Switch (British TV series)

Last updated

Switch
Switchlogo.jpg
Genre Urban fantasy
Written by Chloe Moss
Tim Price
Directed byDominic Leclerc
Tom Marshall
Starring Lacey Turner
Phoebe Fox
Hannah Tointon
Nina Toussaint-White
Opening theme"Lions in Cages" by Wolf Gang
ComposerRichard Wells
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducerPhilip Trethowan
CinematographyNick Dance
EditorDaniel Greenway
Production companyTouchpaper Television
Original release
Network ITV2
Release15 October (2012-10-15) 
19 November 2012 (2012-11-19)

Switch is a British supernatural comedy-drama centring a quartet of witches known as "The Witches of Camden" who try to make their way in London. Created by Touchpaper Television for ITV2, the show stars Lacey Turner, Nina Toussaint-White, Hannah Tointon and Phoebe Fox. Its six-episode run began on 15 October 2012 at 10pm.

Contents

Plot

Switch is an upbeat comedy drama about four young witches trying to make their way in the big city where they live in Camden, North London. They want to live a modern life, not one based on their mother's old-fashioned rituals. But modern life presents serious problems, and the girls cannot help casting the occasional spell to try to sort things out. [1]

Cast

The main cast are made up of four fun loving flatmates in Camden, North London. Each of the witches represents an element that handily provides a summarisation of their character. [2]

Main

The main cast from left: Stella, Jude, Grace and Hannah. Switchedcast.jpg
The main cast from left: Stella, Jude, Grace and Hannah.

Recurring

Star signs

On a card given by Stella to Hannah in the first episode, the girl's birthdays are as follows:

Episode list

No.#TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
11"Witches of Camden"Dominic LeclercChloe Moss & Tim Price15 October 2012 (2012-10-15)879,000 [3]
Stella (Lacey Turner) is in deep trouble. Summoning the girls home with a "Switch" text, she is desperate to cast a spell to save her skin. Hannah (Hannah Tointon) flies home from India, Jude (Nina Toussaint-White) abandons customers in work while Grace’s (Phoebe Fox) romantic encounter is interrupted. With chaos under control and buoyed by initial success, Stella is confident enough to stand up to her boss, Janet (Amanda Drew). She gets sacked. The Witches of Camden cast another spell, but rusty after months of being apart, it results in a magical race against time to undo their own mistakes. When Grace’s mum, Gloria (Caroline Quentin), turns up out of the blue Grace is forced to cut the apron strings or be a mummy’s girl forever. Meanwhile commitment avoiding Hannah must choose between life on the road or life with her coven.
22"Hexed"Dominic LeclercChloe Moss & Tim Price22 October 2012 (2012-10-22)710,000 [3]
The Witches of Camden have been hexed. Confronting their arch-nemeses, the posh Witches of Kensington, is not easy but a few champagne cocktails later the two covens seem the best of friends. However, when Hannah (Hannah Tointon) tries to get a job at Stella’s (Lacey Turner) workplace it seems that bygones are far from bygones. Grace (Phoebe Fox) needs some help getting ready for her date with Joel (James Rastall) – but will he give her that magic feeling? Jude’s (Nina Toussaint-White) wishes for a new boss are answered when Gerry (Jamie Davis) turns up – but is he too hedonistic even for Jude? When the girls try to get retribution on the Witches of Kensington there are disastrous consequences to their actions.
33"Love Is in the Air"Dominic LeclercChloe Moss & Tim Price29 October 2012 (2012-10-29)TBA
Stella (Lacey Turner) hasn’t had a date in years. In fact, she hasn't fancied anyone in years. The girls are forced to confess that they cast a spell years ago to help her forget an ex-girlfriend. But not getting over Lucy (Rosamund Hanson) has stopped Stella from moving on. Stella must be re-introduced to nightmarish Lucy and find peace with their past relationship. Unfortunately, Stella falls in love with Lucy again. The girls must watch as the destructive relationship threatens to destroy not only everything Stella has worked so hard for, but also their precious coven. Meanwhile, Hannah (Hannah Tointon) gets into a spot of bother with a new career choice, Jude (Nina Toussaint-White) encounters problems when she takes a short cut to the top of her career ladder, and is Grace (Phoebe Fox) in love with Jude’s boyfriend?
44"The Anniversary"Tom MarshallChloe Moss & Tim Price5 November 2012 (2012-11-05)697,000 [3]
The girls’ coven of anniversary is approaching, and preparations for celebrations are in place. But when Grace (Phoebe Fox) gets mugged, she wants to leave London for good. The girls do the only thing they think will help – they cast a confidence spell to help Grace cope with city life. Stella (Lacey Turner), meanwhile, has problems of her own when India, one of their nemeses from the Witches of Kensington, turns up to work at the PR Agency. Intent on destroying Stella’s career and the company with it, India casts a charm on the whole office. Hannah (Hannah Tointon) enjoys being market holder on a stall of Jude’s (Nina Toussaint-White) designs, until all the stock is stolen. All in all, things do not look good for a happy celebration. But there are darker forces at work and things soon get out of hand.
55"Help!"Tom MarshallChloe Moss & Tim Price12 November 2012 (2012-11-12)665,000 [3]
Grace (Phoebe Fox) and Gerry’s (Jamie Davis) relationship seems to be blooming nicely. Having just split up with Gerry herself, Jude (Nina Toussaint-White) is feeling weird about this. When she calls Mike (Kevin Bishop) over, she’s looking for some no-strings comfort sex, but she gains so much more. Hannah (Hannah Tointon) takes up tutoring with a little magical twist and gains 15-year-old Earth element Tuppence (Lilly Lucia Ainsworth) – a privileged, precocious and pretty lonely pupil. Grace’s anxiety levels reach fever pitch when she becomes convinced that Gerry does not like her as much as she likes him. Stella (Lacey Turner) is set on finding her one true love through efficient means. When things inevitably go disastrously wrong, it is time to reach for that spell book!
66"Summer Solstice Showdown"Tom MarshallChloe Moss & Tim Price19 November 2012 (2012-11-19)TBA
It’s the Summer Solstice and the girls go to Grace (Phoebe Fox) and Hannah’s (Hannah Tointon) hometown of Lower Sooth to celebrate. Hannah is disappointed when her mum, Esme (Imogen Stubbs) is nowhere to be found, Grace is shocked when Gerry (Jamie Davis) turns up despite them casting a spell. Jude (Nina Toussaint-White) is looking forward to a bit of excitement in the forest with her first love, Jack (Howard Charles). But these are the least of their concerns when the Witches of Kensington arrive – with Alexa’s mother, Karina (Diana Kent) in tow. This super-coven is set on bringing down the witches of Camden. Before the longest day of the year is out, there is a scandalous showdown to survive and some shocking home truths to be shared.

Production

The six-part first series began filming in April 2012 for 11 weeks in London, Cardiff and Bristol, and concluded in July. [4] [5] It was announced on Lacey Turner's official Twitter support page 'Lacey Turner Fans' that it would not continue for a second series. [6]

Reception

Critical reception

Louisa Mellor of Den of Geek wrote a mixed review; "Though it's frothier than Being Human and nowhere as near the knuckle as Misfits , it's original UK genre TV and as such, we welcome it with open arms." [2] She also named Fox and Turner as the stand-outs of the series. [2]

Ratings

The series premier which was watched by 574,000 viewers and 62,000 an hour later, performed well above the slot average of 440,000 (2.4%) for the past 12 months and was also the most-watched show on the channel across the day. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacey Turner</span> English actress (b. 1988)

Lacey Amelia Turner is an English actress. With a career spanning two decades, she made her acting debut in the television soap opera EastEnders. She rose to prominence and has garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal as Stacey Slater, a character she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosie Miller</span> Soap opera character

Rosie Swann is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gerry Cowper. Her first appearance was 6 September 2004 and she was axed in 2006, with her final scenes airing July 2006.

Kelli Young is an English singer. She is best known as member of the pop group Liberty X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kara Tointon</span> English actress (b. 1983)

Kara Louise Tointon is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Dawn Swann in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series Strictly Come Dancing, and in 2015, she appeared as Maria in the ITV live production of The Sound of Music Live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Drew</span> American actress

Sarah Drew is an American actress and director. She played Hannah Rogers in The WB family drama series Everwood (2004–2006) and Dr. April Kepner in the ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy.

Hannah Tointon is an English actress. She is best known for playing Katy Fox in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and Tara Brown in sitcom The Inbetweeners.

<i>Secret Diary of a Call Girl</i> British television drama, 2007-2011

Secret Diary of a Call Girl is a British drama television series that aired from 27 September 2007 to 22 March 2011 on ITV2, based on the blog and books by the pseudonymous Belle de Jour. It stars Billie Piper as Belle, a high-end call girl in London.

Natalie Lander is an American actress. She is the daughter of actors David Lander and Kathy Fields. She is known for her work on ABC's The Middle, where she plays Debbie. Other TV credits include Castle, Touch, and Hannah Montana. Lander is also known for her work in video games, such as the voice of Kinzie Kensington in the Saints Row series. She placed fifth in the reality competition Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods, which aired on MTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Keegan</span> British actress (born 1987)

Michelle Keegan is an English actress, known for her roles as Tina McIntyre in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and Sergeant Georgie Lane in the BBC drama series Our Girl. Keegan also starred as Tracy Shawcross in BBC One drama Ordinary Lies, Tina Moore in the biopic Tina and Bobby, and Erin Croft in Sky Max comedy Brassic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonia Bernath</span> English actress, voiceover artist and singer

Antonia Geraldine Audrey Lee Bernath is an English actress, voiceover artist and singer. She began her career in the CBS series Elvis (2005) and the Bollywood film Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005). She then starred in the films St Trinians (2007), Cuckoo (2009), and the ITV2 drama Trinity (2009). She had recurring roles in the ABC series The Astronaut Wives Club (2015) and the final series of Downton Abbey (2015).

Mary Rose Helen "Coky" Giedroyc is an English director known for her work on Women Talking Dirty, The Virgin Queen, The Nativity, and Penny Dreadful.

Nina Toussaint-White is an English actress who has acted in Casualty,The Bill, and EastEnders.

"Episode 1.8" is the series 1 finale of the British television show Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Fox</span> British actress (born 1987)

Phoebe Fox is an English actress, who was nominated for Olivier and Evening Standard awards for work in theatre. She has appeared in the Black Mirror episode "The Entire History of You" (2011), The Woman in Black: Angel of Death (2015), The Hollow Crown: Wars of the Roses (2016), and The Great (2020–2023).

<i>The Big Reunion</i> British TV series or programme

The Big Reunion is a British reality-documentary series that began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013. The show featured chart-topping bands who were big in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme followed them as they reunited for the first time in a decade and went through their two weeks of intensive rehearsals before finally stepping back on stage for a comeback performance.

<i>Our Girl</i> British television military drama series (2013-2020)

Our Girl is a British television military drama series, written and created by Tony Grounds, first broadcast on BBC One on 24 March 2013. The series initially starred Lacey Turner as Molly Dawes, a young working-class woman, who joins the British Army after deciding her life is going down the drain. Following the feature-length pilot episode, a full series of five episodes was commissioned, commencing broadcast on 21 September 2014.

The first series of the British reality-documentary series The Big Reunion began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013 until 28 March 2013. The show features chart-topping bands who were big names in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme follows them as they reunite for the first time in a decade and go through their two weeks of intensive rehearsals before finally stepping back on stage for a comeback performance. The bands who reunited for the first series were Five, 911, Atomic Kitten, B*Witched, Honeyz and Liberty X. Blue also joined later on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy James-Kelly</span> British actress

Amy James-Kelly is a Northern Irish actress. She gained prominence through her role as Maddie Heath in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2013–2015). She has since starred in the Netflix series Safe (2018), the BBC One drama Three Families (2021), and the Channel 4 sitcom Everyone Else Burns (2023).

Archie is a 2023 British television drama series about the life of Cary Grant starring Jason Isaacs in the lead role with Kara Tointon, Harriet Walter, Jason Watkins, Calam Lynch, and Laura Aikman.

References

  1. "Lacey Turner to play a witch in ITV drama". What's on TV. 30 March 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 "What is ITV2's Switch?" . Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Top 10 Programmes – BARB
  4. "Lacey Turner to star in ITV2 witches drama 'Switch'". 29 March 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  5. "Thorn Baker Offices used as filming location for ITV 2 SWITCH" . Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  6. Lacey Turner's 'Switch' axed by ITV2 – TV News – Digital Spy
  7. "Switch spooks return of Chelsea" . Retrieved 16 October 2012.