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The
Crouches
Put
three generations of one family under one roof and the result is
likely to be mayhem! Welcome to the world of The Crouches.
Robbie
Gee, Jo Martin, Rudolph Walker and Mona Hammond star in The Crouches,
an upbeat, contemporary comedy series for 91热爆 ONE starting on Tuesday
9 September, which is an intimate yet humorous take on the trials
and tribulations of a family living in Walworth, south-east London.
"This
vibrant comedy will showcase the talent of some Britain's best black
actors and introduce new faces to a mainstream audience," says
Lorraine Heggessey, Controller of 91热爆 ONE.
Childhood
sweethearts Roly Crouch (Robbie Gee) and Natalie (Jo Martin) have
been married for 18 years.
With
two demanding teenagers, Aiden and Adele, plus live-in parents Langley
(Rudolph Walker) and Sylvie (Mona Hammond), the pressure on the
Crouch household sometimes reaches boiling point.
Natalie's
best friend Lindy (Llewella Gideon) and Roly's workmates Bailey
(Don Warrington) and Ed (Danny John- Jules) all add to the fun.
"The
Crouches is about a family in south-east London who have the same
aspirations and problems that many families have," says producer,
Carlton Dixon. "Not everything's perfect. There's temptation,
moral dilemmas and a lot of sparring."
In
the opening episode Adele has plans to see her 'businessman' boyfriend,
Dennis. But her dad, Roly, isn't happy about this, and neither is
mum, Natalie - they both think Dennis is a terrible influence on
her.
Adele
persuades them to invite him round to prove that Dennis is a fine,
upstanding pillar of the community. But things don't go quite to
plan.
Meanwhile,
Natalie has bought Aiden some new trainers... the trouble is they're
not the right brand, and a defiant Aiden decides to deface them.
When
Aiden gets himself in a spot of bother with the police, there's
only one man who can help: Adele's boyfriend Dennis. Will Roly turn
to Dennis or stand by his principles?
"The
idea for The Crouches didn't come to me, I went to it," explains
Ian Pattison, writer of the multi-award-winning Rab C Nesbitt.
"I
was living in south-east London, near the Elephant, and wanted to
try and write a sitcom set there. Once I'd decided on the location,
the question became not so much why a black sitcom, as why not?
"Being
from a working class background, I felt that so long as I kept it
blue collar, I had a chance of making it work.
"One
day at a tube station, I observed a black station assistant inspecting
tickets manually. I got to wondering about this man's life. Where
did he live? Was he married? Any kids? What about his parents? By
the time I sat down to write the script, I had a few characters
and a setting in my head.
"Taking
my chances as anybody else, I wrote the script, uncommissioned,
and submitted it to the 91热爆."
"I
worked with Ian Pattison on his last project, Breeze Block, for
91热爆 THREE, and we were discussing the kind of the thing we would
like to do next," says co-producer Stephen McCrum.
"Ian
is an unusual writer in that he creates his own world, and in Breeze
Block it wasn't really a Newcastle family, but a Pattison family.
"The
Crouches came from a shared passion," continues McCrum.
"I
wanted to get involved in it and the project has gained friends
along the way with the actors we've managed to sign up and the multi-cultural
production team we've managed to assemble."
Co-producer
Carlton Dixon adds: "The
great thing Ian Pattison brings to The Crouches is that he is not
afraid to take chances.
"He
was telling me that when Rab C Nesbitt first came out Scottish people
were up in arms about it, because it wasn't a traditional cosy sitcom.
A year later, Rab was a national hero.
"The
thing which makes Ian a great writer is that his work is honest
and truthful. Sometimes it's an abstract truth, but that's what
stands him apart from the crowd."
"The
Crouches is not the first comedy series with a predominately black
cast on 91热爆 ONE," states McCrum. "There's been all of
Lenny Henry's sketch work as well as Chef! Before that there was
Us Girls written by Liselle Kayla with Mona Hammond and the late
Joanne Campbell.
"Desmonds
was a huge hit on Channel 4 in its time. But this is not Desmonds
and it's not trying to be Desmonds either," continues McCrum.
"Funnily
enough, when Desmonds first came out there was a lot of criticism
of it. It just goes to show that it takes time for a show to win
new friends and, in the end, Desmonds went on to win lots of friends
and ran for several years; let's hope we can get the same for The
Crouches.
"My
aspiration for the series is that people give it a chance to grow,"
says co-producer Stephen McCrum. "It would be great to win
new friends because we believe the series deserves it."
Kenton
Allen, 91热爆 Editor of Comedy, is hoping the new series will inspire
new writers to send in their scripts to the 91热爆.
"We're
always on the look-out for new writers and we are especially keen
to receive scripts from writers who belong to groups currently under-represented
in comedy be they black, Asian or any other minority group,"
says Allen.
Half-hour narrative
comedy scripts should be sent to:
The Crouches,
Room 4023, 91热爆 Television Centre, Wood Lane, London W12 7RJ.
Finally,
if you are serious about a writing career and not sure where to
start, the Writersroom website has lots of helpful information,
such as details about competitions and initiatives for writers,
and even downloadable script templates - visit .
The
Crouches cast includes: Robbie Gee (Desmond's,
Snatch); Jo Martin (The Real McCoy, Chef!); 2002
Emma Best Actor Rudolph Walker (EastEnders, The
Thin Blue Line); Mona Hammond (Babyfather, EastEnders);
Akemnji Ndifornyen (Dominic Savage's award-winning
2002 drama, Out of Control); Ony Uhiara (Waking
The Dead, The Vice); Danny John-Jules (Red Dwarf,
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels); Don Warrington
(Manchild, Rising Damp); Llewella Gideon (The Real
McCoy, Absolutely Fabulous) and Jimmy Akingbola
(Roger Roger, Doctors).
Writer
Ian Pattison is best known for creating and writing nine series
of the multi-award-winning hit Rab C Nesbitt.
The
series is directed by Nick Wood (award-winning director of Black
Books, Kerching and Goodness Gracious Me) and produced by Stephen
McCrum (Two Pints of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps) and Carlton Dixon
(Blouse and Skirt, The Real McCoy, Lenny Henry Show).
The
Crouches starts on 91热爆 ONE on Tuesday 9 September at 10.35pm.
Press
pack
Cast
and crew lists
Cast
interviews
Episodes
Past
91热爆 comedy shows with predominantly black casts
Video
clip
Get
a sneak preview of The Crouches by clicking on the link below.
For
help and advice on downloading this clip see the
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Watch
a clip >>>
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