Stellar cast of much-loved British actors in new BBC One comedy Boomers
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.'
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. Thirty years of living in each other's pockets has 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 30-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 (6x30 minutes) 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.
