Dancing on the Edge (TV series)

Dancing on the Edge is a British television drama written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and produced by the BBC, it is about a black jazz band in London in the early 1930s. The series aired on BBC Two between 4 February and 10 March 2013. It was nominated for three awards at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.^[1]

Plot

The series follows a black jazz band's experiences in London in the 1930s. Made up of talented musicians and managed by the compassionate yet short-tempered Wesley Holt, the band gets a gig at the Imperial Hotel, by way of cunning journalist Stanley Mitchell. They prove to be a hit, and become a success at the hotel. Countless aristocrats—and the Royal Family—ask the band to play at parties. The media rush to interview and photograph the band—including the ambitious American businessman Walter Masterson and his enthusiastic employee Julian. The band's success spirals, being offered record deals. But tragedy strikes, setting off a chain of events that may wreck the band's career.

Cast

• Louis Lester (Chiwetel Ejiofor): The band leader. Born in the UK, his mother worked for a succession of rich families making him extremely aware how the other half lived, and he aspired to improve his lot. Through working as a merchant seaman, Louis sailed most of the world and developed his musical talents.
• Stanley Mitchell (Matthew Goode): A music journalist at Music Express magazine, who helps get the band discovered. He becomes romantically involved with Pamela.
• Jessie (Angel Coulby): Lead singer with the Louis Lester band. Beautiful and mysterious with an amazing voice, she fascinates even royalty.
• Lady Lavinia Cremone (Jacqueline Bisset): A wealthy recluse.
• Arthur Donaldson (Anthony Head): A wealthy man.
• Walter Masterson (John Goodman): An American mogul and one of the richest men in the world. His newest obsession is magazines.
• Julian Luscombe (Tom Hughes): A charismatic, handsome and debonair man, coming from one of Britain’s most aristocratic families, Pamela's brother.
• Carla (Wunmi Mosaku): After growing up in one of the poorest parts of London, she is a shy and unconfident adult, Jessie's childhood friend.
• Pamela Luscombe (Joanna Vanderham): A confident and beautiful Society It girl and Julian’s sister. She is romantically involved with Stanley.
• Wesley Holt (Ariyon Bakare): The irascible band manager. He grew up in Chicago and met Louis on the merchant ships. He claims to have been born in Cardiff but can't prove that he has a British birth certificate.
• Rosie (Jenna-Louise Coleman): An assistant who works at Music Express.
• Sarah (Janet Montgomery): The English born daughter of a Russian immigrant, Sarah immediately connects with Louis.
• Mr. Wax (Allan Corduner): The owner of Music Express. He has very little to do with the day-to-day workings of the magazine and leaves it to Stanley to make most decisions.
• Josephine/Sarah (Laura Haddock, "Interviewing Louis" only): A mysterious phone caller, who attempts to tell Louis a story concerning the Masons of the Imperial Hotel.
• D.I. Horton (David Dawson)
• Leopold (Jack Donnelly)

Episodes

Locations

Filming took place on location at the Grand Hotel and Council House in Birmingham, where the hotel scenes were shot, the Black Country Living Museum was used to shoot a scene set in a mining village and Ragley Hall in Warwickshire was used as Lady Cremone's home.^[3] The headquarters of Music Express are located at No. 4 Princelet Street, Spitalfields^[4] and later at Somerset House. The railway scenes in the first episode were shot on the preserved Bluebell Railway. Wilton's Music Hall was used as the club. Fenton House, Hampstead, stands for the house of Donaldson. Some scenes for Donaldson's house were also shot at Upton House, Warwickshire. Kidderminster, on the Severn Valley Railway, was used as "Folkestone" in the fifth episode. Manze's Eel, Pie and Mash shop in Walthamstow also makes an appearance in that episode.

International broadcast

Country	Channel	Premiere date	Timeslot
Greece	NET	1 March 2013[5]	Friday 22:05
United States	Starz	19 October 2013[6]	Saturday 22:00
Sweden	SVT1	4 January 2014	Saturday 22:00
Iceland	RUV	11 May 2014	Sunday 21:00
Finland	YLE TV1	24 June 2014	Tuesday 21:00
Mexico	Canal 22	27 July 2014	Sunday 21:00
France	France Ô	7 November 2014	Friday 20:45

Accolades

References

External links

• Dancing on the Edge at BBC Programmes
• Dancing on the Edge at the Internet Movie Database
• The Guardian, 4 February 2013: "Dancing on the Edge: what was life really like for black jazz bands in 1930s Britain?" Retrieved 2013-02-06