My Mad Fat Diary | |
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Genre | |
Based on | My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl |
Written by |
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Directed by |
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Starring | |
Narrated by | Sharon Rooney |
Opening theme | "One to Another" by The Charlatans |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 3 |
No. of episodes | 16 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Production locations | Stamford, Lincolnshire, England |
Cinematography |
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Editors |
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Running time | 45 minutes |
Production company | Tiger Aspect Productions
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Original release | |
Network | E4 |
Release | 14 January 2013 – 6 July 2015 |
My Mad Fat Diary is a British teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl. [1]
The second series started on 19 February 2014 and ended on 31 March 2014, with each episode posted on 4oD a week prior to the television release. In November 2014, it was announced that a final three-episode third series would be made, set in 1998. [2] [3]
After three series and sixteen episodes, My Mad Fat Diary broadcast its final episode on 6 July 2015.
The series was nominated for multiple BAFTA awards, with Sharon Rooney winning in 2015 for Best Drama Actress.
Set in Stamford, Lincolnshire in the mid-1990s, My Mad Fat Diary follows the story of 16-year-old, 16 stone (106 kg) (233 lb) girl, Rae Earl, who has just left a psychiatric hospital, where she has spent four months. [4] She begins to reconnect with her best friend, Chloe, who is unaware of Rae's mental health and body image problems, believing she has been in France for the past four months. Rae attempts to keep this information from her while also trying to impress Chloe's friends Finn, Archie, Izzy and Chop. [5]
Throughout its run, My Mad Fat Diary received critical acclaim, particularly for its accurate and honest portrayal of mental illness and Sharon Rooney's performance. The Guardian's Sam Wollaston called it a "lovely drama – honest and painful, real, and very funny," going on to say "Sharon Rooney's performance in the lead is natural, effortless and utterly believable; she should win something for it." [9] The Stage called it "a comedy drama that actually satisfies the criteria of both genres, My Mad Fat Diary offers a unique and uncompromising perspective on adolescent angst that distresses and delights by turns. Visual gimmicks – flashbacks, fantasies and animated squiggles leaping from the page – are used sparingly but effectively, allowing the focus to stay fixed on Rae and Rooney’s commanding and engagingly natural central performance." [10] The Art Desk said "the first episode of this six-part comedy drama is touching, hilarious and perfectly cast." Claire Webb of the Radio Times said the plot is "as uplifting as it is moving, although the banter and gimmicks won't be to everybody's taste." [11]
The show also received praise for its honest portrayal of mental health. Brian Semple of The Independent calls the show "surprisingly honest, funny and even moving account of what it’s like for a teenage girl to live with serious mental health problems, free of many of the clichés that often inform how mental illness is portrayed on TV," going on to say that Rae "has a mental illness, but it doesn't define her. It's just something that she has to deal with and try to manage on a daily basis, just like the one in ten young people in the UK who have a mental illness." Semple refers to My Mad Fat Diary as a "breath of fresh air and will do a lot to change the way young people think about mental health." [12] The mental health charity Mind honoured the show in their annual Media Awards in the Drama category in 2014 [13] and 2016. [14] [15]
In a more mixed review, Robert Epstein of The Independent criticised E4 for relating the program to its other teen shows: "If such comparisons are unfair, blame it on E4, whose continuity announcer declared: 'If you like Skins , The Inbetweeners and Misfits , you'll like this.' Well, sorry, I do like those three shows, but, even with a great soundtrack (if only the Mack really would return …) and the odd nice line, My Mad Fat Diary is a long way from the equal of that trio in invention, edge or humour." [16]
My Mad Fat Diary star Sharon Rooney was chosen as one of the first group of BAFTA "Breakthrough Brits" in 2013. [17]
The first episode of the third and final series attracted 548,000 viewers on E4, whilst the second episode attracted 537,000 viewers. The final episode of the series attracted 450,000 viewers. All viewing figures exclude those who watched on All 4 and on E4+1.
Tom Bidwell, the writer of the show, mentioned in April 2014 in an interview with the Chorley Guardian that MTV has commissioned him to work on an American remake of the show. [18]
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
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2013 | British Academy Scotland Awards | Best Actor/Actress - Television | Sharon Rooney | Nominated |
2014 | British Academy Television Awards | Best Drama Series | My Mad Fat Diary | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress | Claire Rushbrook | Nominated | ||
British Academy Scotland Awards | Best Actress - Television | Sharon Rooney | Nominated | |
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards | Breakthrough Award | Nominated | ||
Mind Media Awards | Drama | My Mad Fat Diary | Won | |
Royal Television Society Awards | Best Drama Series | Nominated | ||
Best Actress | Sharon Rooney | Nominated | ||
2015 | British Academy Scotland Awards | Best Actress - Television | Won | |
International Emmy Awards | Drama Series | My Mad Fat Diary | Nominated | |
2016 | Mind Media Awards | Drama | Won |
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