The Cut (UK TV series)

The Cut
Genre	Teen drama
Created by	Geoffrey Goodwin and Al Smith
Written by	Al Smith Anna McCleery Grant Black Vicki Lutas Isla Gray Emma Smithwick
Directed by	Sarah Walker and Laura Smith
Starring	Scarlett Bowman Jessica Dickens Lara Goodison Edward Green Matt Kane Dermot Martin Billie North Tilly Wood Maisie Crossland Deborah May Alex Roe Connor Scarlett Wilfred Taylor Stephanie Blacker Tosin Cole Kellie-Rose Demmel Stephen Hagan Luke Newton Dominic Sherwood Samuell Benta Duane Henry Alice Southwood
Country of origin	UK
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	40
Production
Executive producer(s)	Geoffrey Goodwin
Producer(s)	Pete Gibbons and Geoffrey Goodwin
Running time	approx. 25 minutes
Distributor	Content Media Corporation PLC
Release
Original network	BBC Two/BBC Switch
Original release	19 September 2009 – 18 December 2010
External links
Website	www.bbc.co.uk/switch/thecut

The Cut is a BBC television teen drama, first broadcast in September 2009. The series was developed by Geoffrey Goodwin and Holby City writer, Al Smith in collaboration with KateModern producer Pete Gibbons and Hollyoaks director, Sarah Walker. The Cut is broadcast in 25-minute episodes on BBC Two, with each episode being broadcast in daily five-minute chunks on the website throughout the week before.^[1][2][3] The BBC describe it as reflecting the way many young people want to consume content which a critic has more cynically interpreted as for those with even the shortest of attention spans.^[4]

The first series ran on TV and online from September to December 2009. The second series was broadcast from April through to August 2010, and the third series started only two months later, and ran from October to December 2010. In March 2011, it was officially announced that The Cut had been axed and would not return for a fourth series. However, a team of fans have set up a scriptwriting team on Facebook, under the name Writers of The Cut: Series 4 and Beyond, which works on continuing the series and publicising the scripts.

Series

A second season and open auditions for two parts were announced in February 2010.^[5] The second series started filming in mid-March 2010 and airing started on 24 April, with the website airing it in five-minute chunks through the previous week.^[6]

On 8 July 2010, it was announced on the blog that a third series has been commissioned.

The Cut website release each episode of the show in daily five-minute chunks throughout the previous week, showing the whole of the upcoming episode before it airs.

On 19 February 2011, The Cut announced on their Facebook page that there is 'a lot of work going on behind the scenes for a fourth series and a DVD release', although a DVD has not been officially confirmed and a fourth series will not be going ahead.

The Cut is distributed in the US through Hulu.^[7]

Characters

Character descriptions

Jay Kelso

Jay Kelso (played by Samuell Benta) is the main protagonist of Series 1, and plays a minor role in Series 2.

Series 1

Jay grew up in care, and knows little about his family background. At the start of the series, his birth certificate is found in the pocket of a dead man, prompting lawyers in London to contact Jay. When he arrives, he is told that he is in fact the actual owner of the Loxley's cafe, which Toni and Olive now run. Jay quickly befriends Olive and Toni, but does not tell them the real reason he is in town. His best friend Fin soon turns up and persuades Jay to find out where the cafe rent goes. They track it to the Dive Bar, where the landlord, Joey, informs them that he was friends with his grandfather, who gambled the cafe to him so that he could afford to find Jay and his mother, Carmen. They play poker to win the cafe back, and Fin manages to win the game for Jay. Soon after, Jay confesses to Toni that he owns the cafe. Later in the series he strikes up a relationship with Marla, and moves out of the Loxley's to live in a flat with Fin. After Marla discovers that he owns the cafe, she tells him that they are over and, realising that there is nothing left for him in London, Jay returns home.

Series 2

Jay is absent for most of Series 2. Marla, full of regret for how she acted, has not heard from him at all, although Toni is still sending him the cafe rent. After several months, he turns up out of the blue for Marla's 18th birthday, but quickly realises that Marla is now in a relationship with Elliott. Jay claims he is sorry for leaving her, and says that he left because his foster mother had a heart attack. Marla ultimately forgives him and leaves Elliott to be with him. However, it is revealed to the viewers that Marla's mother, Amy, is manipulating Marla to choose Jay over Elliott, in return for Jay selling her the Loxley's Café. At the end of the series, Amy announces that Jay has sold her the cafe, and Marla and Mack realise that Amy used Marla to achieve this. Marla asks Jay to leave, and he does, reluctantly.

Marla Mackinnon

Marla Lucy Mackinnon (played by Lara Goodison) is Jay's and later Elliott's love interest, and Stephen's sister. She is the main focus character of Series 3, and is arguably the most central character in all three series, as she is the only character to have appeared in all forty episodes and to have been consistently involved with storylines.

Series 1

Marla is a strong-willed, straight-talking vegan. Her attitude makes her appear very rude and stuck up, although this is partly due to frustration over being treated differently from Stephen by her parents. Although she gets mostly A and A* grades, her father Mack expects nothing of her and doesn't expect her to go to university, even though Stephen is trying to get into Oxford University. As well as being a self-harmer, it is also implied that Marla has an eating disorder, as she is often shown providing food for other people, but not eating much herself. At the start of Series 1, her mother, Amy, disappears, and Mack refuses to tell her why. She has an obvious attraction to Jay, who she meets when he saves her father's life, but finds it hard to get close to him, and remains cold to hide her feelings. Marla's determination to find her mother eventually leads Mack to admit that she is in Brighton, and she and Jay go to find her. When they find Amy, she tells Marla the real reason she left, but this is not shown onscreen. Marla is visibly affected by Amy's revelation, and tells Jay she wants to spend the night in Brighton, as she can't stand to face Mack yet. In their B&B room, Marla admits to Jay that she is lonely and a self-harmer, and they end up kissing. In the following episode, Marla resolves to return home, and later tells Jay that Mack was having an affair with Toni. She and Jay continue to see each other, but their relationship is strained by her obsession with getting her parents back together. She finally manages to blackmail Mack into going to bring Amy home (by threatening to tell Stephen about the affair). When Amy does return, Marla is delighted, but when Amy mentions that Jay owns the cafe, she is furious that Jay did not tell her and tells him it's over. At the end of the series, Amy and Mack continue to fight, and Marla she realises her family life is not working. She goes to apologise to Jay, only to find he's left London to go home. She is left distraught.

Series 2

At the start of Series 2, Marla has heard nothing from Jay, and has started self-harming again. Amy is still living at home, despite tension between her and Mack. Despite her insecurities, she tries to move on from Jay. Her old friend Catherine turns up out of the blue, but it is not explained how they know each other. Later in the series, she meets swimming champion Elliott, and tries hard to stop people thinking she fancies him. Elliott and Marla have a love-hate relationship for a few episodes, and it becomes clear that they both fancy each other. Near to the end of Series 2, she turned eighteen and after a fun day out with Elliott, is later shocked when Jay turns up at her party. Marla initially tells Jay to leave, as she has moved on and is now with Elliott, but Jay says that he is sorry for leaving, and only didn't contact her because his foster mum had a heart attack and he was too preoccupied to think about her. Marla ultimately breaks up with Elliott and gets back with Jay. At the end of the series, Amy announces that she has bought the Loxley's cafe from Jay. Marla is shocked, as Jay had previously been very against selling it, and realises that her mum had used her as a bribe to win the cafe. She tells Jay to leave, as she does not want to be with him anymore. She later apologises to Elliott.

Series 3 - In Series 3, Amy has left home again, this time for good. Marla has to cope with Stephen leaving to go to Oxford, and her American cousin, Taylor, taking his place in the Mackinnon house. Marla and Elliott are going steady, but Marla becomes pregnant. She worries how this will affect Elliott, as he is close to becoming an internationally famous swimmer, and this will hold him back. Mack pressures Marla into having an abortion, but she and Elliott decide to keep the baby. Marla leaves home and temporarily moves into the cafe, where Ryan and Ruby look after her. Elliott proposes to her and she accepts, but she is unaware that Elliott's financial situation is dire. After insisting on a huge wedding with lots of glamour, she eventually realises that she doesn't need lots of expensive things, she just wants Elliott. Marla makes up with Mack and prepares to get married, but the series ends on a cliffhanger when Amy showed up at their wedding and interrupts them...

Stephen Mackinnon

Stephen Mackinnon (played by Matthew Kane) is Marla's brother and Olive's on/off boyfriend. He plays a central role in Series 1 and 2, but a much less important role in Series 3, as his character leaves to go to Oxford University.

Series 1

At the start of the series, he is at an expensive boarding school, but is suspended after punching a bully. It is revealed to the viewers that he got himself suspended on purpose so that he could see his secret girlfriend, Olive, on his 18th Birthday. Olive (who is three years younger than him) has bought tickets for them to go to Paris, but Stephen has doubts about it, especially when he finds out that the tickets are one-way. It is revealed to the viewers that he has another girlfriend, Rosa, who doesn't know about Olive. As Olive and Stephen are about to leave for Paris, Rosa turns up on the platform, humiliating Olive and causing her to dump Stephen. As the series progresses, Rosa and Stephen still have a relationship, but it is clear to the viewers that he is not sure if he prefers her or Olive. When he deliberately takes Rosa to an event that Olive is going to show Olive up, they both dump Stephen and he is left alone. In later episodes, he becomes close to Fin, and after getting drunk together, they end up kissing. Near to the end of Series 1, he asks Fin out to a school party, but when he finds out that Tommy is going to ask Olive, he goes to ask her instead, which she eventually agrees to. Stephen cannot bring himself to tell Fin that he's not going with her after all, and leaves her waiting on the night of the party. He also claims to have left a necklace for Olive in the cafe, which was actually left by Tommy. Fin turns up halfway through the party and tells Olive what is really going on. Tommy and Stephen get into a fight, resulting in Stephen leaving the party alone, as all of his friends have turned against him.

Series 2

In Series 2 he joins Olive's school, Deaconsfield. Olive and Tommy are now dating, a fact for which Stephen doesn't hide his disdain. He forms an unlikely friendship with Tommy's younger brother Alex, who loathes and despises Tommy. Alex and Stephen hatch a plan to get rid of Tommy. As Tommy has previously been in trouble for using cannabis at school, Alex and Stephen plant some in his locker, leading to Tommy being expelled, and then sent to boarding school in Northern Ireland by his father. Olive is distraught, not just because Tommy has left but because she thought that he'd finished using drugs. Stephen becomes threatened by Olive's increasing friendship with Alex, and worries that Alex will tell Olive what they did. After they are accidentally abandoned on a school trip, Stephen and Olive get back together, leaving Alex on his own. Stephen thinks that Alex fancies Olive and has been torments him about it, but Alex fervently denies this. Stephen is stunned when Alex insists that it isn't Olive that he fancies, and doesn't immediately react when Alex kisses him. Stephen then punches Alex in the face, and Alex runs off. Stephen blackmails Alex into keeping quiet about his punch by threatening to tell people that he kissed him. Tommy returns and quickly puts two and two together when he notices the bruise on Alex's face and cuts on Stephen's knuckles. When Tommy confronts Stephen about hitting Alex, Stephen admits to it and says that it was because Alex kissed him. After the truth about the kiss is revealed, Alex responds by telling Olive and Tommy that Stephen had paid him to plant the drugs in Tommy's locker so that Olive and Tommy would break up. Olive dumps Stephen for the final time, saying that he was her first love but he won't be her last. At the climax of Series 2, Alex tries to kill himself by jumping off a building. Stephen, Tommy and Olive run up to the roof to try to persuade him not to jump. In desperation, Olive climbs up to save him, but ends up falling to her death herself.

Series 3 - At the start of Series 3, Stephen spends some time in a mental institution to recover from the death of Olive. Whilst there, he makes friends with Jack, another inmate, who makes him realise that he can move on with his own life. In Episode 3, he finally accepts his Oxford place. He reappears in the final episodes for Marla and Elliott's wedding.

Olive Loxley

Olive Loxley (played by Billie North) is Stephen's on/off girlfriend, and dated Tommy for a while as well. She plays a central role in Series 1 and is the main focus character in Series 2, at the end of which she is killed off. She also makes a cameo at the end of Series 3.

Series 1

Olive is portrayed as a shy romantic. She works for her older sister and legal guardian, Toni, in a café, but is secretly in a long-distance relationship with Stephen, who is three years older than her and the son of Toni's enemy. She has bought tickets to Paris, planning to run away there with Stephen when he returns from boarding school. When he returns, she tells him about Paris, but he is not as enthusiastic as her. As they are about to get on the train, Stephen's other girlfriend, Rosa, arrives, and Olive is furious with Stephen and dumps him. Over the next few episodes, she tries to avoid Stephen, but seems to be getting closer to him. About halfway through Series 1, she meets popular Tommy and bonds with him immediately, but their friendship is strained when it becomes clear that he is embarrassed to talk to her when his friends are around. Olive also becomes friends with Rosa after she dumps Stephen. Near the end of Series 1, Rosa is instrumental in persuading Tommy to ask Olive out to a school party, but Stephen asks her as well, and Olive eventually agrees to go with Stephen after he claims to have left a necklace for her at the cafe (it was actually left by Tommy). At the party, Fin turns up and tells Olive that Stephen had asked her to go before he found out that Tommy wanted to go with Olive, and Tommy tells her that he gave her the necklace. Olive leaves Stephen and goes home with Tommy.

Series 2

After Toni is attacked at the end of Series 1, Olive spends a lot of time with her in hospital, and doesn't spend much time with Tommy or her friends. Series 2 starts with the new school term. Olive and Tommy are going steady, but their relationship is strained when Stephen joins their school. Olive becomes wary of Tommy's close friendship with Rosa, and eventually Rosa tells her that she has kissed Tommy. Even though this happened before Olive and Tommy got together, Olive dumps Tommy for not telling her. While she obviously still has feelings for Tommy, this comes to nothing as drugs are found in Tommy's locker and he is expelled from school, and then sent to boarding school by his father. In the following episodes Olive becomes friends with Tommy's younger brother Alex, who she is unaware plotted with Stephen and planted the drugs in Tommy's locker to frame him. She also joins a school band as the lead singer, which causes a slight rift between her and her friend Frankie, as she wanted to do it as well. After they are both accidentally stranded on a school trip, she and Stephen get back together. In the following episodes, Olive begins to alienate everyone except Stephen. She falls out with Toni, as she finds out Toni has been having an affair with Mack. She also stops being friends with Alex, as she believes that Alex fancies her and is jealous of her relationship with Stephen, and also because he claims that Rory, their English teacher, hit him, which Olive believes Rory would never do. Tommy returns and discovers that it was actually Stephen, not Rory, who hit Alex. When Tommy confronts Stephen, he responds by saying that it was because Alex kissed him. After this is revealed, Alex tells Olive that Stephen paid him to plant the drugs in Tommy's locker. Olive tells Stephen it's over, because she knows he will never change. She also refuses to get back with Tommy, as she is happier being single. In the climax of Series 2, she reads a message on a mirror from Alex which reads "You don't care if I exist, So you won't care of I'm dead. Alex." She realises that Alex intends to kill himself, and heads to the roof with Stephen and Tommy to try to talk him down. In desperation, she climbs right up to the edge, but is accidentally knocked off the roof herself, falling to her death.

Series 3

Olive is dead by Series 3, but appears to Frankie as a ghostly apparition in the closing scene of the final episode.

Antonia 'Toni' Loxley

Antonia 'Toni' Loxley (played by Jessica Dickens) is Olive's sister and legal guardian. She plays a central role in Series 1 and 2, and leaves the series in the first episode of Series 3.

Series 1

At the start of Series 1, she originally rented the café that she and Olive work in from an unknown proprietor. She cares about Olive, but is also extremely controlling over her. Toni's enemy is Mack, who is trying to evict her and Olive from the cafe - but later in the series it is revealed that she has secretly been having an affair with him. After Olive tries to run away to Paris with Stephen, she realises that she is too controlling over Olive and makes an effort to give her more space. She is also flustered when she finds out that her lodger, Jay, actually owns the cafe. At the end of Series 1, she is attacked and left for dead on the cafe floor.

Series 2

By Series 2, Toni has recovered from her attack, but is now very paranoid and initially refuses to work without Olive around, although she eventually softens a bit on this and hires Cameron and Catherine respectively. Her relationship with Mack mirrors Olive's relationship with Stephen, and she appears to be just as insecure as her sister. She has a brief relationship with Rory, Olive's English teacher who she had previously dated when she was a teenager, but he breaks things off when Olive tells him about her and Mack. At the end of the series, Mack's wife, Amy, reveals that Jay has sold the cafe to her and warns Toni that she and Olive have a day to move out. However, this is annulled when Amy leaves after Marla discovers her plan.

Series 3

In Series 3, Toni appears at Olive's funeral, and then announces that she is leaving as well. Her last request to Mack is not to sell the cafe.

Daniel 'Mack' Mackinnon

Daniel 'Mack' Mackinnon (played by Dermot Martin) is Stephen and Marla's father. He appears in all three series.

Series 1

He is buying up all the houses in the street as he is developing the area, but is having difficulty obtaining Toni's café, as it is not clear who owns it. Before the start of the series, his wife leaves him because of his affairs. At the end of the first episode, he is attacked by an unknown assailant late at night when returning home to join his family for Stephen's 18th birthday. Jay finds him and saves his life. As the series continues, he alienates both of his children - Marla by being unsupportive of her academic brilliance, and Stephen by disapproving of his relationship with Olive. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that he was secretly having an affair with Toni. When Marla finds out, she blackmails him, saying she will tell Stephen about the affair if Mack does not persuade Amy to come home. He manages to bring her back, but they start fighting again straight away.

Series 2

Between Series 1 and Series 2, Mack and his family move house to make a fresh start, but they remain in the same neighbourhood. He is furious with Toni for sending the police to interview his family after she was attacked. In Series 2 Mack becomes closer to Stephen, and he tells him that he has only ever loved two women - but does not tell Stephen who the other one is. Stephen later finds out about the affair after he sees Mack kissing Toni. At the end of the series, he realises that Amy has used Marla to persuade Jay to sell her the cafe and evict Olive and Toni. Mack coldly tells both Jay and Amy to leave, and says that Toni will always have a home with him.

Series 3

At the start of Series 3, he attends Olive's funeral, and honours Toni's departing wishes that he not sell the cafe, but he does rent it out to Ryan and Ruby. He also allows his niece Taylor to stay in the house when Stephen leaves home. He supports Marla's relationship with Elliott, until he finds out that Marla is pregnant and forces her out of the house when she refuses to have an abortion. He later apologises and asks to give her away at her wedding.

Fin Scott

Fin Scott (played by Alice Southwood) is Jay's best friend from back home. She appears only in the first series.

Series 1

When Jay decides to leave their hometown to find out about his past, Fin advises him not to run away from his problems, stating that that will not make things better. Jay leaves anyway, but promises to return. Throughout the first episodes of Series 1, Jay calls Fin to update her on what's happening to him, but it becomes clear to Fin that he is not coming home. About halfway through the first series, Fin turns up out of the blue, and it quickly becomes clear that she is interested in the money for the cafe. She persuades Jay to find out where the cafe rent goes, and wins the cafe back from Joey Horton in a poker game. Jay falls out with Fin when she annoys Marla, Olive and Toni, and forces him to tell Toni that he owns the cafe. They later become friends again. Fin has a brief romantic fling with Stephen, before being stood up by him in favor of Olive. Fin claims that she wouldn't have minded being dumped, and it is only that he was too cowardly to tell her that she cares about. At the end of Series 1, Jay leaves London, leaving Fin behind yet again. It is revealed in Series 2 that Fin followed Jay home.

Thomas 'Tommy' Fitzpatrick

Thomas 'Tommy' Fitzpatrick (played by Edward Green) was Olive's boyfriend for a while, and is Alex's brother. He has a semi-regular role in Series 1 and 2, and appears briefly at the start of Series 3.

Series 1

Tommy does not appear until Episode 9 of the first series, but it is mentioned that he previously dated Marla, and their relationship ended badly. He first appears putting up posters for an underage music/film/art event he's organising, including in the Loxley's café. He and Olive hit it off immediately, but she quickly realises that he will only talk to her on his own, and not when his friends are around. Rosa persuades Tommy to forget about his friends, and ask Olive to the school party. However, when he finds out that Stephen wants to take her as well, he pretends that he was only asking her to get more people to come. He leaves a necklace for Olive in the cafe, but she thinks that Stephen left it. On the night before the party, Tommy and Rosa share a spliff, and they kiss, which they both regret afterwards. At the party, Fin arrives and tells Olive that Stephen asked her first, and Tommy tells her that he in fact gave her the necklace. Stephen leaves in a temper, and Tommy and Olive go home together.

Series 2

Tommy and Olive are still together, although she does not know about his kiss with Rosa. Their relationship is strained when Stephen joins their school. Things get even more difficult when it becomes clear that Rosa is still interested in Tommy. When Tommy's brother Alex steals Rosa's phone and sends a text of confession to Olive, Tommy determines to tell her the truth. However, Rosa tells her first, causing Olive to break up with Tommy. Soon after, he is expelled from school after drugs are found in his locker (unbeknown to him, they were planted there by Alex and Stephen.) After this, his father sends him to boarding school in Northern Ireland. Tommy does not reappear until the end of Episode 12, when he turns up out of the blue only to discover that Olive and Stephen are back together. When Tommy hears that Rory Andrews has hit Alex he doesn't believe it. Tommy is informed by Elliott that Alex and Stephen have been spending a lot of time together while he has been away. When Tommy sees that Stephen has cuts on his knuckles, he confronts Stephen about hitting Alex. Stephen admits to it, and says that it was because Alex kissed him. After this is revealed, Alex tells Olive and Tommy that Stephen paid him to plant the drugs in Tommy's locker so that Olive and Tommy would break up. Olive breaks up with Stephen, but does not get back with Tommy, because he's really lovely but is more interested in beating Stephen than in being with Olive.

Series 3

In Series 3 Tommy attends Olive's funeral, then leaves after making peace with Stephen.

Rosa Willis

Rosa Willis (played by Scarlett Bowman) is Olive's biggest rival for male attention. She appears in all three series, but doesn't play a central role in any of them.

Series 1

She first appears as Stephen's girlfriend at boarding school, and is initially unaware about Stephen's relationship with Olive. A few weeks after Stephen's suspension, she returns home to see him, and discovers about Olive and Stephen's plan to run off to Paris. She leaves Stephen to think about what he wants from their relationship, and joins Olive at her school (her character profile on the website says that she had to leave the private school because her father lost his job as a hedge fund manager.) After going out with Stephen a few more times, she dumps him as she realises that he is only using her to make a point to Olive. She apologises to Olive about her part in Stephen's deception and they become friends. When Rosa realises Tommy's attraction to Olive, she encourages him to ask her out. It doesn't work and Olive decides to go out with Stephen instead. The night before the party, Rosa shares a spliff with Tommy and they kiss.

Series 2

In Series 2, Rosa and Olive once again become rivals, as Rosa, jealous of Olive's relationship, begins to pursue Tommy for herself. She manages to split Olive and Tommy up, but doesn't manage to acquire Tommy. After the first few episodes of Series 2, Rosa disappears from the series with no explanation, although presumably this is because none of the other characters are talking to her anymore.

Series 3

Rosa returns in Series 3 working in a clothes shop. It is revealed that she is no longer on speaking terms with Tommy, and didn't attend Olive's funeral because she felt uncomfortable. She helps Marla plan for her wedding, and kisses Noah in the final episode, suggesting that there might be something between them.

Amy Mackinnon

Amy Mackinnon (played by Tilly Wood) is Marla and Stephen's mother. Her biggest role is in Series 2, but she makes appearances in Series 1 and Series 3 as well.

Series 1

Amy disappears before the start of Series 1 and Marla determines to find her. Later in the series, Mack admits to Marla that Amy ran away from her family to stay in Brighton so she could forget about her problems. Marla goes to Brighton to confront Amy, and Amy tells Marla about Mack's affair with Toni. When she gets home, Marla blackmails Mack into going to Brighton to persuade Amy to come home, which he does. However, as soon as she gets back, Amy falls out with the rest of the family again.

Series 2

In Series 2, Amy is still living at home, although her relationship with Mack is still rocky. She is close to Marla, but can be quite intimidating and often puts pressure on her. When Jay returns, Amy encourages Marla to stick with Jay rather than move on to Elliott. However, it is revealed to the viewers that Amy wants Jay to sell her the Loxley's Café in exchange for him getting back with Marla. At the end of the series, Amy reveals that she is now the new owner of Loxley's Café and the Loxley's flat as Jay has sold it to her and warns Toni that herself and Olive have a day to move out. When Marla and Mack find out, they force Jay and Amy to leave for good.

Series 3

Amy returns at the end of Series 3, after Marla and Elliott have planned their wedding. She is now CEO of a large company, who are planning to offer Elliott a job. Elliott accepts the offer as he desperately need the money, but later reneges on it. Amy turns up at his wedding to Marla and interrupts it, but it is not revealed what happens next.

Cameron Benedick

Cameron Benedick (played by Wilfred Taylor) is an intelligent boy who is unlucky in love. He plays a central role in the second and third series.

Series 2

Cameron is close friends with Frankie and Olive. He was initially besotted by Marla and tries to ask her out in an early episode, although she just makes fun of him. He later develops a crush on Marla's friend Catherine, though it appears that she only sees him as a friend. He appears unaware of the fact that his best friend Frankie is in love with him. Despite being geeky and unpopular, Cameron is also kind and brave, which is shown when he tried to protect Frankie when she was in trouble at the Dive Bar. This briefly earns Cameron hero status at school, but this quickly diminishes after he is sick on Catherine on the way to a school trip and suffers an allergic reaction to halloumi at Marla's 18th birthday party, having believed it to be potato. When giving her advice for her playlist with Radio 1, Catherine kisses a shocked Cameron, leaving him with a smile on his face and Frankie jealous. On the day of Catherine's Radio 1 Playlist Catherine calls Cameron her boyfriend so the security guard would let him in.

Series 3

In Series 3 Cameron and Catherine are initially dating, but Catherine dumps him as she feels that she is out of his league. After Taylor spreads rumours that they are sleeping together, Cameron and Frankie agree to lose their virginity to each other as friends, but this strains their friendship as both have feelings for one another but are unable to express them. Cameron's grandfather also dies, further straining his friendship with Frankie as his family commitments prevent them from talking about what happened between them. In the later episodes, Frankie disappears and Cameron and Alex track her down and rescue her. In the final episode, Cameron and Frankie forgive each other by Olive's grave.

Francesca 'Frankie' Stern

Francesca 'Frankie' Stern (played by Maisie Crossland) is an attention-seeking friend of Olive and Cameron.

Series 2

She is trying to solve the mystery of Toni's attack, which involves tracking down Jay. She is very unpopular, and there are a lot of rumours flying about her, often involving equally unpopular Dean. She also secretly fancies Cameron, and is jealous of both his friendship with Catherine and his increasing popularity at the school. She has recently replaced Olive as the lead singer of the school band. Frankie later witnesses Catherine kissing Cameron and is jealous. Frankie and Olive have a chat about boys and how their love life has improved or not and their issues. On the main night of the gig Frankie tells Olive that she hasn't told Cameron about her feelings for him because she wants him to be happy with Catherine. Olive tells Frankie that it is really nice of her to care about Cameron so much and that Frankie is Olive's best friend. Olive then lets Frankie sing the lead at the gig.

Series 3

In Series 3 it is revealed that Frankie is a carer for her mum, who has mental problems. Later in the series, it is revealed that Frankie used to have a brother, who died. Her brother's psychotic killer, Andrew Cromwell, tracked her down and trapped her in Mack's storeroom, but she managed to escape. She entered into an unlikely relationship with Noah, but this is unlikely to continue, because in the final episode she kissed Cameron and Noah kissed Rosa.

Alex Fitzpatrick

Alex Fitzpatrick (played by Connor Scarlett) is Tommy's younger brother, who is a 'nasty piece of work', possibly misunderstood.

Series 2

He set up a deal with Stephen to sort out Stephen's social life, including framing Tommy and getting him expelled from school, leaving Stephen's path to Olive clear. He is friends with Olive and it is thought he has a crush on her. Although he was initially just making sure she didn't find out about his trick with Stephen, he has now stopped doing Stephen's bidding in the hopes of getting Olive for himself. He's been getting jealous of Stephen and Olive's relationship and we've been led to believe that he fancies Olive when it is in fact Stephen he fancies; he shows this by kissing him. This suggests he is confused about his sexuality and could be homosexual. Alex later tells the headmaster that it was Mr. Andrews (Rory) that hit him in the face and gave him a black eye when it was in fact Stephen. When Tommy confronts Stephen about hitting Alex, Olive asks why and then he responds by saying that it was because Alex kissed him. After the truth about the kiss is revealed, Alex gets his own back on Stephen by telling Olive that Stephen had paid him to plant the drugs in Tommy's locker and send him away so that Olive and Tommy could break up because Stephen was jealous as he doesn't want Olive to be with anyone but himself. Tommy then asks why Alex did that to his own brother and explains that Alex is his brother and he would do anything for him but Alex says that all Tommy cared about is Number 1 – himself, which Tommy himself denies. When Tommy confronts Alex about the kiss with Stephen, Alex says just because of the kiss it does not mean he is gay and Tommy responds by saying he know it doesn't and he didn't say that. Olive goes off to the toilets where a message has been left from Alex for anyone to read which states "You don't care if I exist, So you won't care of I'm dead. Alex." We later see Alex on top of the building's roof standing close to the edge, which shows he wants to jump.

Series 3

In Series 3, Alex is very depressed following Olive's death, and says that he visits her grave every day because 'Olive was the only one who listened'. Recently, his father threw him out, and he is staying with Jack. It is currently unknown whether Alex is gay or bisexual. In recent episodes he is shown to have friendships with both Jack and Taylor, although it is unclear whether he is romantically interested in either of them.

Rory Andrews

Rory Andrews (played by Duane Henry) is an easy-going English teacher at the school.

Series 2

He is portrayed as an intelligent man, who is smart enough to strike deals with students when the need arises. He is excited by Elliott's talents, and reluctantly expels Tommy after finding drugs in his locker. He also dated Toni as a teenager, which Toni seems embarrassed about, having admitted to Olive that he cried and gave her a high five when they first slept together. He started to date Toni again recently, but then found out about Toni's affair with Stephen and Marla's father Mack Mackinnon after Olive had confronted Toni in front of him. Rory is later suspended after Alex accuses him of hitting him in the face and giving him a black eye. Toni comes to see Rory and explains that she's sorry for what happened and he explains to her that what she does is none of his business and is further shocked when he assumes Toni isn't sure whether to believe him over the Alex incident. Toni then aplogises to Rory for thinking he hit Alex. Rory does not return for the third series, and it is mentioned that he has left the school.

Catherine Cadence

Catherine Cadence (played by Deborah May) is a friend of Marla's who turns up out of the blue in Series 2.

Series 2

She is passionate about music and has applied and been accepted for a work experience placement at Radio 1. She is currently working in the Loxley's cafe, much to Marla's disdain. At the cafe, she often bends the rules by doing things like keeping the cafe open late and throwing parties, against Toni's wishes. She is close friends with Cameron, although it is possible that she is just using him. Catherine has been recently snogging and flirting with George which makes everyone assume that they are now a couple and makes Cameron despondent. After Cameron helps her with her playlist for her work experience with Radio 1 she kisses him. On the day of Catherine's Radio 1 Playlist Catherine calls Cameron her boyfriend so the security guard would let him in.

Series 3

At the start of Series 3, Cameron and Catherine are going steady, but Catherine quickly dumps him. She later loses her job at Radio 1 when Marla blabs to her mum, but quickly forgives Marla and takes control of the school radio station instead.

Elliott Baden

Elliott Gerald Baden (played by Alex Roe) is a popular, sporty, good-looking boy who is not fazed by much.

Series 2

He first appears having won a trophy, a fact that Rory is very excited about. His sport is swimming and he has a love/hate relationship with Marla. After Marla's ex Jay Kelso returned on her 18th Birthday, Elliott has told Marla how he feels and has told her that he will give her some space for the time being to think about who she wants to be with and because of this he is now competing with Jay for Marla's affection. Elliott gives Marls his car to practise driving as he says he's going to go away for a bit. When Elliott tells Marla that he spotted Jay and Marla's mother Amy talking a making a deal, Marla asks him if he heard what they said which he responded no which makes Marla think that Elliott is just jealous because she has chosen Jay over him. When Marla asks Jay why he didn't deny it, he reassures her that they did have a deal but it was that if Jay promised to look after Marla then her parents would give them some space.

Series 3

At the end of Series 2, Marla and Elliott get back together and are still together in Series 3, but their relationship is put under strain by Elliott's swimming commitments. However, when Elliott finds out that Marla is pregnant, he makes it clear that Marla and the baby come first.

Ryan Hathaway

Ryan Hathaway (played by Stephen Hagan) is the doting husband of Ruby Hathaway.

Series 3 - He first appears interested in buying Toni's cafe after she leaves the Cut for good. Throughout Series 3, Taylor Mackinnon has hinted how much she likes him by flirting with him and is constantly chasing after him after sharing a kiss. Although Ryan states he remains loyal to Ruby.

Ruby Hathaway

Ruby Hathaway (played by Stephanie Blacker) is the tough and intelligent new Science teacher at Deaconsfield.

Series 3

She is married to Ryan Hathaway and tends to clash a lot with a lot of the students such as Taylor, Alex and Luke but helps many of the students throughout their problems such as Marla, Elliot, Catherine and Cameron.

Jack Simmons/Andrew Cromwell

Jack Simmons (played by Dominic Sherwood) is a friend of Stephen's from the mental institution who is introduced in Series 3.

Series 3

After Stephen leaves for Oxford, Mack employs Jack to clean his properties and he forms a bond with Alex. He also seems to have a strange interest in Frankie, and it has been implied that the reason for this is that he killed her brother in a car accident, and that he was formerly known as Andrew Cromwell. Towards the end of series three, the character breaks the fourth wall, and stares scarily into the camera at least once.

Taylor Mackinnon

Taylor Mackinnon (played by Kellie-Rose Demmel) is an American cousin of Marla and Stephen who stays with them in Series 3.

Series 3 - She quickly becomes disliked by many characters - including Marla and Catherine, with Marla saying "That absolute cow! She's been undermining me all day. First, she stole the last of my shampoo - and forced me to look like a skank; and then she tried to outdo me on the modelling thing; and then she dissed my beautiful bag; and then she tries it on with my boyfriend, knowing fullwell who he is." Marla and Catherine then steal one of Taylor's diaries and share the contents with her friends. Taylor has recently expressed a romantic interest in Ryan, her teacher's husband, although he has not as yet given an indication that the feeling is mutual. She has also expressed interest in Greg Cranborne, but later starts bullying him mercilessly, to the extent where he threatens her with a knife. Towards the end of the series, the viewer sees a slightly softer side to Taylor, as she sticks up for Marla against Mack. It has also been revealed that her father drinks a lot.

Luke Atwood

Luke Atwood (played by Luke Newton) is a wheeler dealer who is introduced in the third series.

Series 3

He frequently clashes with teacher Ruby Hathaway, and is rumoured to have a baby, although the 'baby' is actually the car that he wants. His deals have including selling completed coursework to students, and recording English texts to make them easier to learn - for a fiver each.

Noah Achebe

Noah Achebe (played by Tosin Cole) is a nerdy boy at Deaconsfield who is picked on by Alex.

Series 3

He has a crush on Frankie and recently formed an unlikely relationship with her. He has recently developed a crush on Rosa after she gave him advice on how to look good and impress girls.

Recurring characters

• Tina Fry (played by Melissa Ambrosini) is Mack's colleague who he has been having an affair with. It is unlikely she will appear again.
• WPC Morgan (played by Amanda Morgan) is the police officer who is investigating the attack on Toni in Series 2.
• Mr Fitzpatrick (played by James Staddon) is Tommy's and Alex's extremely intimidating father. He is proud of Tommy (until he finds out he has been taking drugs and sends him to Northern Ireland) and sees Alex as a disappointment. Both Tommy and Alex are secretly desperate for his approval.
• 'Little' Joey Horton (played by Steven Hartley) is the landlord of the Dive Bar, and was a friend of Jay's grandfather. He first appears in Series 1, when Jay and Fin track him down and demand Jay's cafe back, which Joey won in a poker game. Joey agreed to another game, which Fin won. In Series 2, Frankie finds Joey when trying to track Jay. She is soon joined by Cameron, and Joey intimidates them until the rest of the gang arrive to assist. Joey lets everyone go, but seems to recognise Stephen.
• George (played by Felix Jordan) is a popular boy at school who enjoys throwing parties. He currently runs a band, which Olive, Frankie and Cameron are all part of. In a recent episode he seemed to express an interest in Catherine much to Cameron's annoyance. It is assumed that he and Catherine are now a couple which makes Cameron jealous. George tells Olive he wants her to show some more skin as she is the lead but Olive says no, so Frankie decides she'll do it but becomes embarrassed after George humiliates her. Olive calls George a filthy sexist pig and lets Frankie be the lead singer.
• Dean Frogmarsh (played by Thomas Williamson) is a geeky, unpopular boy at school. He first appears at George's party kissing a girl where Cameron wonders how does he do it? He then appears at the school auction and buys Frankie for three popunds. He then appears in many other school scenes with the other characters.
• Tom Deacon (played by himself) is a DJ at Radio 1 who befriends Catherine. He is the only character who is not fictitious - he is actually a real-life DJ.
• Greg Cranborne (played by Tommy Bastow) is a popular boy at school who Taylor has a crush on, but also bullies. He is described by Ryan as a 'meathead' and from his attitude towards Alex, is implied to be homophobic. However, there is more to him than meets the eye. He responds to Taylor's repeated bullying by pointing out to her that he has failed exams before, and at one point, threatens her with a knife in the heat of the moment.
• Kevin Reynolds (played by Adrian Turner) is the strict and tough-talking sports coach at Deaconsfield. He has been seen clashing with several of the main cast, most notably Frankie, Taylor and Elliott. He is impatient with Elliott putting Marla above his swimming ambition.
• Kelly (played by Georgina Campbell) is a friend of Taylor's who admires and fancies Alex. Not much is known about her.
• Carly Stern (played by Anjela Lauren Smith) is Frankie's mum. She has had many mental problems since the death of her son, Duncan, in a car accident. She refuses to leave the house and relies on Frankie for nearly everything.

Plot & Series overview

Series 1

A stranger's death draws 18-year-old Jay to London where he meets the Mackinnons and the Loxleys, two families with an age-old history of bad blood. Posh girl Marla Mackinnon falls for Jay, but Mack, her controlling dad, does not stand for it. Olive Loxley is dreaming of escape from her over-protective sister, Toni and their family café, but is troubled Stephen Mackinnon really her way out?

Series 2

It's a new term at Deaconsfield and a chance for new beginnings for faces both old and new. But is Olive really ready to move on from Stephen? Is Marla actually over Jay? And what exactly is Amy Mackinnion up to?

Series 3

Series Three is here. Kicking off with some painful goodbyes and a few new hellos, what's in store for The Cut now that Olive's gone?

Soundtrack

The theme song for The Cut is "U + Me=" by Dan Black. The programme also includes tracks by The xx, Death Cab for Cutie, The Clash, Missy Higgins, Ayo, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blu Cantrell, Thirteen Senses, Metro Station, The Veronicas, Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, Catherine Feeny, Tegan and Sara, Radiohead, Goldfrapp, Regina Spektor, MGMT and Me and My Sister.

International broadcasts

It has been announced that all of the series so far will be aired in Portugal, Poland, Spain, Japan, Latin America and Greece, and there are possibilities of airings in at least four more countries. It is unknown exactly when they will be broadcast in these countries. In Latin America, the cable channel Sony Spin announced via its Facebook page that the series premiered soon, but it is not known whether it will be through their website or on TV. The episodes have been uploaded to the website ANT1 WEB TV PLUS in Greece from ANT1 TV from 2 May 2011.

The series is on air in Italy on La3 since June 4, 2013.

Writers of The Cut: Series 4 and Beyond

After the series was axed, a group of fans of the series set up a team on Facebook, named Writers of The Cut: Series 4 and Beyond, to write the fourth series and publish it on their website. The team started in the summer of 2011, and has three scripts for the fourth series on a Tumblr page, which there are no plans to film.^[8] After progress was slow, the team concluded its work in April 2014.

References

External links

• The Cut on IMDb
• Official website
• Rees, Jasper (13 September 2009). "The Cut (episode one), BBC Switch". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 2 February 2010.