All the Small Things | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama series |
Created by | Debbie Horsfield |
Written by | Debbie Horsfield |
Starring | Sarah Lancashire Neil Pearson Sarah Alexander Richard Fleeshman Bryan Dick Clive Rowe |
Composer(s) | Nina Humphreys (incidental music) Chris O'Hara and Colin Hanson-Orr (choral) Colin Hanson-Orr (other) |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Language(s) | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 6 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Phil Collinson Debbie Horsfield Manda Levin |
Producer(s) | Richard Burrell |
Running time | 58 minutes |
Production company(s) | BBC |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | BBC One BBC HD |
Picture format | 576i 16:9 (SDTV) 1080i 16:9 (HDTV) |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original run | 31 March 2009 | – 5 May 2009
External links | |
Website |
All the Small Things is a British television programme, produced by the BBC and created and developed by Debbie Horsfield. Following the lives and ambitions of a church choir and its members, the programme began airing on 31 March 2009 and ran for six episodes.[1] The programme frequently features musical performances from its cast, usually popular music. The programme's title is taken from "All the Small Things", a hit song from the American Pop Punk/Punk Rock band Blink-182.
Contents |
The initial idea for the programme came from creator Debbie Horsfield's own experience performing in choirs since childhood.[2] She felt it was a strong concept for a drama, based on the varied characters and multiple story ideas.[2] She originally thought of the story as a stage play, but later decided to transfer it to television, citing that a series format would "give [her] more opportunity to go into extra depth with the characters and narrative".
The programme was commissioned by Jane Tranter, Controller of BBC Fiction,[1] and was produced in-house by BBC Drama Productions. Filming for the series started in August 2008 and ended in December 2008.[3] Locations included the Derbyshire town of Glossop, Bolton town centre and Manchester.[3] St John's Church in Farnworth doubles for St Cecelia's, the main location of the series.[4]
The local Sixth Form College (Glossopdale Community College) participated in the filming of the show, and several of the children from its lower school appear in two episodes where a school choir features.[2] Creator and writer Debbie Horsfield worked closely with the head of music at Glossopdale, Chris O'Hara, and its head of music technology, Colin Hanson-Orr.[2] Local Glossop based band My First Hello provided two songs for the series - "I'm Not Your Hero" and "We're Not Supposed To Be Alone". The end title song "Can You Hear Me?", sung by Richard Fleeshman, was co-written by singer Elton John, Fleeshman himself and Debbie Horsfield.
Other cast members include Jo Woodcock as Georgia Caddick, a keen member of the choir and daughter to Esther and Michael, Jamie Birtwistle as Fred Caddick, son of Michael and Esther and brother to Georgia and Kyle, Clive Rowe as Clifford "Shrek" Beale, the church caretaker, and Annette Badland as Ethel Tonks, member of the choir and a promoter of rules and organisation within the church, and Kiruna Stamell as Phoebe.[10] David Fleeshman, father of Richard Fleeshman (Kyle), also appears as Ethel Tonks' husband, Gilbert "Jabba" Tonks.[8][11]
Episode | Featured song(s) | Featured character(s) | Original airdate | Viewers in millions |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "All the Small Things" by blink-182 | Esther and Michael Caddick | 31 March 2009 | 4.6[12] |
2 | "Swing, Swing" by The All-American Rejects | Clifford "Shrek" Beale | 7 April 2009 | 4.32[13] |
3 | "Sloop John B" by The Beach Boys "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys "I'm Not Your Hero" by My First Hello |
Sofija Radic and Nemenja Radic | 14 April 2009 | 4.33[14] |
4 | "What's My Age Again?" by blink-182 | Olive Halsall and Jimmy | 21 April 2009 | 4.07[15] |
5 | "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks "Aliens Exist" by blink-182 "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor "Love Hurts" by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris |
Ethel Tonks and Monica Binns | 28 April 2009 | 4.12[16] |
6 | "We're Not Supposed To Be Alone (Acoustic)" by My First Hello "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon "Ode To Joy" by Beethoven combined with "We're Not Supposed To Be Alone" by My First Hello |
Kyle Caddick and Jake Barton | 5 May 2009 | 3.99[17] |
The series was first broadcast in Australia on the ABC on 12 September 2009, where it is titled "Heart and Soul". "Heart and Soul" was also broadcast in Belgium on TV channel "Een" on 6 January 2010. October 2010 Heart & Soul broadcast throughout Europe on BBC Entertainment. The first series of "Heart and Soul" finished screening in New Zealand on Prime on 7 January 2011.