The Last Weekend (TV series)

Last updated

The Last Weekend
TheLastWeekend.jpg
GenrePsychological Thriller
Written by Mick Ford, based on The Last Weekend by Blake Morrison
Directed byJon East
Starring
ComposerRob Lane
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producerSally Woodward Gentle
Producer Christopher Hall
Running time3x45 min
Production company Carnival Films
Original release
Network ITV
Release19 August (2012-08-19) 
2 September 2012 (2012-09-02)

The Last Weekend is a three-part psychological thriller television series produced by Carnival Films in 2012 for ITV, based on the Blake Morrison novel of the same name. Set over a long weekend in East Anglia, the story centres on a rival friendship that spirals out of control as personal revelations force each character to re-assess their views of one another.

Contents

Plot

Ian (Shaun Evans) and Em (Claire Keelan) receive a surprise invitation from an old friend. Ollie (Rupert Penry-Jones) invites the couple to spend a weekend in the Suffolk countryside with him and Daisy (Genevieve O'Reilly). The couples expect an idyllic holiday, but the competitive edge to the men's relationship soon rises to the surface, with irreversible consequences.

Cast and crew

Mick Ford adapted the novel for television and Jon East directed the series. Sally Woodward Gentle was the executive producer for Carnival Films, while Christopher Hall served as series producer.

Reception

The Last Weekend was met with positive reviews, and received an average of four to five stars from all publications rating the serial.[ citation needed ]

Time Out 's Gabriel Tate called it a "sophisticated deconstruction of friendship and the modern class system." [1]

Stuart Jeffries of The Guardian praised the first episode, saying "fine writing, trenchant class analysis …. there was so much to enjoy in The Last Weekend. I don't know if Blake Morrison's novel is any good, but if it's half as accomplished as Mick Ford's adaptation then last year's Booker prize winner must be stripped of the award. Ford's writing is surely the best in TV drama since Steven Moffat's Sherlock." [2]

The Independent 's Archie Bland wrote "no one is to be entirely trusted, [the] gun is definitely going to go off, and I'm looking forward to finding out who fires it." [3]

Euan Ferguson of The Observer commented, "The passive-aggressive golf game between 'old chums' Ollie and Ian had every twitch of the tension of an Ayckbourn endgame without the leavening humour, and this was a good thing: gripping, and I realise I am in terrible danger of saying that we've again got the finest TV in the world." [4]

Leading up to the final episode Inside Soap wrote "one thing we've enjoyed most about this drama is the sense of creeping dread that has built up in its short run." The Don't Miss column described Shaun Evans' performance as "brilliant". [5]

In its Pick of the Day TV Times gave The Last Weekend five stars, calling it "brilliant". The publication anticipated a "thrilling yet unsettling end to what has been a great drama, with a disturbing yet subtle performance from Shaun Evans as Ian." [6]

Awards

AwardResultCategoryRecipient
RTS Programme Awards 2011/2012 NominatedOriginal Title MusicRob Lane
Music & Sound Awards 2013NominatedOriginal Composition (TV Programme)The Last Weekend

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Alexander</span> English actress (1926–2016)

Jean Margaret Hodgkinson, known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera Coronation Street, a role she played from 1964 until 1987, and also as Auntie Wainwright in the long-running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 1988 to 2010. For her role in Coronation Street, she won the 1985 Royal Television Society Award for Best Performance, and received a 1988 BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actress.

Carnival Film & Television Limited, trading as Carnival Films, is a British production company based in London, UK, founded in 1978. It has produced television series for all the major UK networks including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as international broadcasters including PBS, A&E, HBO and NBC. Productions include single dramas, long-running television dramas, feature films, and stage productions.

<i>Casanova</i> (2005 TV serial) British television comedy drama serial

Casanova is a 2005 British television comedy drama serial, written by television scriptwriter Russell T Davies and directed by Sheree Folkson. Produced by Red Production Company for BBC Wales in association with Granada Television, the 3-episode series was first screened on digital television station BBC Three from 13 March, with a repeat on mainstream analogue network BBC One commencing 4 April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Jeffries</span> English actor, screenwriter and film director (1926–2010)

Lionel Charles Jeffries was an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He appeared primarily in films and received a Golden Globe Award nomination during his acting career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Penry-Jones</span> British actor

Rupert William Penry-Jones is a British actor, known for his performances as Adam Carter in Spooks, Clive Reader in Silk, DI Joseph Chandler in Whitechapel, and Mr. Quinlan in the American horror series The Strain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yvonne Jeffries</span> Soap opera character

Yvonne Jeffries is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was portrayed by Alison Quigan in a guest stint in 2004, before returning in a regular role the following year. She remained on the show until 2011 and returned as part of the shows 20th anniversary in May 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Carter</span> Fictional character from Spooks

Adam Henry Carter is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series Spooks, which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. He is portrayed by British actor Rupert Penry-Jones. The character is a former MI6 officer who takes charge as the chief of Section D, and hence the head protagonist following the departure of Tom Quinn in series three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Williams</span> Fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless

Patty Williams is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The character made her debut in 1980 and, after a brief portrayal by Tammy Taylor, Lilibet Stern took over for three years, followed by Andrea Evans until 1984. The character was re-introduced by former head writer Maria Arena Bell 25 years later in 2009, with Stacy Haiduk taking over the role. She appeared sporadically for an additional three years, and then returned from 2015 to the November 2016. Much of Patty's history revolves around her romance with Jack Abbott, and her rivalries with other womens that were competitor for Jack's love. like: Diane Jenkins, Phyllis Summers, Emily Peterson and Genevieve Atkinson. She was also suffer from difficult mental health issues which was expressed among other things in her obsession with Jack, and in the crimes that she committed in order to get him.

Genevieve O'Reilly is an Irish actress. She is known for her work in the Star Wars franchise as Mon Mothma, having portrayed the character in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and the Disney+ series Andor and Ahsoka, as well as her voice role as the character in Star Wars Rebels, and as Moira in Overwatch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaun Evans</span> British actor and director

Shaun Evans is an English actor and director. He is best known for playing a young Endeavour Morse in the ITV drama series Endeavour and Coxswain Elliot Glover in Vigil.

<i>The 39 Steps</i> (2008 film) 2008 television film directed by James Hawes

The 39 Steps is a 2008 British television adventure thriller feature-length adaptation of the 1915 John Buchan novel The Thirty-Nine Steps produced by the BBC. It was written by Lizzie Mickery, directed by James Hawes, and filmed on location in Scotland, starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Lydia Leonard, David Haig, Eddie Marsan, and Patrick Malahide. Following three screen versions of the novel and the 1952 and 1977 television adaptations of The Three Hostages, Penry-Jones became the sixth actor to portray Hannay on screen. This adaptation is set on the eve of the First World War and sees mining engineer Richard Hannay caught up in an espionage conspiracy following the death of a British spy in his flat.

<i>Whitechapel</i> (TV series) Television series

Whitechapel is a British police procedural, produced by Carnival Films and distributed by BBC Worldwide, in which detectives in London's Whitechapel district deal with murders which replicated historical crimes. The first series was broadcast in the UK on 2 February 2009 and depicted the search for a modern copycat killer replicating the murders of Jack the Ripper.

<i>The Indian Doctor</i> British TV series or programme

The Indian Doctor is a British television comedy drama, set in the 1960s. Produced by Rondo Media and Avatar Productions, it was first broadcast on BBC One in 2010. The most recent series began on 4 November 2013 on BBC One daytime and concluded on 8 November. It is a period comedy drama starring Sanjeev Bhaskar as an Indian doctor who finds work in a South Wales mining village.

"New Allegiances" is the series seven premiere and 57th episode of the British espionage television series Spooks. It was originally broadcast on BBC One on 27 October 2008. The episode was written by Neil Cross, with additional writing by Ben Richards, and directed by Colm McCarthy. The episode is considered the first of a two-part story, which concludes with following episode "Split Loyalties".

<i>Silk</i> (TV series) British television legal drama series

Silk is a British television drama series produced by the BBC which was broadcast over three series on BBC One between 22 February 2011 and 31 March 2014. Created by Peter Moffat, the series follows the daily goings on of Shoe Lane Chambers and its members in their personal and professional lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Teen Choice Awards</span>

The 2011 Teen Choice Awards ceremony, hosted by Kaley Cuoco, aired live on August 7, 2011, at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California. This was the first time that the ceremonies were aired live since the 2007 show.

Christopher John Hall is an English television producer. He has produced dramas primarily for the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 networks, and worked for major British production companies, including Kudos, Carnival Films, Hat Trick Productions, World Productions and Tiger Aspect Productions.

<i>A Touch of Cloth</i> British TV series or programme

A Touch of Cloth is a British television comedy series created and written by Charlie Brooker and Daniel Maier, shown on Sky One. A parody of British police procedural dramas, it stars John Hannah as Jack Cloth, a police detective with personal problems, and Suranne Jones as Anne Oldman, his colleague. The title is a play on the title of the detective series A Touch of Frost and the British euphemism "touching cloth". The DVD of the first series was released in the UK on 3 September 2012, and the second and third series were released on 1 September 2014.

<i>Stan Lees Lucky Man</i> British crime drama television series

Stan Lee's Lucky Man is a British superhero crime drama television series, produced by Carnival Films and POW! Entertainment for Sky 1, which follows the story of Murder Squad detective Harry Clayton, who is granted the power to control luck.

<i>Tin Star</i> (TV series) Television series, 2017–2020

Tin Star is a British television crime drama created by Rowan Joffé. The series focuses on Jim Worth, a former London Metropolitan Police Service detective who becomes chief of police of a Canadian town in the Rocky Mountains. It stars Tim Roth, Genevieve O'Reilly, Abigail Lawrie, Oliver Coopersmith, Ian Hart and Christina Hendricks.

References

  1. Tate, Gabriel. "Interviews: 'Mrs Biggs' and 'The Scapegoat'". Time Out. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  2. Jeffries, Stuart (19 August 2012). "Series: Last night's TVPrevious | Next". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  3. Bland, Archie (20 August 2012). "The Weekend's Viewing: The X Factor, ITV 1" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
  4. Euan Ferguson (26 August 2012). "Rewind TV: Parade's End; The Last Weekend, Funny Fortnight; The Queen's Mother-in-Law – review". The Observer.
  5. "Don't Miss: Enemy Within". Inside Soap. 28 August 2012.
  6. "Pick of the Day: The Last Weekend". TV Times. 28 August 2012.