The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle
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| The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Creator(s) | Jennifer Saunders Tanya Byron |
| Starring | Jennifer Saunders Miranda Richardson Conleth Hill Jason Watkins |
| Country of origin | UK |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 40 mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Two BBC America |
| Original run | 2007 – |
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle is an up and coming television programme written by and starring British actress Jennifer Saunders[1]. It will air in 2007 on BBC2 in Great Britain and BBC America in the United States.
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[edit] Background
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle is described as a black comedy and is a show-within-a-show, following both the on-screen and off-screen adventures of spoof TV host Vivienne Vyle. The show follows the life of Vyle, played by Saunders, as she reaches fame with her confessional-style television show. The BBC described the show as "Ab Fab meets The Larry Sanders Show with quite a bit of Ricki Lake and Oprah thrown in"[2] .
The series was co-written with famed psychologist Tanya Byron, who originally came up with the idea and approached Saunders. Producer Jo Sargent stated: "she presented the idea for a comedy on the subject to Jennifer, the aim being a black comedy with pop psychology at the root"[2].
The series is co-produced by the BBC, Saunders and French Productions and BBC America.
[edit] Plot
The show is described as "a talkshow sendup" where Vivienne Vyle (portrayed by Saunders) plays an agony aunt who is the host of a daytime confessional television show. In a similar vein to the likes of shows such as The Jerry Springer Show and Trisha, the programme deals with issues such as "My son calls the wrong man daddy" and "I want a vagina"[3]. The outrageous nature of the show is also is also mirrored by the drama off screen in Vyle's personal life and her marriage to Jared, played by Conleth Hill. Producer Jo Sargent states: "she's quite a vulnerable person really. Behind her public, 'tell it like it is' façade, is an insecure, easily hurt individual. She's beginning to question how much she wants the success. But then her ratings soar, and her ego begins to expand in line with her audience figures."[2]
Miranda Richardson plays the role of Helena, Vyle's television producer, who is described as "endlessly creative and hyperactive" and craves more outlandish behaviour from the guests on the talk show in the hope that more melodrama will generate higher viewing figures[4].
[edit] Personnel
- Jennifer Saunders - writer
- Tanya Byron - writer
- Jo Sargent - producer
- Jon Plowman - executive producer
[edit] Cast
- Jennifer Saunders - Vivienne Vyle
- Miranda Richardson - Helena (TV producer)
- Conleth Hill - Jared (Vyle's partner)
- Jason Watkins - Vyle's psychotherapist
[edit] References
- ^ Martin, Denise. [1]. Variety. Retrieved December 16, 2006.
- ^ a b c Press release. BBC. Retrieved December 16, 2006.
- ^ British press article. Daily Mail. Retrieved December 16, 2006.
- ^ Martin, Denise. British newspaper article about the show. The Guardian. Retrieved December 16, 2006.
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