| Grandma's House | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Simon Amstell Dan Swimer |
| Written by | Simon Amstell Dan Swimer |
| Starring | Simon Amstell Linda Bassett Geoffrey Hutchings Rebecca Front James Smith Samantha Spiro Jamal Hadjkura |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sophie Clarke-Jervoise Simon Lupton |
| Producer(s) | Ben Cavey |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Two |
| Original run | 9 August 2010 – present |
Grandma's House is a sitcom television series for BBC Two. Written by Simon Amstell and long term collaborator Dan Swimer, the series stars Simon Amstell playing a version of himself: a television presenter searching for meaning in his life. Each episode takes place at his Grandma's house, where Grandma (Linda Bassett) welcomes her family, desperate to see everyone happy.
A second series has been commissioned and is due to be filmed near the end of 2011.[1]
Contents |
The show was created and written by Simon Amstell and Dan Swimer.[2] Six 30-minutes episodes were produced for the first series by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Two. These were filmed at Pinewood Studios.[2]
On 1 July 2010, Geoffrey Hutchings, who portrayed Grandpa, died.[3] It is unknown if his character will be played by a new actor or if the character will be written out.
The show has received a generally positive reaction from critics and audiences alike. TV.com's Ruth Margolis claimed that "[Amstell's] written a sitcom stuffed with gently funny moments and acerbic gems", but suggested "few more naturalistic pauses would have just polished this into the self-assured comedy it so wants to be."[4] Other publications had differing opinions. UK's Metro' claimed on their website that "[Amstell's] brilliantly funny but we won’t be inviting him round for tea."[5] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian asked, "Can Simon act, though? Well, it's hard to know really, given that he's essentially just being himself", but comes around to the opinion that "Grandma's House is sharply written, with some nice lines and a bit of edge to it."[6] Two weeks later, Wollaston revealed "I'm enjoying Grandma's House more and more (...) there's a subtlety and a sharpness about it. And yeah, it's funny."[7]
Jewish media outlets such as the Jewish Chronicle were pleased that the show was bringing Jewish humour to mainstream audiences[8] and the newspaper also described the show as "genius".[9]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2010
|
British Comedy Award | Best Female Comedy Breakthrough Artist | Samantha Spiro as Auntie Liz[10] | Won |
| British Comedy Award | Best New TV Comedy | Grandma's House[10] | Nominated |
| # | Title | Directed by | Original airdate | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Day Simon Told His Family About His Important Decision" | Christine Gernon | 9 August 2010 | 1.56 million[11] |
| When Simon tells his mum Tanya that he's quitting the programme he presents, she is less than happy. While Simon struggles to make his mum realise that her new boyfriend Clive might not be the right man for her, Grandpa has discovered something that will leave Grandma in a panic. Meanwhile, Auntie Liz is struggling with her son Adam, who appears to be starting a teenage rebellion. | ||||
| 2 | "The Day Simon Decided It Might Be a Nice Idea to Surprise His Mother with a Gift" | Christine Gernon | 16 August 2010 | 1.11 million[12] |
| Simon has brought his mum, Tanya, an extravagant gift which she refuses to accept. He's also trying to convince her that maybe she shouldn't marry Clive. Meanwhile, it's Liz's birthday but nobody seems to care. Grandad has news from the doctor about his cancer scare and Simon has decided he might write a play for the theatre. However, his family isn't impressed. | ||||
| 3 | "The Day Simon Announced That He Was in Control of the Universe" | Christine Gernon | 23 August 2010 | 1.06 million[13] |
| Simon has fallen in love. He's also read a book which leads him to believe that he might be able to control the universe. The family aren’t very impressed with either. Grandpa has invited Deborah Adler to visit, Grandma doesn’t like her and is less than happy. Liz has had to take extreme measures to try to get her son Adam into a new school. Guest starring Pam Ferris and Iwan Rheon | ||||
| 4 | "The Day Simon Decided He Was Forlorn" | Christine Gernon | 30 August 2010 | 1.22 million[14] |
| Simon is having a life crisis and is depressed. The situation is exacerbated when a guest he interviewed on his show attacks him in the press. Tanya moves into Clive's house, much to Simon's irritation. Meanwhile, Grandma and Grandpa plan a cruise. | ||||
| 5 | "The Day Simon Felt the Family Was Ready to Be Healed" | Christine Gernon | 6 September 2010 | 990,000[15] |
| Simon has been on a life-changing course and has decided it's his job to heal the family. He starts by giving his Granddad an exercise ball. Tanya has had a realisation that maybe Clive isn't the man for her, and when the family discover that Simon has organised a surprise for them, they are fearful what Grandma might do to him. Guest starring Allan Corduner. | ||||
| 6 | "The Day Simon Finally Found the Strength to Accept That His Mother Was Getting Married" | Christine Gernon | 13 September 2010 | 770,000[16] |
| When Grandpa is taken ill, it's unsure whether Tanya and Clive will be able to get married today. Grandma takes on the responsibility of trying to resolve the situation, but is she right to advise Tanya to get married? Meanwhile, Liz has a favour to ask of Simon which might help Adam sort out his schooling problems. | ||||
2 Entertain released the first series of Grandma's House on DVD on 20 September 2010; it includes all six episodes, a making-of documentary, a booklet and an audio commentary on one of the episodes.[17][18]