91Èȱ¬

Introduction

Based on Jonathan Coe's best-selling novel, an original three part drama from Company Pictures for 91Èȱ¬ TWO

The Rotters' Club is a story about a group of Birmingham teenagers and their families set against a backdrop of the class conflict, racial tension, strike action - not to mention Blue Nun, prog-rock and black forest gateau - which was the social and political landscape of Seventies Britain.

Much more than just a rites of passage tale, The Rotters' Club is a blend of the personal and the political, a coming-of-age drama that takes in everything from industrial disputes to the delights and confusion of first love.

Brought to the small screen by Company Pictures, whose recent successes include Rose & Maloney (ITV1), Shameless (Channel 4) and Not Only But Always (Channel 4), it is adapted from Jonathan Coe's novel of the same name by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Porridge, The Likely Lads).

Dick remarks: "It seems to us that it's a rather forgotten era and it's time it had its turn in the spotlight."

Suzan Harrison, executive producer, adds: "I am a great fan of Jonathan Coe's work and I made sure that I got to see the proof of the book at the earliest opportunity.

"It was Jonathan's idea originally to approach Dick and Ian who have just the right sensibility for the book. These are, after all, a bunch of Seventies likely lads. Happily they both read and enjoyed the book and, despite their heavy film and TV writing commitments, were very keen to get involved."

The Rotters' Club features newcomers Geoff Breton, Nicholas Shaw and Rasmus Hardiker alongside such established talent as Sarah Lancashire, Hugo Speer, Mark Williams, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Kevin Doyle.

Producer Chrissy Skinns comments: "The Rotters' Club attracted a high calibre of actor, no matter what the size of the role.

"It's a large and varied cast - different ages, different levels of experience - which developed a strong 'company' feel.

"For me, it was great to continue the working relationship with Dick and Ian, having worked with them last year on Auf Wiedersehen Pet."

Ben Trotter, Doug Anderton and Philip Chase (played by Breton, Shaw and Hardiker respectively) attend King William's School, a middle-class institution that's set to give them a start in life that their parents never had.

Aspiring literary genius Ben lusts after the gorgeous Cicely Boyd (Alice Eve, Stage Beauty) and conceals his nascent Christianity from the world.

Confident and good looking, Doug flies the flag for socialism and nurses a crush on the intelligent and sarcastic Claire (Cara Horgan, The Libertine) who seems immune to his charms, whilst prog-rock lover Philip is desperate to start his own band, although with suggested names ranging from The Squitters to Miracle Whip, it could be an uphill struggle.

Their peers include the school's big-headed sports star Culpepper (Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Murphy's Law) who's locked in bitter rivalry with high achiever Steve Richards (newcomer Peter Bankolé), the only black kid in school, and anarchic jokester Sean Harding (Rafe Spall, Sean of the Dead), who provides comic relief - as long as his far right postulations are supposed to be ironic that is…

The tensions and conflicts of the school mirror the barely more ordered world of their parents, whose lives revolve primarily around the British Leyland Motor Corporation's Longbridge works.

Colin Trotter (Kevin Doyle, At 91Èȱ¬ With The Braithwaites) is in middle management, trying to negotiate a way out of redundancies and strike action.

Charismatic shop steward Bill Anderton (Hugo Speer, Clocking Off) is heavily involved in the trade union and dedicated to the cause, although his affair with pretty secretary Miriam (Christine Tremarco, Uncle Adolf) could threaten everything he's worked for.

Bus driver Sam Chase (Mark Williams, The Fast Show) and wife Barbara (Sarah Lancashire, Rose & Maloney) seem happily married, but when Barbara meets her son's sophisticated art teacher Nigel Plumb (Julian Rhind-Tutt, Green Wing) she starts to wonder if maybe there's more to life than being 'just' a housewife…

This is a tale not just of individuals but of an entire era. Informing and enriching every aspect of the drama is a real sense of the Seventies as a decade - the power of the unions, the growing threat of the IRA, the upsurge of the British far right and the slow erosion of idealism and socialism. Not to mention velvet suits, The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show and early punk bands with names like Concrete Boil.

Explains Chrissy: "Authentic period detail was crucial to this production and I'm sure anyone who lived through the Seventies will recognise the décor, clothes and hair styles on display, not to mention the music.

"We've also incorporated original footage from key events such as the 1974 election and the 1977 Queen's Jubilee."

The Rotters' Club is produced by Chrissy Skinns (Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Jeffrey Archer: The Truth) and directed by Tony Smith (England Expects, Attachments).

It is executive produced by Suzan Harrison, George Faber and Charlie Pattinson for Company Pictures and Gareth Neame for the 91Èȱ¬.