from Mac, leaving him and Holly deciding how best to raise Mackenzie. Alan is very happy after winning an internet caption competition with 100% of the vote (seven people voted), but Joanna plans to use her dwarf cousin to scare him. The plan however backfires, after Alan beats him to death with a stuffed heron.

Episode 7

Joanna and Alan's anxiety about the stuffed heron brings them back together. Sue discovers Holly has been lying about Mackenzie being Mac's son, and Holly leaves in disgrace. Just as Caroline and Mac are about to kiss, Sue announces that she is pregnant with his baby. Martin wins £3,000, Guy gets a tattoo, and Jake plays a joke on Guy by pretending to be an experienced Guyball player.

Episode 8

Joanna and Alan begin to believe that they can get away with anything, while Caroline receives proposals from Martin, Guy and Mac. As with series one, there is a "cliff hanger" to finish, this time involving Joanna Clore and Alan Statham on the run, although the main twist is Caroline meeting Guy at the train station instead of Mac who she had agreed to go away for the weekend with. Meanwhile Sue "gives birth" to the tune of the "Circle of Life", and Mac receives some very grave news about the future.

The Secret Policeman's Ball Sketch (2006)

A sketch was performed for Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball, with performances from Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Michelle Gomez. Mangan and Rhind-Tutt appeared in two sketches. ^[6]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Special

A 90 minute long ninth episode was filmed in Series 2, to be shown on Thursday January 4, 2007. A statement from Channel 4 has said the following:

"The end is nigh – Caroline (Tamsin Greig) is now engaged to Guy (Stephen Mangan), while Mac (Julian Rhind-Tutt) has very little time to live. Gripped by desperation and paranoia, dwarf-killing duo Statham (Mark Heap) and Joanna (Pippa Haywood) are on the run, jumping relentlessly out of frying pans and into fires (not quite literally). With no-one left in charge, the admin girls let their basic instincts run wild, while something very strange has happened to Karen (Lucinda Raikes) after her fall from the window. Boyce (Oli Chris) discovers life without Statham, Sue White (Michelle Gomez) spots a job opportunity and Martin (Karl Theobald) feels utterly helpless. Again. Still, at least it all ends happily ever after. Or does it?"^[7]

A BBC documentary, "Imagine" - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Studio,^[8] showed a clip of a scene where Caroline, Guy, Martin, Boyce, and Sue are attending a funeral, which appears in this episode. It has since been confirmed to be the funeral of Angela.^[9]

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Long-running jokes

Green Wing has a lot of jokes that constantly run through the program and reappear, the most famous of these being:

Guyball - A sport invented by Guy when he was at public school.
Hair - Jokes are often made about Caroline's masculine hair, Alan's moustache, Sue's "Squirrel" and Mac's "Lion's mane".
Caroline's constant embarrassment - Such as her failure with her relationships and her constant accidents.
Boyce's practical jokes and bullying of Alan - From giving inane answers to questions to projecting a 30 foot tall image of Alan having gay sex.
Sue's visual gags - Such as installing an electronic sign telling Holly to "F*** off" and her attempts to kill Caroline.
The operation scenes with Caroline, Guy and Mac - Such as operating with Geordie accents, playing quizzes, and holding philosophical debates.
Guy and Mac’s rivalry - They often play games such as "The Spoon of Destiny" and making bets, such as Mac's bet that Guy could not sleep with Joanna.
Guy bullying Martin - Guy often calls him "Fartin", makes him do small tasks such as fetching his suitcase, and once Guy squirted beer into Martin's ear and out of his mouth.
The Human Resources staff - Instead of working, they can be found either playing hopscotch, or something bizarre such as ducking whenever a telephone rings. They also seem to enjoy making Jonna's life miserable in various ways such as stealing office supplies.
Alan and Joanna's relationship - Alan's attempts to have sex with Joanna never really succeed, often leading to him resort to other measures, whereas Joanna is often trying to make Lyndon fall in love with her.

[edit] Cultural references

Main article: Cultural references in Green Wing

Green Wing has many references to famous songs, films, television programs, and sometimes plays. There have been references to The Kinks, The Italian Job, The Flintstones and The Importance of Being Earnest.

[edit] Comments and criticism

The show has somewhat of a mixed reaction. Many people like it for being original, funny, and breaking new ground. Several people have reviewed the show on the internet and on TV.com people have mostly given positive reviews.^[10] One person from America said that it was, "Like South Park -- only live action.... and British."^[11]

Much of the media has praised Green Wing. The Series 1 DVD has a list of quotations. The Evening Standard said that it was, "A comedy as physically adroit as it was verbally sharp," and The Guardian said that, "Channel 4’s hospital sitcom is the most innovative comedy since, well, The Office."^[12] Matt Rudd of the Sunday Times wrote, whilst reviewing the Series 2 DVD that Green Wing was "…the best comedy series ever (yes, better than Fawlty Towers and, yawn, Only Fools and Horses.)^[13]

Others have difficulty understanding the show. Some complain that an hour-long show is too long. There was also criticism on the first episode of Series 2, which many people thought was not very good. The Sunday Times TV critic A. A. Gill was one who disapproved, writing, "Then the new one began with a dream sequence. Oh my God, I could hardly believe my eyes. Was I asleep? No, it really was a dream sequence. Now, every 11-year-old knows dream sequences are the lowest form of plotting solution, lower than unexplained superpowers such as the ability to stop time or become invisible; even lower than a magic get-better potion. Within two minutes, Green Wing had destroyed itself, lost its assured grip on the cliff of comedy and tumbled into the abyss of embarrassing overacting, formless gurning and pointless repetition."^[14]

Some people believe that the lack of patients in Green Wing might be a satirical reference on the National Health Service today. An article in The Word magazine read, "Now Labour has stealthily encouraged privatisation in far more areas than Thatcher ever managed, the NHS has found itself populated by tired, cynical loons who will do everything they can to grab 40 winks or get their rocks off at work because they don't know anyone else and never see their houses. And in true New Labour New Medical Profession-style there's not a trace of medical jargon nor a doctor-patient relationship in sight. The hospital staff are all, without exception, idiots. They have social problems, hygiene issues, chequered histories and very loose morals. And they don't do any work." ^[15]

One possible example of this is, is Caroline and Mac trying to put some students off working in medicine in, "Housewarming Party".

[edit] DVD and book releases

[edit] DVDs

The Green Wing Series 1 & 2 box set.

The cover of the Green Wing Special DVD.

Region 2 DVD Name	Release dates
Region 2 DVD Name	Region 2	Region 1	Region 4	Contents	Extras
Green Wing: The Complete First Series	3 April 2006	No information yet; some Region 2 DVDs found not to be region encoded.	No information yet; some Region 2 DVDs found not to be region encoded.	All 9 episodes in a 3 disc set in a bespoke digipak with translucent slipcase.	Deleted scenes, Audio Commentaries with Cast & Crew (Episodes 1, 2, 5 & 9 only), "Behind The Scenes" Featurette, Cast & Crew Biographies
Green Wing: The Complete Second Series	2 October 2006	No information yet.	No information yet.	All 8 episodes in a 3 disc set in a bespoke digipak with translucent slipcase.	Deleted scenes, Audio Commentaries with Cast & Crew (Episodes 4 (two versions), 6 & 8 only), "Behind The Scenes" Featurette, Cast & Crew Biographies
Green Wing: Series 1 & 2	2 October 2006	No information yet.	No information yet.	A box set containing both the series 1 and series 2 DVD's.	The same as series 1 and 2.
Green Wing: Special [1] [2]	8 January 2007	No information yet.	No information yet.	The full 90 minute episode	Deleted scenes, Audio Commentaries with Cast & Crew, "Behind The Scenes" Featurette, Alternative ending

[edit] Books

Green Wing - The Complete First Series Scripts.

Books of the scripts are to be released. The first series scripts are to be released as Green Wing: The Complete First Series Scripts in paperback on 22 October 2006 (ISBN 1-845764-21-8), by Titan Books. The book also contains bonus material made exclusively for the book and previously unseen photos.

According to the British Sitcom Website, the scripts for the second series are to be released in May 2007.^[16]

[edit] Awards

[edit] Winner

Pippa Haywood - Best Female Comedy Performance - Rose d'Or May 2005 ^[17]
Tamsin Greig - Best Comedy Performance - RTS 2005 ^[18]
Green Wing - The Pioneer Audience Award - BAFTA 2005 ^[19]
- This is the only BAFTA award that is voted on by the general public. It was also the first time the award was given out, making Green Wing the first show to win a BAFTA voted by the public.
Jonathan Whitehead - Best Original Score - RTS Craft & Design Awards 2005 ^[20]

[edit] Nominated

Green Wing - Best Situation Comedy & Comedy Drama - RTS 2005
Victoria Pile & The Green Wing Team - Best Comedy Writer - RTS 2005
Tamsin Greig - Best Comedy Performance - BAFTA 2005
Green Wing - Best Situation Comedy - BAFTA 2005
Billy Sneddon and Lucien Clayton - Entertainment and Situation Comedy Tape and Film Editing - RTS Craft & Design 2005
Green Wing - People's Choice Award - British Comedy Awards 2004
Green Wing - People's Choice Award - British Comedy Awards 2005
Tamsin Greig - Best TV Comedy Actress (For both Green Wing and Love Soup)- British Comedy Awards 2005 ^[21]
Jonathan Paul Green - Production Design - Entertainment & Non Drama Productions - RTS Craft & Design Awards 2005/06 ^[22]

Green Wing is currently a nomination for the people's choice award for the British Comedy Awards 2006.^[23] Tamsin Greig has also been nominated for best actress for her role as Caroline Todd.^[24]

[edit] See also

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace — another Channel 4 original hospital sitcom.
Black Books — another Channel 4 sitcom starring Tamsin Greig, with guest appearances from Julian Rhind-Tutt and Olivia Colman.
Smack the Pony — Channel 4 sketch show created by Victoria Pile and written, produced and directed by the Green Wing team. Starring Sally Phillips, with appearances from Sarah Alexander, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Darren Boyd, and additional material written by Karl Theobald.
Feel the Force — BBC sitcom starring Michelle Gomez, co-directed by Tristram Shapeero and with music by Jonathan Whitehead.
Peep Show − Channel 4 sitcom starring Olivia Colman and Paterson Joseph.
That Mitchell and Webb Sound/That Mitchell and Webb Look − BBC Sketch series on radio (Sound) and on television (Look), with appearances from Olivia Colman (both) and Paterson Joseph (Look).
Confetti - Film starring Olivia Colman and Stephen Mangan with a minor role by Mark Heap.

[edit] Other

Recently Channel 4 has started one of its famous Top 50 polls, for the 50 Greatest Comedy Characters. In it, Sue White and Dr. Alan Statham (marked as "Mark Heap - Green Wing") are possible choices. You can also vote for email other Green Wing characters to the poll if you wish.

Some fans who still want a third series started their own petition on 21 April 2006. So far, around 2,800 people have signed it. Another, more recent petition was created on 8 October 2006, asking for the Green Wing writers and staff to go on a DVD signing tour, after the last signing session only took place in London. Around 50 people have signed this petition.

A Green Wing convention called Wingin It is being organised to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. The convention will consist of a quiz, lunch, dinner, dancing, games, screenings, a charity auction and a possible special guest interview. It takes place on 13 January 2007. The convention's website was recently hacked into and some information was lost, but it is still in working order.