Crashing (British TV series)

Last updated

Crashing
Crashing (2016 Channel 4 series).png
Genre Comedy
Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Written byPhoebe Waller-Bridge
Directed byGeorge Kane
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Kenton Allen
  • Liz Lewin
ProducerJosh Cole
CinematographyBen Wheeler
Editors
  • Mark Henson
  • Bridgette Williams
Running time23 min
Production company Big Talk Productions
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release11 January (2016-01-11) –
15 February 2016 (2016-02-15)

Crashing is a British comedy series produced by Big Talk Productions and written and created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Its six episodes aired from 11 January 2016 to 15 February 2016 on Channel 4 [1] and was released internationally as a Netflix Original series. [2] It stars Waller-Bridge, Jonathan Bailey, Julie Dray, Louise Ford, Damien Molony, Adrian Scarborough, and Amit Shah.

Contents

Premise

Crashing follows the lives of six twenty-somethings living together as property guardians in a disused hospital, keeping the building safe in exchange for cheaper rent and a strict set of rules. [3] The close personal relationships start to overlap, and the group navigates sexual tension and personal baggage before they are inevitably evicted.

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
1Episode 1George Kane Phoebe Waller-Bridge 11 January 2016 (2016-01-11)0.72
Lulu travels to London to surprise her childhood friend Anthony, who lives in a condemned hospital as a property guardian in exchange for cheapened rent. Anthony lives with a number of housemates including his "anal" fiancée Kate, their overtly sexual friend Sam, French artist Melody, and the timid Fred. Sam convinces Kate to throw him an elaborate scavenger hunt as his birthday party, which is attended by a number of friends and Kate's colleagues, including the recently divorced Colin, who fascinates Melody. Anthony is delighted by the arrival of Lulu, although tension immediately arises for Kate due to the attraction between the two friends. While Lulu and Anthony become reacquainted, the housemates are split into partners for the party. Melody and Colin bond, while Sam discovers a surprising friendship with Fred. At the conclusion of the party, Kate invites Lulu to move into the hospital's spare room.
2Episode 2George KanePhoebe Waller-Bridge18 January 2016 (2016-01-18)0.65
Lulu moves into the hospital. Following a fit of hysterics regarding their bath blowing up, Kate accidentally gets Lulu a temporary job as a receptionist at her work, where Melody calls, demanding to see Colin. Kate deliberately sends Lulu on an impromptu, fake delivery task to stop her going to lunch with Anthony, which backfires spectacularly when Lulu brings Colin to Anthony's restaurant to meet Melody. Melody is enraptured by Colin, and requests to make him and his pain the subject of her art, and Colin moves into the hospital. Sam is keen to spend more time with Fred, and gets him to take the day off work to spend it with him, which concludes with Sam attending his father's funeral. Fred begins to express interest in Sam; however, Sam gently rebuffs him, but continues to lead him on. Anthony confronts Kate about the fake package, where she admits her unease at Anthony and Lulu spending time together.
3Episode 3George KanePhoebe Waller-Bridge25 January 2016 (2016-01-25)0.51
Anthony organises a curry night for the housemates, which is attended by Fred's new boyfriend, Will. The dinner is tedious, owing to Kate becoming offended by the subject content and her humour not fitting with the group. During a group sing-a-long, she becomes exasperated that she has to sing about orgasms, and she claims that Anthony told Lulu that she has never orgasmed. Kate tells Lulu in confidence that she has orgasmed before, just never with Anthony. The evening continues to get heated, with Sam becoming jealous of Fred's adoration of Will, causing him to pursue Lulu and irritating Anthony who tells him to stop out of jealousy. Lulu offends Melody and Colin by questioning their relationship, who leave the dinner, and continue to paint. Lulu then accidentally reveals that Kate has never experienced an orgasm with Anthony, with the dinner table then collapsing and ruins the dinner. Anthony and Kate go to bed, and Fred and Will leave, with a drunk Lulu remaining with Sam, who declines her advances. In bed, Kate and Anthony have sex – while Anthony cries, Kate orgasms.
4Episode 4George KanePhoebe Waller-Bridge1 February 2016 (2016-02-01)0.54
Lulu realises she has not paid the sign-up fee to live in the hospital, and as a result visits her eccentric Aunt Gladys with Anthony to borrow money. Gladys, who strings out the visit, eventually gives her the money after telling Anthony that Lulu believed they would be together. Sam takes Will and Fred to look at housing options, where Will privately tells Sam he dislikes his crass language and behaviour towards Fred. Sam defies him and openly begins showing his animosity towards Will. Melody paints Kate's body, and they begin to bond over their relationships, their femininity and confidence. When Melody asks why Kate likes Anthony, she falters in her response, before they start having a playful paint fight, which is joined by Will, Sam and Fred, and later Anthony and Lulu. Colin returns from a visit to the dentist, and happily tells Melody he is at home at the hospital now. Sam is frustrated after a confrontation with Will when Lulu arrives and suggests they have sex. He agrees, acknowledging Anthony will not be happy. Still drunk from the paint party, Kate admits to Anthony that she has been pretending to be in love with him before falling asleep.
5Episode 5George KanePhoebe Waller-Bridge8 February 2016 (2016-02-08)0.46
The housemates awake to an eviction notice that the building is being knocked down, and they need to move to a new property. Kate wakes up in the morning not remembering her words from the night before, and Sam muses to Lulu he thinks Will is attracted to him. Fred asks Sam if he wants to move to a new property place together which Sam agrees to, but things become complicated when Will announces he has bought a flat, and asks Fred to move in with him. Anthony tells Lulu of Kate's drunken confession, but Lulu does not tell him about Sam, although his suspicions are aroused at breakfast when Will says he overheard Sam having sex. Covering up their night before, Sam and Lulu tell Anthony that Kate is pregnant, which causes Anthony to panic. Sam and Colin call up the Samaritan Help Line in order to prank Will at his job, Sam adopting a peculiar voice and calling himself "Stephen", and causing Fred to deduce it is him. Later at the hospital, Sam confronts Will, who tells Sam he thinks he is gay because he is obsessive about the men in his life. Sam seduces Will into kissing him and he runs to reveal Will's betrayal to Fred, at which point Will tells Anthony that Lulu and Sam had sex, and Sam admits that Kate is not pregnant. After a group brawl, Will is voted to move out of the hospital and Fred breaks up with him.
6Episode 6George KanePhoebe Waller-Bridge15 February 2016 (2016-02-15)0.36
Discovering that Kate is gone, Anthony confronts Lulu and asks if she loves him, which she denies. Kate, disappointed by Anthony defending Lulu's honour, has gone to a boozy lunch with the newly single Fred, and her colleague Jessica who offers insight and perspective on relationships. Anthony and Lulu spend the day together looking for Kate, but see Jessica spontaneously kissing her which prompts Anthony to think Kate is a lesbian. They go home and decide to have sex, despite Anthony knowing that Kate has come home to look for him, and Lulu knowing Kate is not a lesbian. Melody is painting Colin for the last time at the hospital, and he accidentally falls out of the window and needs to go to a real hospital. Fred is ignoring dramatic and frantic phone calls from Sam as he vows to not be the one who runs to his side. However, Sam has accompanied Melody and leaves a deliberately vague voice mail saying he is at the hospital. Fred rushes there and admonishes Sam for stretching the truth and breaking him and Will up, before collapsing from hypoglycemia. Sam stays at his bedside, and after apologising, kisses Fred. Under the guise of being a nurse, Melody looks after Colin in hospital before his ex-wife Cara visits the hospital, and Colin wakes up to show his support for Melody. In the morning, Anthony tells Lulu that Kate does not want to break up, and asks her what he should do. Lulu tells them to remain together, hiding her disappointment. The group ponder where they will go to next, before Lulu and Anthony kiss again. Kate appears and tells them that she is not stupid, implying she knows what they have done.

Production

Background

The story began as two plays, written by Waller-Bridge, which were developed for television by the production company Big Talk. [4] Waller-Bridge added that, "The stimulus for them was to find the moment something exciting could have happened between two people but doesn’t because they bottle it at the last minute. I always wanted to write about what happened to these people after this moment.” [5]

Filming

The setting of the show was inspired by Middlesex Hospital, an abandoned hospital located in Fitzrovia near the production company's offices. [4] It was eventually filmed at a disused building of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, which itself was inhabited. [6]

Release

Crashing aired from 11 January 2016 to 15 February 2016 on Channel 4 [1] and was released internationally between 2016 and 2017 as a Netflix Original series. [2]

The series was also shown on Italian, [7] Spanish [8] and Russian [9] television, among others. It was released on DVD by Simply Media on 3 September 2018. [10]

Reception

W Magazine called it Waller-Bridge's "twisted take on Friends ." [11] GQ Magazine described the show's six episodes as: "perfect little whirlwinds of comedy building to one big maelstrom where everyone falls to pieces — some are better off for it, and some are not. No matter where the chips fall, you'll have a good time." [12] Alanna Bennett for The Ringer writes: “Waller-Bridge tap-dances through practically every cliché available—but along the way, she bends and warps them. Every trope comes with a sharp right hook. She darkens some […] [and] brightens others”. [13]

Recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Dennis</span> British comedian and actor (born 1962)

Peter Hugh Dennis is an English comedian, presenter, actor, impressionist, and writer. He was a panellist in every episode of the comedy show Mock the Week (2005–2022). He has also appeared in the comedy double act Punt and Dennis with Steve Punt and played Dr. Piers Crispin in the sitcom My Hero (2000–2006), Pete Brockman in the sitcom Outnumbered (2007–2016), Toby in the sitcom Not Going Out (2014–present), and the Bank Manager in the first season of the comedy-drama series Fleabag (2016). He presents the community archaeology television show The Great British Dig (2020–present).

An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience. By convention, the audience is to realize that the character's speech is unheard by the other characters on stage. It may be addressed to the audience expressly or represent an unspoken thought. An aside is usually a brief comment rather than a speech, such as a monologue or soliloquy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Chalke</span> Canadian actress (born 1976)

Sarah Louise Christine Chalke is a Canadian actress and model. She is known for her starring roles as the second Becky Conner in the ABC sitcom Roseanne (1993–1997), Elliot Reid in the NBC/ABC medical comedy series Scrubs (2001–2010), Beth Smith in the Adult Swim animated science fiction series Rick and Morty (2013–present), and Kate Mularkey in the Netflix drama series Firefly Lane (2021–2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Dockery</span> English actress (born 1981)

Michelle Suzanne Dockery is an English actress. She is best known for starring as Lady Mary Crawley in the ITV television period drama series Downton Abbey (2010–2015), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She reprised her role in the films Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Bailey</span> English actor

Jonathan Stuart Bailey is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Skinner</span> British actor

Hugh William Skinner is a British actor. He is best known for starring in sitcoms W1A (2014–2017) and The Windsors (2016–present), and his appearances in musical films Les Misérables (2012) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).

<i>Fleabag</i> British black comedy television series

Fleabag is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was originally produced by Two Brothers Pictures for digital channel BBC Three in a co-production agreement with Amazon Studios. Waller-Bridge stars as the title character, a free-spirited but angry and confused young woman in London. Sian Clifford stars as Fleabag's sister Claire, while Andrew Scott joined the cast in the second series as 'The Priest'. The protagonist frequently breaks the fourth wall to provide exposition, internal monologues, and a running commentary to the audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Molony</span> Irish actor

Damien Molony is an Irish actor. He is best known for his television roles as Hal Yorke in BBC Three's Being Human, DC Albert Flight in the BBC's Ripper Street, DS Jack Weston in Channel 5's Suspects, Jon in Channel 4's GameFace and Dylan in Sky One Original comedy Brassic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Waller-Bridge</span> English actress, screenwriter and producer (born 1985)

Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge is an English actress, screenwriter and producer. As the creator, head writer, and star of the comedy series Fleabag (2016–2019), she won three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes and a British Academy Television Award. She received further Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for writing and producing the spy thriller series Killing Eve (2018–2022).

Vicky Jones is an English actress, stage director playwright and screenwriter, who is the co-artistic director of DryWrite Theatre Company, along with her frequent collaborator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Wokoma</span> British actress

Susan Indiaba Wokoma is a British actress, writer and director. She is best known for her roles as Edith in the Enola Holmes films, Cynthia in Chewing Gum, Raquel in the E4/Netflix show Crazyhead and Fola in Cheaters. Wokoma was listed as one of Europe's Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2017 and named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit by an international jury the same year.

<i>Lovesick</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Lovesick is a British sitcom created by Tom Edge which was first broadcast on Channel 4 in October 2014 and stars Johnny Flynn, Antonia Thomas, Daniel Ings, Hannah Britland and Joshua McGuire. After the show was originally aired on Channel 4, it was made available by Netflix, who then commissioned a second season globally on 17 November 2016, where it was billed as a Netflix Original. The show concluded with a third season, which was released exclusively on Netflix on 1 January 2018.

Two Brothers Pictures is a British television production company founded in 2014 by brothers Harry and Jack Williams. The company launched with the BBC One series The Missing. The show was nominated for 2 Golden Globe Awards, 4 BAFTAs and 2 Emmys as well as winning two Nymph d'Ors, Bulldog, and BPG awards. The Missing returned in 2016 for a second series airing on BBC One and Starz.

Isobel Noeline Waller-Bridge is a British composer who is known for her scores for film, television, and theatre, along with her works for electronic music and contemporary classical music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sian Clifford</span> English actress (born 1982)

Sian Clifford is an English actress. She is best known for playing Claire, the older sister of the titular character in the BBC comedy-drama series Fleabag (2016–2019) and also portrayed Martha Crawley in the ITV/Amazon Studios series Vanity Fair (2018). In 2020, she played Diana Ingram in the ITV series Quiz.

Harry Bradbeer is a British director, producer, and writer. He is known for his work on the television series Fleabag and Killing Eve, and the films Enola Holmes and Enola Holmes 2.

"Episode 1" is the first episode of the second series of Fleabag, and the seventh overall. The episode was written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and directed by Harry Bradbeer. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 17 May 2019 along with the rest of the series.

The 2020 British Academy Television Awards were held on 31 July 2020, hosted by British director and comic actor Richard Ayoade.

Hard Cell is a British mockumentary sitcom streaming television series created, co-written and co-directed by Catherine Tate, who also plays six of the main characters. The series premiered on 12 April 2022 on Netflix, and consists of six episodes. In June 2023, Tate confirmed that Netflix had officially cancelled the series after one season, which Tate found out about through someone else's agent.

References

  1. 1 2 "Casting announced for Phoebe Waller-Bridge's new comedy Crashing". Channel 4. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Watch Crashing | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  3. ↑ Dowell, Ben (24 December 2015). "Take an exclusive first look at new Channel 4 comedy Crashing". Radio Times . Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 Tate, Gabriel (7 January 2016). "Crashing writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge talks up her new Channel 4 sitcom". London Evening Standard . Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Tate, Gabriel (7 January 2016). "Crashing writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge talks up her new Channel 4 sitcom". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  6. ↑ Tate, Gabriel (7 January 2016). "Crashing writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge talks up her new Channel 4 sitcom". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Crashing in streaming | FilmTV.it". FilmTV (in Italian). Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  8. ↑ Cerdeño, Mario (10 July 2017). "'Crashing': seis jóvenes británicos golpeados por la dura realidad". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Сериал Сожители 1 сезон: фото, видео, описание серий - Вокруг ТВ". Вокруг ТВ. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Crashing - The Complete Series [DVD] E4 Original Comedy , retrieved 25 January 2023
  11. ↑ Waller-Bridge, Phoebe (2013). Fleabag. London: Nick Hern Books. ISBN   978-1-84-842364-0. OCLC   894546593.
  12. ↑ "Pssst: One of Last Year's Most Overlooked Great Comedies Is on Netflix". GQ. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "There's No 'Fleabag' Without Phoebe Waller-Bridge's 'Crashing'". www.theringer.com. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "Television Craft Breakthrough Talent in 2017". British Academy Film Awards . Retrieved 22 September 2017– via awards.bafta.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.