Boomers” Press Pack
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“BOOMERS” PRESS PACK Starring: Russ Abbot, Stephanie Beacham, Philip Jackson, James Smith, Alison Steadman, June Whitfield and Paula Wilcox. A Hat Trick production for BBC One TXing from Friday 15 August at 9pm on BBC One For further information please contact: AN/KB3 “BOOMERS” INTRODUCTION 'Life is a long journey. If we're lucky, we'll make some friends along the way. If we're unlucky, they'll stay in touch.' The brand-new BBC One comedy series Boomers has a stellar cast of much-loved British actors: Russ Abbot, Stephanie Beacham, Philip Jackson, James Smith, Alison Steadman, June Whitfield and Paula Wilcox. Boomers follows the ups and downs of three couples living in Thurnemouth, 'Norfolk's only West facing resort.' Alan (Philip Jackson, Pete Versus Life, Poirot, My Week With Marilyn) and Joyce (Alison Steadman, The Syndicate, Gavin and Stacey, Love And Marriage), are coming at retirement from very different directions: Alan wants to slow down, Joyce wants to speed up. Alan tries to avoid as many of Joyce's social commitments as possible, but downsizing to a bungalow has meant there are fewer places to hide. John (Russ Abbot, September Song) and Maureen (Stephanie Beacham, Bad Girls, Dynasty), live in their gadget-filled dream house, adventurous in every aspect including the bedroom. For them 60 is the new 40. However, there's a reminder of what's around the corner with Maureen's ever-present Mum Joan (June Whitfield, Absolutely Fabulous, Terry & June). And finally there's Trevor (James Smith, Grandma's House, In The Loop, The Thick Of It) and Carol (Paula Wilcox, Mount Pleasant, The Smoking Room, Emmerdale) who've got non- communication down to such a fine art that if Trevor spent a weekend away, Carol might not even notice. 30 years of living in each other's pockets have shown the benefits and drawbacks of staying friends over the decades... As the series opens, Alan’s looking forward to Jean’s funeral; his old mate Mick, Jean’s ex, is coming over from Spain specially for it. Joyce isn’t happy - Mick has always been a bad influence. John’s not happy either - he’s been convinced that Mick has a thing for Maureen ever since a notorious holiday in Weymouth. And when Mick turns up, he’s got a surprise for everyone - a thirty year old Lithuanian wife... Each couple starts to take a long, hard look at who they've ended up with; there's so much more to achieve in their own lives, do they want to spend the rest of it with each other? Guests joining our all-star ensemble cast during the series include Nigel Planer (The Young Ones, I Give It A Year, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Dudley Sutton (Emmerdale, Lovejoy), Marion McLoughlin (Spy, Doctors) and George Layton (EastEnders, Doctor in the House). Boomers (6 x 30') is written by Richard Pinto (Fresh Meat, Citizen Khan, The Armstrong & Miller Show, The Kumars at No 42) and produced by Paul Schlesinger (W1A, the BAFTA winning Twenty Twelve, Citizen Khan). The series is directed by Adam Miller (Some Girls, Mongrels, Katy Brand's Big Ass Show). The Executive Producers are Jimmy Mulville for Hat Trick Productions and Shane Allen (Controller of Comedy Commissioning) and Gregor Sharp (Commissioning Editor) for the BBC. BBC One Controller Charlotte Moore says: “Comedy has a unique ability to make the ordinary extraordinary and Boomers delivers that with a big hit of characters. The series follows three newly retired couples who re-discover what it means to have time on their hands, hilariously brought to life by a stellar cast whose relationships are tested in a multitude of ways.” Shane Allen comments: “This is a very modern, affectionate and brutally honest single camera take on a stage of life often stereotyped and outmoded in sitcomworld. Cast perfection on top of a script that glitters with comedy gems.” Jimmy Mulville says: “Richard Pinto has captured exactly what it's like to be 60-something in the 21st Century. It's laugh-out-loud and touching, sometimes in the same moment.” Paul Schlesinger adds: “I'm delighted we are making this for BBC One - especially as the stories revolve around a group of characters who don't often take centre stage in comedy. These are forensically observed relationships with a superb cast which we hope will bring audiences back week after week.” Boomers is a Hat Trick production for BBC One. “BOOMERS” Character Breakdowns JOYCE (Alison Steadman) Married to Alan. Joyce doesn’t like surprises, and prefers to be in control of every aspect of hers and everybody else’s life. She is a part-time receptionist at a GP surgery, nearing retirement and a keen member of the local choral society. Joyce worries a lot about her close circle of dear friends, and when they’re next going to embarrass her in public. She got on very well with her parents, always a good girl, but mum was keen for her to get married and leave home because she kept re-arranging the furniture. Most likely to say: “I don't know why I bother trying to do things for people.” ALAN (Philip Jackson) Married to Joyce. Alan always thought retirement would mean more time to spend socialising with his wife and their friends. Unfortunately he turned out to be right. He's a bit of a misery, careful with his money - because, as he rightly points out, he doesn’t earn any - but underneath it all, his heart’s in the right place. Most likely to say: “But we went out last month.” JOHN (Russ Abbott) Married to Maureen. John’s an ex-plumber, a practical man, organised and sorted. He finds life pretty straightforward and doesn’t understand people who don’t. He’s got a big heart and he’ll always try and see things from other people’s point of view. It doesn’t often work, but he’ll give it a go. Anything abstract he finds dull: art, politics, religion... ‘I can’t see the point of it, you know what I mean? What’s the point of it?’ He's secretary of the Boat Club, does some driving for the local care home occasionally and the odd bit of plumbing for friends. Most likely to say: “You want to get yourself one of these.” MAUREEN (Stephanie Beacham) Married to John. Maureen lives life to the full. A little bit ageist, in that she doesn’t enjoy mixing with old people... She is impulsive, says what’s on her mind without too much thought for the consequences. She prides herself on being a bubbly personality, not giving in to the ageing process, and on still having a great body. Used to look after John's diary at his plumbing firm. She enjoys New Age healing, homeopathy and jewellery making. Most likely to say: “I'm not going if there's gonna be old people there...” TREVOR (James Smith) Married to Carol. Trevor’s a creature of routine. He likes to know exactly what’s going to happen, otherwise he gets edgy. As a result he’s become very concerned with being able to manage and control life’s variables - traffic, which banks offer the best interest rates etc. He sees himself as easy-going, sociable, sharp and quick-witted. He’s a member of lots of clubs and societies, gets on great with everyone. He doesn’t seem to have collected many friends along the way but puts that down to everyone being so busy these days, there just isn’t much time for socialising. Trevor feels he is coming into his prime; as John says, he was born to be retired... Most likely to say: “Stop me if I'm boring you...” CAROL (Paula Wilcox) Married to Trevor. Carol is a carer who spent a lot of time looking after other people. She is very straightforward, friendly and chatty, wears her heart on her sleeve and will always say what’s on her mind. Naturally unadventurous and timid, but now she’s faced with a long retirement listening to Trevor’s anecdotes, she’s decided she wants to get a little bit more out of life. She's also very literal-minded - John once convinced her that wind turbines were giant fans used to cool everyone down when it gets too hot. Most likely to say: “You want a bit of sophistication. A little bit of cosmo...politaneity.” JOAN (June Whitfield) Not afraid to impose herself and her wheelchair on the younger generation, she’ll always tag along whenever possible. Joan has reached an age where she’s not afraid to drink heavily in public and give her opinions without being asked. She was happiest as a black marketeer after the war - the money was good. Most likely to say: “I'll have a very small glass of red wine.” “BOOMERS” Production Notes The baby boomer generation Mick: 'We deserve better than this don't we?... We're part of the golden generation aren't we? 'Baby Boomers'... Look at what we did in the sixties – we had the first heart transplant, we landed on the Moon... We changed the world for the better.” As Boomers went into production, the 66 year old American humorist PJ O'Rourke published a book called Baby Boomers in which he celebrates everyone born between 1946 and 1964: “We are the best generation in history. Which goes to show history stinks. But at least we are fabulous by historical standards.” He argues that those “spoilt brats”, of which he is one, were born in conditions of unparalleled liberty, peace and prosperity into the stable two parent families created by the “greatest generation” who lived through the war.