Microsoap

Microsoap
Genre	Live Action Children's Comedy
Starring	Rebecca Hunter Paul Terry Suzanne Burden Jeff Rawle Ivan Kaye Ryan Cartwright Lucy Evans Albey Brookes
Theme music composer	Tony Flynn
Opening theme	"Microsoap Theme"
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	24 minutes
Production company(s)	BBC The Disney Channel
Broadcast
Original channel	CBBC on BBC1 The Disney Channel
Picture format	SDTV 576i (1998-2001)
Audio format	Dolby Surround (1998–2001)
Original run	1998 – 2001

Microsoap is a children's sitcom, co-written by Mark Haddon and co-produced by the BBC and the Disney Channel. A total of 26 episodes were made, lasting over four series, and airing from 1998-2001. The series Producer for all episodes was Andy Rowley. Directors were Juliet May, Baz Taylor, Graeme Harper. The original sets were production designed by Peter Findley.

The story is based around the lives of two children, Joe and Emily Parker, who are brother and sister. The series begin with the split of their parents, Colin and Jane, who decide the marriage isn't working. They don't want to make life for their children difficult, so they remain friends. Jane begins to see a builder named Roger, a single parent of three children, David, Felicity and Robbie. They move in next door, and Roger knocks through a wall making one big house. Meanwhile, Colin sees Jennifer, the marriage therapist he and Jane used. This forms the background story for each episode of the series, that starred Suzanne Burden, Paul Terry, Jeff Rawle and Rebecca Hunter.

Series overview

Character summaries

Main characters

Emily Parker

Played by Rebecca Hunter, Emily is the eldest of the two Parker children, a fifteen-year-old, football-mad girl trying to survive the madness of the combined family unit. She finds herself several love interests over the course of the series, none particularly successful, and often escapes the chaos by chatting to her best friend, Lisa, on the phone. Together with her brother Joe, they introduce and narrate each episode of the series by occasionally breaking the fourth wall and explaining the mad goings on.

Joe Parker

Played by Paul Terry, Joe is Emily's cheeky twelve-year-old brother, keen on history and science. He has a colourful imagination, keeps a pet boa constrictor in his room, and is often to be found working on pet projects involving science, occasionally with his best friend Toby. He and his sister mostly get on well, and largely consider themselves to be the only sane ones in the house.

Jane Parker

Played by Suzanne Burden, Jane is the matriarch of the household who separated from her husband Colin after the differences in their personality brought about the breakup of their marriage; after Colin moved out, she began a new relationship with Roger, whom she met at the hospital where she works long hours as a nurse in the A&E department. A workaholic who often covers the night shift, she is nonetheless able to steer the family forward and put her foot down when necessary.

Colin Parker

Played by Jeff Rawle, Colin is a computer programmer, and father to Emily and Joe. After their separation, Colin found a new flat nearby, and Emily and Joe visit him for half of the week, and stay at home for the remainder. By stark contrast to Jane, the family know him to be somewhat predictable, preferring routine rather than trying out new activities. He begins dating Jennifer, the family therapist, soon after Roger and Jane begin a relationship, and marries her soon after.

Roger Smart

Played by Ivan Kaye, Roger became the sole head of the Smart family when his wife left to "find herself" in Goa, and began dating Jane after his accident put him in the hospital where she worked. He later purchased the house next door and, being a builder/decorator by trade, knocked through the wall in the living room to make one larger house.

David Smart

Played by Ryan Cartwright, David is the eldest of the children at sixteen, a typical lazy and occasionally rude teenager, particularly to the younger children. His main interest is his music, though he isn't particularly good, and trying to impress girls. Not long after meeting the Parkers he found he had a crush on Emily, but quickly dealt with his feelings after she said that it would never work between them, as they had begun to live as a family unit.

Felicity Smart

Played by Lucy Evans, Felicity is the middle child of the Smarts and is known amongst the family for her annoying ability to talk non-stop. Though she often flips between hobbies, she shows an interest in many typically girly activities, such as horse-riding and cookery.

Robbie Smart

Played by Albey Brookes, Robbie is the youngest of all the children at nine years old. With a vivid imagination, Robbie is often to be found playing around the house, and chatting to his "invisible friend" Pogo, a giant seven-foot blue mouse that follows him everywhere and that nobody except he (and the viewer) can see.

Recurring characters

Jennifer Parker

Played by Lou Gish, Jennifer is the family's therapist that they began seeing after Colin and Jane's marriage ran into difficulty; after their separation, she began to date Colin, and they married not long after. Jennifer is a very caring, understanding woman, a quality that drives Emily mad for a time, and finds the chaos of the two families bewildering.

Jim

Played by Scott Hickman, Jim was Emily's first love interest, though he was completely oblivious. His off-and-on relationship with his girlfriend exasperated Emily, who was never able to express her interest before Jim moved to Motherwell for the better job opportunities to be found there.

Toby

Played by Stephen Geller, Joe's best friend who shares similar interests in science.

Lisa

Played by Shauna Shim, Emily's best friend who was often heard on the phone before making her first appearance.

Pogo

Played by Sarah Mogg, a seven-foot blue mouse that only Robbie (and the viewer) can see, and that follows him everywhere he goes. Though family members often comment on Pogo being imaginary, Robbie becomes exasperated and assures them he is only "invisible". Assumed by everyone to be imaginary, one of Emily's dates was actually able to see Pogo. Robbie also meets a girl at Colin's wedding who also has an invisible friend, a female mouse.

Package

Played by "Alfie", Package is the family dog who they found as a puppy on their doorstep.

Novelisations

Front covers of both novels, published by BBC Books in 1999.

Following the success of the television show's first season, two novels were published in 1999. Both are based on the original scripts by Mark Haddon, with writing by Stephen Cole and illustrations by Philip Thompson and Atholl McDonald. They were published by BBC Books and are fully endorsed by both the BBC and the Disney Channel.

• "My Dad Is An Armed Robber" - ISBN 0-563-55618-8, is a novelisation of episodes 1 and 2 of the first season.

• "Lodgers From Hell" - ISBN 0-563-55619-6, is a novelisation of the 3rd and 4th episodes of the first season.

The novels are written in a first-person narrative style, with Emily and Joe sharing the role. The switch between the narrators is always signified by a change in the type-face.

References

• Lewisohn, Mark (2003). Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy. BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-48755-0. 

External links

• Microsoap at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.interzone-design.co.uk/pages/microsoap.html