15 Storeys High

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

15 Storeys High
DVD cover for the 2007 release of 15 Storeys High series 1 & 2
Genre	Comedy
Creator(s)	Sean Lock Martin Trenaman Mark Lamarr (as Mark Jones) Mark Nunneley
Starring	Sean Lock Benedict Wong
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	12
Production
Producer(s)	Phil Bowker
Running time	30 min
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC Two / BBC Three (UK)
Original run	2002 – 2003
Links
IMDb profile

15 Storeys High is a 2002 British sitcom, set in a tower block, written by Sean Lock, Martin Trenaman and Mark Lamarr (as Mark Jones), and directed by Mark Nunneley.

The main characters of the show were Vince Clark, a misanthropic, cynical loner played by Sean Lock, and Errol Spears, Vince's exact opposite and whipping boy, played by Benedict Wong.

It ran for two series on radio (three if you count the 15 Minutes Of Misery series that inspired it), followed by two on television, with a total of 12 TV episodes of 30 minutes each. In the second TV series Mark Lamarr is also credited as a writer. There are currently no plans for a third series, Lock stating that he wished to make one but that "the BBC have put their foot down" ^[1].

In 2003 it was nominated for a BAFTA in the Best New Director category.

The show's original incarnation on BBC Radio 4, entitled 15 Minutes Of Misery, ran for six episodes in early 1999(?). This was later followed by two series of 15 Storeys High, also on Radio 4, each consisting of five half-hour episodes. Unlike the television shows, the radio version was recorded in front of a studio audience.

The second series was never released on DVD alone until both series were released as a two disc set on 17/02/2007. The extras include commentaries by Phil Bowker, Mark Lamarr, Sean Lock, Mark Nunneley and Martin Trenaman and a conversation with Sean Lock and Mark Lamarr, entitled 'Writing 15 Storeys'.

1 Series one
2 Series two
3 Critical reception
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Series one

The Sofa
The Model
Blue Rat
Pool Kids
Ice Queen
Dead Swan

[edit] Series two

Vince the Shirker
Car Boot and Pigeon Shit
Holiday
The Plough
The Baby
Errol's Women

[edit] Critical reception

DVD cover for 2002 release of the first TV series

"Lock's off-the-beaten-track sitcom is inadequate preparation for the live experience. On television Lock is bleak to the point of alienation."

- Bruce Dessau in the London Evening Standard, December 19, 2002^[2].

"The straight acting, the rawness of the dialogue and arid production values make this resemble a Beckett play as filmed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Minimal but beautifully constructed plots involve accidents at the local swimming baths and the loss of a sofa. On paper, 15 Storeys High is not remotely funny, but onscreen it has a bittersweet allure."

- Bruce Dessau in the London Evening Standard, January 2, 2004^[3]

"Many of the most successful sitcoms, such as Steptoe and Son, Fawlty Towers and Porridge, have featured characters who, for one reason or another, are unable to escape from each other. While no one would suggest that 15 Storeys High is in that league, it possesses an appealingly dark sense of the absurd..."

- James Rampton in The Independent, February 26, 2004^[4].

"extraordinarily well-written comedy with plot strands and incidental characters worthy of vintage Seinfeld."

- The Times ^[5]

[edit] Trivia

The flat in which Vince lives was actually filmed in a studio with large pictures of the adjacent tower blocks as a backdrop. All other flats in both series are real, and are located in the Brandon Estate, Kennington, London. The British police drama The Bill also uses this location.
The location of the swimming pool that Vince works in as a lifeguard is Ladywell Leisure Centre in Lewisham, South East London. (map).