Joking Apart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the BBC sitcom. For the Alan Ayckbourn play, see Joking Apart (play).
| Joking Apart | |
|---|---|
 Opening titles. |
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| Format | Sitcom |
| Run time | 30mins |
| Creator(s) | Steven Moffat |
| Starring | Robert Bathurst Fiona Gillies Tracie Bennett Paul Raffield Paul Mark Elliott |
| Channel | BBC Two |
| Production company | Pola Jones |
| Air dates | 7 January 1993 – 7 February 1995 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (+ Comic Asides pilot) |
Joking Apart was a bittersweet comedy written by Steven Moffat and broadcast on BBC Two. The show initially followed a dual structure of Mark (Robert Bathurst) and Becky (Fiona Gillies) meeting/falling in love, juxtaposed with the break up of their marriage. The theme was Chris Rea's "Fool If You Think it's Over", arranged and performed by Kenny Craddock.
It is quite autobiographical, and is loosely based on the breakup of Moffat's first marriage. (He refers to this unhappy time in the commentaries on the Press Gang DVD).
The series was directed by Bob Spiers and was produced by Andre Ptaszynski.
Contents |
[edit] Pilot
The series started as a pilot, broadcast in the Comic Asides (a series of pilot shows) strand on 12 January 1991. It was directed by John Kilby, and filmed at Pebble Mill in Birmingham. It is practically identical to the first episode of the series proper: some scenes are even reused (hence episode one's shared director credit between Spiers and Kilby).
[edit] Series one
The first series of six episodes began on 7 January 1993
Most of the first series of six episodes opened with Mark, a sit-com writer, using his relationship as material for stand-up performances. Episodes regularly cut back to Mark's performances, designed as fantasy sequences.
The first episode showed the couple meeting at a funeral, marrying, going through the honeymoon phase, and in programme 2, Becky admitted she was an adultress. Although she inadvertently admitted this fact before realising that all of her friends were hiding around her living room before the surprise party was started, the performances of Bathurst and Gillies took the scene above mere farce. This episode was basically a re-recorded version of the pilot, with a revised set design.
[edit] Series two
After being postponed from the autumn schedules, even though the show had won an award at Montreux, the six episodes of the second series begun transmission on 3 January 1995.
In this series, Becky was cheating on Trevor with her solicitor, Michael. Mark fantasizes about killing Trevor, exposes himself to his elderly Aunt and meets his conscience.
[edit] Reception and DVD release
The show attracted a small audience, but the internet is helping elevate the show to cult status. The first series was released on DVD on 29 May 2006 [1]. It contains commentaries on four of the episodes from Moffat, Bathurst, Gillies and Bennett, and new retrospective interviews. The DVD is notable as it has been released by a fan who bought the rights from the BBC [2].
[edit] External links
- Joking Apart Unofficial Site, with episode guides and extended interviews with Moffat and Bathurst
- ReplayDVD Web site of the fan who bought the programme's rights
- Joking Apart at the Internet Movie Database
- BBC minisite
- British Sitcom Guide
- "Farce that rose from the grave", The Telegraph, 8 May 2006.
- Manchester Online: Robert's fatherly fear Interview with Robert Bathurst, and comments about the DVD release
