Never Never (TV series)

Last updated

Never Never
NeverNeverChannel4.jpg
GenreDrama
Written by Tony Marchant
Directed by Julian Jarrold
Starring
Composer Adrian Johnston
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series1
No. of episodes2 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerLynn Horsford
ProducerJulia Stannard
CinematographyMark Digby
EditorChris Gill
Running time90 minutes
Production company Company Television
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release5 November (2000-11-05) 
6 November 2000 (2000-11-06)

Never Never is a two-part British television drama series, created and written by playwright Tony Marchant and starring John Simm and Sophie Okonedo, that first broadcast on Channel 4 on 5 November 2000. [1]

Contents

Plot

The series follows John Parlour (Simm), a loanshark who strikes up a friendship with one of clients, single mum Jo Weller (Okonedo), and decides to leave his past behind and open a credit union to help his former clients out of debt; but his former bosses, who strongly disapprove of the idea, try everything to prevent his business from becoming a success. [2]

Production

Marchant's original notion for the series was not to write about poverty, but to produce something that tackled the modern idea of benign entrepreneurs. 'In a curious kind of way, Richard Branson was the starting point. I was interested in this idea of could businesses be ethical? What exactly was the bottom line?' [1]

'It seemed quite timely to explore the difference between setting things up that are supposed to be for the social good but in turn the conflict between that and the need to be a financially successful entity.' [1]

Reception

The series broadcast over two consecutive nights, with the concluding episode following on 6 November 2000. [1] The first episode drew 2.18 million viewers. [3] The series has yet to be released on DVD, but is available to watch on Channel 4's on-demand service All4. [2]

The Bella Review gave the series a positive review, writing: "Never Never, a story written by acclaimed playwright Tony Marchant, is essentially about good people doing bad things and vice versa. It's free from any sort of class judgement that might put you off, elegantly letting people be people. Good tension throughout is created by the "will John become a good person with morals and stuff" question – which is, as it should, left unanswered." [4]

They continued; "There's also great acting, supported by the good writing, allowing for heaps of emotions left unspoken yet blatantly obviously present. Even if the narrative is sometimes predictable to seasoned fiction readers and viewers, this production is essentially too in-your-face-honest and charming to disagree with it. That, and John Simm is just a bit too good to do anything wrong." [4]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal UK air date
1"Episode 1"Julian JarroldTony Marchant5 November 2000 (2000-11-05) [2]
John, a loanshark working for a local loan agency, decides to form a credit union after falling in love with one of his clients, single mum Jo Weller. [2]
2"Episode 2"Julian JarroldTony Marchant6 November 2000 (2000-11-06) [2]
John and Jo work together to try to make the new business venture a success. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Vegas</i> (1978 TV series) Television series

Vegas is an American crime drama television series starring Robert Urich that aired on ABC from September 20, 1978, to June 3, 1981, with the pilot episode airing April 25, 1978. Vegas was produced by Aaron Spelling and was created by Michael Mann. The series was filmed in its entirety on location in Las Vegas, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Okonedo</span> English actress (born 1968)

Sophie Okonedo is an English actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA TV Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Simm</span> English actor, director and musician

John Ronald Simm is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in Life on Mars, the Master in Doctor Who, and DS Roy Grace in Grace. His other television credits include State of Play, The Lakes, Crime and Punishment, Exile, Prey, and Cracker. His film roles include Wonderland, Everyday, Boston Kickout, Human Traffic and 24 Hour Party People. He has twice been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.

<i>Clocking Off</i> British television drama series

Clocking Off is a British television drama series which was broadcast on BBC One for four series from 2000 to 2003. It was produced for the BBC by the independent Red Production Company, and created by Paul Abbott.

Tony Marchant is a British playwright and television dramatist. In 1982 he won the London Critics' Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright for The Lucky Ones and Raspberry. In 1999 he won the British Academy Television Awards Dennis Potter Award for services to television. His television work includes the acclaimed Holding On (1997), Never, Never, starring John Simm and Take Me Home.

<i>Sweet Revenge</i> (British TV series) British TV series or programme

Sweet Revenge is a two-part British television drama series, created and written by playwright Sandy Welch, that first broadcast on BBC1 on 15 October 2001. The series stars Paul McGann, Sophie Okonedo and Pam Ferris, and follows Patrick Vine (McGann), an enigmatic Professor, who, when not teaching History and Anthropology, runs a sideline in helping people get revenge. As a group of wronged Londoners employ Vine to help exact revenge upon those who have mistreated them, Ellen (Okonedo), who is seeking revenge on her cheating husband, gradually grows closer to Vine. The series was directed by actor David Morrissey.

"The Beast Below" is the second episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by executive producer and head writer Steven Moffat and broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 10 April 2010.

<i>Mad Dogs</i> (British TV series) British black comedy and psychological thriller television series

Mad Dogs is a British psychological thriller television series, written and created by Cris Cole, that began airing on Sky1 on 10 February 2011, and ended on 29 December 2013 after four series and 14 episodes. It is produced by Left Bank Pictures, and co-produced by Palma Pictures. The series stars John Simm, Marc Warren, Max Beesley, and Philip Glenister as four long-time and middle-aged friends getting together in a villa in Majorca to celebrate the early retirement of their friend Alvo. After Alvo is murdered, the group find themselves caught up in the world of crime and police corruption.

<i>Crime and Punishment</i> (2002 TV series) British TV series or program

Crime and Punishment is a two-part British television crime drama series, based upon the 1866 novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, that first broadcast on BBC2 on 12 February 2002. The novel was adapted for television by playwright Tony Marchant, and was directed by Julian Jarrold.

<i>Total Divas</i> American reality television series

Total Divas is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their personal lives with the inclusion of behind the scenes footage. Seasons one through nine are available on WWE's on-demand streaming service, WWE Network, Hulu and Peacock.

<i>Chiller</i> (TV series) TV series or program

Chiller is a five-part British horror fantasy anthology television series, produced by Yorkshire Television, that first broadcast on ITV on 9 March 1995. Described by The Guardian as ITV's "answer to The X Files", the series was inspired by, but unconnected to, the 1991 Channel 4 thriller Gray Clay Dolls, which broadcast under the Chiller banner, the series featured writing contributions from renowned playwrights Stephen Gallagher, Glenn Chandler and Anthony Horowitz.

In Defence is a four-part British television legal drama series, created and partially written by Mike Cullen, that first broadcast on ITV on 26 June 2000. The series stars Ross Kemp and Sophie Okonedo, and follows Sam Lucas (Kemp), a lawyer and legal detective, who takes it upon himself to investigate cases where the police have failed to uncover enough evidence to secure a conviction. The series was co-written by Maxwell Young and Abigail Fray, and was initially billed as a "star-vehicle" for Kemp, as part of a "golden handcuffs" deal to lure Kemp away from the BBC. The series broadcast weekly until 17 July 2000.

<i>Undercover</i> (2016 TV series) British TV series or programme

Undercover is a six-part BBC television drama series co-produced with BBC America which was first broadcast beginning 3 April 2016. The series premiered in the United States as a six-hour miniseries on 16 and 17 November 2016 on BBC America; it began its run on the CBC in Canada in August and on Canal + in France since January 2017.

"World Enough and Time" is the eleventh and penultimate episode of the tenth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay, and was broadcast on 24 June 2017 on BBC One. The episode received overwhelmingly positive reviews from television critics.

The thirty-second series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 19 August 2017, and concluded on 4 August 2018. The series consisted of 44 episodes. Erika Hossington continued her role as series producer, however, following her resignation in August 2017, was replaced by Lucy Raffety. Simon Harper began his role as the show's executive producer. Twenty cast members reprised their roles from the previous series. Lloyd Everitt, Crystal Yu, Jamie Davis left their respective roles during the series, while Charlotte Salt reprised her role as Sam Nicholls from episode five onwards. Four new cast members also joined the drama in series 32. The series opened with a two-parter special set in northern France, which was followed by an extended 70-minute special episode. It is the first series in the history of the show to omit episode titles.

"Richard III" is third episode of the second series of the British television series The Hollow Crown, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. It was directed by Dominic Cooke, who also adapted the screenplay with Ben Power. It starred Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III, Sophie Okonedo as Queen Margaret and Judi Dench as Cecily. It was first broadcast on 21 May 2016 on BBC Two.

<i>His Dark Materials</i> (TV series) 2019 British fantasy television series

His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama television series based on the trilogy of novels by Philip Pullman. It is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions, for BBC One and HBO, with the latter handling international distribution. The show follows the orphan Lyra as she searches for a missing friend and discovers a kidnapping plot related to an invisible cosmic substance called Dust.

<i>Modern Love</i> (TV series) American anthology television series

Modern Love is an American romantic comedy anthology streaming television series developed by John Carney, based on the weekly column of the same name published by The New York Times, that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on October 18, 2019. In October 2019, the series was renewed for a second season, which was released on August 13, 2021.

Criminal: UK is a British police procedural anthology series created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith, starring Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall and Shubham Saraf as the highly trained members of a special interrogative division of the Metropolitan Police. Netflix released the first series of three episodes on 20 September 2019 and a second series of four episodes on 16 September 2020.

<i>Grace</i> (TV series) British crime drama television series

Grace is a British television crime drama series, based in the English city of Brighton & Hove, that stars John Simm in the title role of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, a dogged detective who, haunted by the disappearance of his wife some years previously, solves a variety of cases.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "East End Boy Goes Back to his Roots". The Observer. 22 October 2000. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Never Ever: Episode Guide". All4. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  3. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". BARB. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Never Never (2000)". The Bella Review. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2018.