The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
Genre Comedy
Written by Mark Evans
Directed by Ben Gosling Fuller
Starring Robert Webb
Katherine Parkinson
Finlay Christie
Ambra Lily Keegan
Composer(s) Grant Olding
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 4
Production
Executive producer(s) Mark Freeland
Producer(s) Gareth Edwards
Running time Episode one (1 hour) followed by three 30-minute episodes in series one.
Broadcast
Original channel BBC Two
BBC HD
Picture format 1080i 16:9 (HDTV)
Original run 19 December 2011 – 5 March 2012
External links
Production website

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff is a four-part comedy series produced by BBC, which premiered on BBC Two on 19 December 2011. It is a parody of the works of Charles Dickens, drawing its title from Bleak House and The Old Curiosity Shop. It is a television successor to Bleak Expectations, a radio parody of Dickens which began in 2007 and is currently on series 5, and with which it shares the writer Mark Evans, producer Gareth Edwards and actor Richard Johnson, and while not a direct adaptation it shares the same style, atmosphere and sense of humour. It is directed by Ben Gosling Fuller, who also directed the show That Mitchell and Webb Look.

The main characters are played by Robert Webb and Katherine Parkinson with cameos and guest appearances from celebrities including Stephen Fry, David Mitchell, Phyllida Law, Johnny Vegas and Adrian Edmondson. Some of the cast from Bleak Expectations including Sarah Hadland, Richard Johnson, Susy Kane and Tom Allen also appear.

The series was commissioned to coincide with the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth.[1] The last episode aired on 5 March 2012.

Synopsis

The plot is set in Victorian London and revolves around Jedrington Secret-Past (Robert Webb) and his family: his wife Conceptiva (Katherine Parkinson), son Victor (Finlay Christie) and daughter Victoria (Ambra Lily Keegan).

The characters and themes are based on some of Dickens' most famous novels, including Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. Some themes of the time were referenced from time to time including the anti-French sentiment, harsh corporal punishments used in schools, debtors' prisons, filthy living conditions in London and the large gap between rich and poor.

Main characters

Other cast members

Christmas Special

Episode 1

Episodes 1-2

Episodes 1-3

Episode 2

Episodes 2-3

Christmas special & Episode 2

Episode 3

Cameos

Episodes

Episode # Title Directed by Written by Original airdate Viewers (millions)
Pilot"Christmas special"Ben Gosling FullerMark Evans19 December 20112.22[2]
Jedrington's unknown past comes back to haunt him in the form of the bitter lawyer Mr Malifax Skulkingworm (Stephen Fry). Skulkingworm finds a loophole in the law and has Jedrington's shop confiscated and family thrown into the debtor's prison. With just hours before the Big Ben strikes twelve to herald in Christmas Day, Jedrington must race against the clock to save his family before it is too late.
1Ben Gosling FullerMark Evans20 February 20121.76[2]
Jedrington teams up with a seemingly charming new business partner, Harmswell Grimstone (Tim McInnerny). But is Mr Grimstone all he seems, or is he actually massively evil? And what is the awful secret behind the cryptic letter that has disturbed Jedrington's wife Conceptiva so greatly that she has made her way to End-It-All Dock? As the Secret-Past family's fortunes rise, it looks like they are built on crumbling foundations indeed...
2Ben Gosling FullerMark Evans27 February 20121.18[3]
Stricken with grief at the apparent death of his wife, Jedrington begins to question the morality of his business empire until on Easter Eve he is visited by three terrifying ghostly rabbits who drive him over the edge of despair. Meanwhile at the hands of Miss Primly Tightclench the governess and Mr Wackville (Adrian Edmondson), headmaster of St Nasty's, the Secret-Past children suffer the worst extremes of Victorian education.
3Ben Gosling FullerMark Evans5 March 2012
Reduced to poverty and gin addiction Jedrington is at his lowest ebb, until his loyal and true servant Servegood restores him to sobriety by the gentle application of a massive cudgel. Reunited with Conceptiva, the two take the evil Mr Harmswell Grimstone to court to demand the return of the business and their daughter. But when the judge (Graeme Garden) turns out to be Grimstone's uncle the case seems hopeless. Just when all seems lost, the family find the solution in the most unlikely place.

References

External links