91Èȱ¬ Four Winter/Spring 2007
Tight Spot Comedy
91Èȱ¬ Four gets into a tight spot with four exciting new comedies in which the central characters are all stuck in very different situations.
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Freezing
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Freezing is a modern, urban comedy about what happens when fame and promise start to fade away.
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Elizabeth is an Oscar-nominated American actress who was discovered by Robert Redford. She's acted in numerous successful films with stars including Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Robert de Niro.
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But that was then; now she lives in a West London suburb with her publisher husband, Matt, and spends a lot of time worrying about where the next job will come from.
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So does Matt, because he's just been replaced by his assistant at the publishing firm where he worked for 15 years.
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As a result – and for the first time in their marriage – Matt and Elizabeth now have to spend their days together at home, as two freelancers seeking work.
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Freezing has a stellar cast including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Tom Hollander and Ben Miles, with cameos from Richard E Grant, Joely Richardson and Alan Yentob. It is written by James Wood, directed by Simon Curtis and produced by Kenton Allen and Simon Curtis.
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Stuck
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Adrian (a fortysomething, well-groomed, sharp-suited ad executive) is in the driver's seat and is pompous, pernickety and tense.
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Simon (late twenties, creative-looking in his hip-casual clothes) is in the passenger seat. He is laid-back and doesn't want to be there.
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The two have nothing in common except work. Simon's on the way up the career ladder, while Adrian is on the way down. On the back seat is a laptop and some presentation portfolios, all very neatly stacked. The car is stationary...
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Stuck is written by Mark Warren and teams up ex-EastEnder David Gillespie with History Boys actor Samuel Anderson. The Executive Producers are Henry Normal and Lindsay Hughes.
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HR
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Jonathan Pryce and Nicholas Le Prevost star as two middle-aged men; one is a middle manager, the other his HR person. Both of them are under threat in the brave new world of management consultancy.
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HR is a piece about the "tight spot" many employees find themselves in when working in modern, faceless corporations, and about the madness going on in offices, at away days and by water coolers all over the country.
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It is written by Nigel Williams and Jon Plowman is the Executive Producer.
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Lift
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Paul, Sunita, Rocco and Christabel are four ill-fitting people who want to be as far away from one another as possible.
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Businessman Paul is late for a make-or-break meeting and on the edge of meltdown; Sunita will not shut up about her inappropriate life experiences; Rocco is a 17-year-old with seven different, very evident major phobias; and dangerously jolly Christabel is challenged in the bladder area.
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Unfortunately, it's not possible for them to be apart as they're stuck in a lift. Will they ever get out? And, if they do, will all four still be alive? It's a little like Lost – only more cramped.
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Lift stars Douglas Hodge, Rasmus Hardiker and Nina Wadia, and is written by the Edinburgh 2006 if.comedie Panel Award-winner Mark Watson. The Executive Producers are Beryl Vertue and Sue Vertue and it is produced by Mark Freeland.
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