Learners

Last updated

Learners
Learners poster.jpg
Learners poster
Developed byFrancesca Joseph
Written by Jessica Hynes
Directed byFrancesca Joseph
StarringJessica Hynes
Shaun Dingwall
David Tennant
Sarah Hadland
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerDavid M. Thompson
ProducersRuth Caleb
Luke Alkin
Running time78 mins
Original release
Network BBC One
Release11 November 2007 (2007-11-11)

Learners is a British comedy drama television film developed and directed by Francesca Joseph and written by Jessica Hynes starring Hynes and David Tennant. The film was announced by the BBC on 3 April 2007 and was broadcast on 11 November 2007. [1] The DVD was released on 12 November 2007. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

The film tells the story of a group of learner drivers. One of them, Beverly (Hynes), is a housewife who works as a cleaner at the police station and has failed her driving exams eight times, mainly because her husband Ian (Shaun Dingwall) is too impatient giving her driving lessons. She decides to take driving lessons from Chris (David Tennant), a devout Christian driving instructor at Gear Change, with whom she falls in love. However Chris loves his boss Fiona (Sarah Hadland) who is having an affair with Beverly's colleague, policeman Gerry.

Beverly tries to raise cash for her driving lessons, because Ian spent all their money on a pair of owls, hoping to sell their offspring for a profit. She ends up looting her daughter's savings for university. During her ninth secret driving test, she runs into Ian on the street, thus failing again. To make matters worse, Chris leaves Gear Change, because Fiona has an affair with Gerry, leaving all learner drivers without their favourite teacher. However, Chris returns when Fiona breaks up with Gerry, despite finding herself pregnant by him.

When one of the owls gets sick, threatening the life of the eggs, Beverly must drive to the vet herself. She runs into Gerry on the motorway, who escorts her to the vet. The owl and eggs are saved, reuniting the family, giving Beverly enough confidence to try her test again, and pass this time.

Cast

Cast notes

Writer Jessica Hynes, who also stars as Beverly, had previously appeared together with David Tennant in the Doctor Who episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood". Shaun Dingwall was a recurring guest star in series 1 and 2 of Doctor Who.

Production

Learners started filming in April 2007 on location in Hertfordshire. [3] Beverly's house was filmed at Breach Barnes in Waltham Abbey behind First Avenue. Some of the mobile home's fences had to be removed in order for actors to walk through.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Hynes</span> British actress, writer (born 1972)

Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes is an English actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom Spaced.

Rescue Me is a British romantic comedy television series produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and broadcast on BBC One in 2002. It was created, and principally written, by David Nicholls and stars Sally Phillips as Katie Nash, a woman who is recovering from a divorce while at the same time writing relationship features for Eden, the women's magazine she works on. The series was filmed from November to December 2001. It ran for six episodes, averaging 3.4 million viewers and a 15% audience share in its Sunday night timeslot. The low ratings meant it was not recommissioned for a second series, leaving an unresolved cliffhanger. Nicholls had written four episodes of the unmade second series before discovering Rescue Me had been cancelled. As a result, he took a break from screenwriting to concentrate on his debut novel Starter for Ten. A cover version of "Rescue Me", performed by Oliver Darley, is the series theme tune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Tate</span> British actress, comedian and writer (born 1969)

Catherine Jane Ford, known professionally as Catherine Tate, is a British actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show (2004–2007), as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and seven BAFTAs. Tate played Donna Noble in the 2006 Christmas special of Doctor Who, and later reprised her role for the fourth series in 2008, and the 60th anniversary episodes in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Tennant</span> Scottish actor (born 1971)

David John Tennant is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in the sci-fi series Doctor Who. He returned to the show as the fourteenth incarnation of the character from 2022 to 2023. His other notable screen roles include DI Alec Hardy in the crime drama series Broadchurch (2013–2017) and its 2014 remake, Kilgrave in the superhero series Jessica Jones (2015–2019), Crowley in the fantasy series Good Omens (2019–present) and various fictionalised versions of himself in the comedy series Staged (2020–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaun Dingwall</span> British actor

Shaun Dingwall is a British actor. He is known for his extensive roles on stage and screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Tennant</span> English actress (born 1984)

Georgia Elizabeth Tennant is an English actress and producer. She played Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon's daughter Abigail in The Bill, Jenny in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter" and Lady Vivian in the show Merlin.

Driving School is a docusoap that was broadcast on BBC1 in the summer of 1997, which followed a group of learner drivers around Bristol and South Wales. The series was made on a reduced budget but shown in primetime, it created one of the first reality TV stars in Maureen Rees.

Doomsday (<i>Doctor Who</i>) Episode of Doctor Who

"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006. The two-part story features the Daleks, presumed extinct after the events of the 2005 series' finale, and the Cybermen, who appeared in a parallel universe in the 2006 episodes "Rise of the Cybermen" and "The Age of Steel". Both species unexpectedly arrive on Earth at the conclusion of "Army of Ghosts".

<i>Confetti</i> (2006 film) 2006 British film

Confetti is a 2006 British mockumentary romantic comedy film released on 5 May 2006. It was conceived and directed by Stephen Mangan and stars many acclaimed British comedians, including Jessica Stevenson, Jimmy Carr, Martin Freeman, Mark Heap, Julia Davis, Robert Webb and Olivia Colman. It follows a bridal magazine competition for the most original wedding, the ultimate prize being a house, and the three couples who are chosen to compete. The film follows the contestants in a fly-on-the-wall documentary style, akin to The Office. The script was entirely improvised. The film was a box office success, grossing $4.9 million on a budget of $2 million.

Sarah Catherine E Hadland is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Stevie Sutton in the BBC One BAFTA-nominated comedy television series Miranda (2009–2015) and Trish in The Job Lot (2013–2015).

<i>Top Gear</i> test track Car test track in Surrey, United Kingdom

The Top Gear test track is used by the BBC automotive television programme Top Gear. It is located at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, United Kingdom. The track was designed by Lotus Cars as a testing facility, with many of its Formula One cars tested there. It is used to test both cars and drivers seen on the programme, mainly in Power Laps and Star in a ... Car.

<i>Faintheart</i> 2009 British film

Faintheart is a 2008 British comedy film, directed by Vito Rocco and starring Eddie Marsan, Ewen Bremner and Jessica Hynes. It concerns a lead character involved in the historical reenactment of medieval battles; and is the first film to be created using active input from an online site.

The End of Time (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2009 Doctor Who episodes

"The End of Time" is a two-part story of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 25 December 2009 and 1 January 2010. It is the fifth Doctor Who Christmas special and the last entry in a series of specials aired from 2008 to 2010. It marks the final regular appearance of David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and introduces Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor. At the time, it was the last Doctor Who story written and produced by Russell T Davies, who shepherded the series' return to British television in 2005 and served as the series's executive producer and chief writer; he would later return to that role in 2022 for the 60th anniversary specials and beyond. Davies was succeeded as executive producer and showrunner by Steven Moffat.

Tomorrow La Scala! is a 2002 British comedy film directed by Francesca Joseph and starring Jessica Hynes. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama in 2003.

<i>Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger</i> 2012 British film by Debbie Isitt

Nativity! 2: Danger in the Manger is a 2012 British Christmas comedy film written and directed by Debbie Isitt, an improvised Christmas comedy and the second instalment in the Nativity film series. The film focuses on Donald Peterson, an anxious primary school teacher, who embarks on a wild and heartwarming adventure with his class and teaching assistant, the childlike Mr Poppy, as they travel to Wales to perform in a Christmas singing competition.

<i>Up the Women</i> British TV sitcom (BBC Four, 2013–15)

Up the Women is a BBC television sitcom created, written by and starring Jessica Hynes. It was first broadcast on BBC Four on 30 May 2013. The sitcom is about a group of women in 1910 who form a Women's Suffrage movement. Hynes originally planned to write a comedy film about a suffragette plot to assassinate H. H. Asquith, but after realising the plot had turned quite dark, she decided to write a sitcom instead. Christine Gernon directed the three-part series, which became the last sitcom to be filmed before a live audience at BBC Television Centre and the first to be commissioned for BBC Four. A second series was commissioned in June 2013 and aired on BBC Two from 21 January 2015. Up the Women was not renewed for a third series.

<i>W1A</i> (TV series) British comedy

W1A is a British mockumentary sitcom television series that satirises the management of the BBC. It was created by John Morton, and first broadcast on BBC Two on 19 March 2014. The series is the follow-up to Twenty Twelve, a BAFTA-winning comedy series by the BBC about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. It sees the reintroduction of Hugh Bonneville and Jessica Hynes as their Twenty Twelve characters, alongside a new cast, with David Tennant's role as narrator also continuing from the earlier series.

<i>Jessica Jones</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the American streaming television series Jessica Jones, which is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, follows Jones as she takes on a new case after the events surrounding her encounter with Kilgrave. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films and other television series of the franchise. The season was produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios and Tall Girls Productions, with Melissa Rosenberg serving as showrunner.

There She Goes is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Shaun Pye, and based on his own experiences with his daughter who was born with a chromosomal disorder. The show follows the life of learning-disabled Rosie Yates, along with her parents Emily and Simon, and her older brother Ben. Both series are set in Rosie's present, but the writing features frequent flashbacks to her infancy and pre-school life, when her parents were gradually learning of Rosie's disability.

<i>The Phoenix and the Carpet</i> (1997 serial) British television programme

The Phoenix and the Carpet is a BBC Television adaption of the 1904 book of the same name by E. Nesbit about four children in Edwardian England who acquire a phoenix and the adventures they have as a result.

References

  1. "BBC Program Information Week 46". BBC . Retrieved 27 October 2007.
  2. "Amazon.co.uk: Learners". Amazon.co.uk . Retrieved 31 July 2007.
  3. "David Tennant and Jessica Hynes in driving seat for new BBC One comedy drama Learners". BBC News. 3 April 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2009.