The Green Green Grass
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| The Green Green Grass | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | John Sullivan |
| Starring | Sue Holderness John Challis David Ross Ella Kenion Peter Heppelthwaite Jack Doolan Ivan Kaye Lisa Diveney |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 23 (as of 30 December 2007) (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Gareth Gwenlan |
| Camera setup | 1080i50 HDTV |
| Running time | 20x30 minutes 1x40 minutes 1x45 minutes 1x50 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Original run | 9 September 2005 – present |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Green Green Grass is a British sitcom created and initially written by John Sullivan, and a spin-off of Only Fools and Horses. First broadcast in September 2005, a fourth series is currently in production to be broadcast in 2008 which will consist of seven episodes and a Christmas special.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The series is a spin-off from the long-running sitcom Only Fools And Horses and focuses upon two of the supporting characters from that series, Boycie and Marlene, and their son,Tyler, as they move from London to the countryside. The series notably expands on the characters, giving them greater depth and - particularly in the case of Boycie - more warmth and humanity than they displayed in Only Fools and Horses. Sullivan had considered a spin-off about Boycie and Marlene as far back as the mid-late 1980s, but it was almost two decades before it was decided to go ahead with the project. The confirmation that the 2003 Only Fools And Horses Christmas special would be the last was much of the reason for Sullivan moving on to the new project.
The series was the first programme to be made by Sullivan's company Shazam Productions, and it is shot in High-Definition format (the first multi-camera British TV show to be made this way), and as a result is simulcast on BBC HD.
Boycie and Marlene have always been a warring couple, and every time they appeared together in Only Fools and Horses they were engaged in a game of snide one-upmanship. This was toned down considerably for The Green Green Grass, so the characters were more like an "ordinary" couple who sparred occasionally, but obviously felt deep affection for one another.
The only regular cast member of Only Fools and Horses to make a guest appearance was Denzil, who appeared in the first episode. Boycie has made veiled references to Del Boy and Uncle Albert on several occasions without actually using their names.
The writer, John Sullivan made it clear from the beginning that no other Only Fools and Horses characters would appear in the show; as he put it, if one character appears, viewers would expect the rest to follow, damaging the new show's ability to stand alone. However, Roy Heather appeared in a brief cameo in the 2005 Christmas Special reprising his irregular Only Fools character Sid, as have Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan as the Driscoll Brothers in a number of episodes. John Sullivan indicated in February 2007, to the Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society, that "some old faces may be seen over the next couple of series".
Unlike Only Fools and Horses, which was written exclusively by John Sullivan, the second and third series of The Green Green Grass had episodes written by Sullivan himself, along with Derren Litten, James Windett, Paul Alexander and John Sullivan's son, Jim Sullivan. Through his production company, Shazam Productions, Sullivan also intends to extend this assistance in later series to include additional actors, directors and technicians alongside co-writers.
Green Green Grass is filmed at Teddington Studios, Middlesex.
[edit] Cast
- John Challis - Aubrey Boyce (Boycie)
- Sue Holderness - Marlene Boyce
- Jack Doolan - Tyler Boyce
- David Ross - Elgin Sparrowhawk
- Peter Hepplethwaite - Jed
- Ivan Kaye - Bryan
- Alan David - Llewellyn
- Ella Kenion - Imelda Cakeworthy
- Lisa Diveney - Beth
[edit] Guest appearances
- Paul Barber - Denzil
- Roy Heather - Sid
- Roy Marsden - Danny Driscoll
- Christopher Ryan - Tony Driscoll
- Paul Bown -Colin
- June Whitfield - Dora, Marlene's mother
- Karen Paullada - Rhian
- Nigel Harrison - Ray
- Michael Usher- footballer [1]
- Ricky Hatton - himself
- George Wendt - Cliff Cooper, initially believed to be Jed's father
- Paula Wilcox - Marlene's sister
[edit] Plot
In the series, Boycie is initially on the run from infamous London villains the Driscoll Brothers, and his only hope of living to old age is to escape before they catch up with him. So overnight he moves with his reluctant wife Marlene and dim-witted teenage son Tyler to a secluded farm in Shropshire, where he hopes they'll be safe.
Most of the storylines revolve around Boycie's attempts to make it as a successful gentleman farmer. His household staff of "country bumpkins" are secretly trying to avail themselves of Boycie's fortune. Elgin is the farm manager, Bryan is the herdsman, Jed is the ploughman, Mrs Cakeworthy is the lazy housekeeper, and fiercly Welsh Llewellyn is the neighbouring farmer. For instance, they persuaded him to pay wildly over the odds for a prize bull, which turned out to be gay - a joke which ran through several episodes.
The second series saw the development of the relationships between the Boyces and the Shropshire locals. Tyler was working hard at school, but not hard enough, so he enlisted another student to help him. This student tutor ended up fancying Marlene, until Boycie gave him the kiss of life and then the tutor realised it was Boycie that he fancied. Meanwhile, Tyler proposed to Beth with an old ring that Marlene got from a man in the 60s (presumably Del Boy), but Beth found out the ring was worthless and cancelled the engagement, although the two resumed dating.
Also in this series, Boycie ran for Mayor with the help of Elgin's dyslexic reporter and Jed's ugly kids. Llewellyn lost a pub quiz to Boycie when Tyler answered all of the questions correctly - much to the surprise of his parents. Mrs Cakeworthy started her on psychic sessions in the Manor House, and the Driscoll brothers found Boycie, with the help of Marlene's sister who had been dating them both. The Driscolls did not harm Boycie but stated that he and his family will be left untouched if they can use Boycie's land to hide something on. What they buried is still unknown.
[edit] Episodes
Main Article:List of The Green Green Grass episodes
23 episodes have been produced including three Christmas specials. A fourth series is in production for broadcast late 2008.
[edit] DVD releases
The first series of The Green Green Grass, including the 2005 Christmas Special, was released in Region 2 (UK) as a 2-disc set by BBC DVD & 2 Entertain Video while the second series was on air. The second series has been released on April the 7th 2008 with the 2006 Christmas Special included. The Series 3 DVD is rumoured to be released soon after the Series 2 DVD.
| DVD | Release date |
|---|---|
| The Complete First Series (2 discs) | 23 October 2006 |
| The Complete Second Series (2 discs) | 7 April 2008 |
| The Complete Third Series | T.B.A |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- BBC Comedy Guide entry for The Green Green Grass
- British Sitcom Guide for The Green Green Grass
- The Green Green Grass website
- The Green Green Grass at Only Fools and Horses website
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