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Lip Service (TV series)

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Lip Service
Created byHarriet Braun
Written byHarriet Braun
Directed byJohn McKay
StarringSee Cast
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series2
No. of episodes12 - Episode List
Production
Executive producerDerek Wax
Production companiesKudos Film & Television
BBC Scotland
Original release
NetworkBBC Three
Release12 October 2010 (2010-10-12) –
25 May 2012

Lip Service is a British television serial drama portraying the lives of a group of lesbians living in Glasgow, Scotland. Production on the show, which stars Laura Fraser, Ruta Gedmintas and Fiona Button, began in summer 2009 in Glasgow.[1] The show debuted on BBC Three on 12 October 2010.[2] Filming on a second series was confirmed in late 2010,[3] with filming beginning on 30 May 2011.[4] The second series aired on BBC Three from 20 April 2012.[5] In January of 2013, shows creator, Harriet Braun, announced that BBC Three cancelled the series without explanation.[6]

Cast

Actor Character Role Series
Laura Fraser Cat MacKenzie An architect with an anxious, neurotic personality. She is constantly torn between an old love or a new future. 1 - 2
Ruta Gedmintas Frankie Alan A brash, impulsive woman, known for her promiscuous ways. She is secretly still in love with Cat, despite having abandoned her prior to the series. 1 - 2
Fiona Button Tess Roberts A struggling actress who is often unlucky in love, which causes her to feel insecure. 1 - 2
Emun Elliott Jay Bryan Adams Cat's friend and co-worker, a straight male who often can't restrain himself where beautiful women are concerned. 1 - 2
James Anthony Pearson Ed MacKenzie Cat's younger brother, a science-fiction author who shares Tess' frustrations with their romantic lives. 1 - 2
Roxanne McKee Lou Foster A television personality who has a secret relationship with one of the characters but wavers between her feelings and her career. 1
Heather Peace Detective Sergeant Sam Murray Cat's girlfriend throughout the series, a fiercely independent woman who is afraid to show vulnerability. 1 - 2
Natasha O'Keeffe Sadie Anderson A notorious bad girl who dates Frankie briefly but then breaks off on her own. 1 - 2
Cush Jumbo Becky Love Jay's fiancee, who apparently brought an end to his man-whore ways. 1
Anna Skellern Dr. Lexy Price A hospital doctor and roommate to Tess and Frankie/Sadie, who often laments her poor choices in romantic partners. 2
Adam Sinclair Dr. Declan Love Lexy's gay co-worker. 2
Alana Hood Nurse Bea Lexy's married co-worker, with whom she has a no-strings-attached relationship. 2

Episodes

Series 1

No. # Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production code Viewers
11"Episode 1"John McKayHarriet Braun12 October 2010 (2010-10-12)101580,000
22"Episode 2"John McKayHarriet Braun19 October 2010 (2010-10-19)102579,000[7]
33"Episode 3"Harry BradbeerChloe Moss26 October 2010 (2010-10-26)103464,000
44"Episode 4"Harry BradbeerJulie Cearey2 November 2010 (2010-11-02)104580,000[8]
55"Episode 5"Julian HolmesJohn Jackson9 November 2010 (2010-11-09)105508,000[9]
66"Episode 6"Julian HolmesHarriet Braun16 November 2010 (2010-11-16)106534,000[10]

Series 2

No. # Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production code Viewers
11"Episode 1"Sallie AprahamianHarriet Braun20 April 2012 (2012-04-20)[11]201TBA
22"Episode 2"Sallie AprahamianHarriet Braun27 April 2012 (2012-04-27)[12]202TBA
33"Episode 3"Sallie AprahamianJohn Jackson4 May 2012 (2012-05-04)[13]203TBA
44"Episode 4"Jill RobertsonRachel Anthony11 May 2012 (2012-05-11)[14]204TBA
55"Episode 5"Jill RobertsonLouise Ironside18 May 2012 (2012-05-18)[15]205TBA
66"Episode 6"Jill RobertsonLena Rae25 May 2012 (2012-05-25)[16]206TBA

Production

Braun was asked by the BBC to create a UK-based lesbian drama; she stated that the first scene that came to mind when she began writing was "a woman crying in an inappropriate place after finding out her ex is seeing someone else" followed by "someone returning from New York and throwing her ex into a state of panic". Those two scenes resulted in the creation of the three lead characters: Cat and Frankie, and Tess.[17]

Braun gave each of the actors an outline of their character, and then let them develop the full characterisation. For Gedmintas, this included cutting her previously long blond hair to a close cut bob.[18] A rumor arose that the director gave each cast member a manual on lesbian sex, which they were expected to read before shooting began, but Braun confirmed in an interview with Australia's Star Observer that this was only a myth. The first series was shot in its entirety in Glasgow in winter 2009/10.

Reception

Ratings

The first episode debuted with 580,000 viewers, picking up an additional 8,000 viewers on the BBC HD channel. It had an audience share of 4.4%.[19]

Critical response

The opening episode received mixed reviews from critics. Claudia Cahalane of The Guardian wrote that it was "hugely significant" for a drama to normalise lesbian and bisexual relationships, citing a study of BBC output which found that lesbians contributed to just two minutes of programming from a randomly selected 39 hours of broadcasts. While Cahalane expressed disappointment that the episode did not represent butch lesbians, she deemed it "important to recognise Lip Service for the great service it's doing to British lesbians."[20] Keith Watson of the Metro attacked the series' tokenism, suggesting that it included lipstick lesbian clichés to meet the BBC's diversity quota, and commenting that, "It was trying so hard to be modern and liberated but it felt tired and lazy".[21] The Independent's Amol Rajan criticized the episode's "pathetically vacuous plot", calling the series "spirit-cripplingly tedious". He expressed sympathy for the "clearly talented" cast, opining: "In trying to make a point about the importance of engaging with lesbian issues, this show ends up trivialising them. The lesbians are presented to us not as interesting people, or characters who warrant sympathy; rather, they matter purely because of their sexual preferences. That is immature, patronising, and unrealistic."[22] Evangelical pressure group the Christian Institute reported that the episode had prompted complaints from viewers over its sexual content.[23]

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Chris (23 October 2009). "Hollyoaks star Roxanne McKee goes hell for leather as she shoots 'sexiest ever' BBC drama". Daily Mail. London: Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  2. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Network TV Programme Information BBC Week 41 Tuesday 12 October 2010". BBC Online. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  3. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Lip Service second series announced for BBC Three". BBC Online. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
  4. ^ Kirkpatrick, Martha (30 May 2011). "Filming starts on second series of Lip Service". atvtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  5. ^ "Lip Service". BBC Media Centre. BBC Online. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  6. ^ http://www.digitalspy.com/british-tv/news/a450602/lip-service-bbc-three-axes-lesbian-drama-after-two-series.html
  7. ^ "'First Men In The Moon' attracts 830k - TV News". Digital Spy. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  8. ^ Plunkett, John (3 November 2010). "TV ratings: Turn Back Time: The High Street opens with 5.3m". The Guardian. London.
  9. ^ "ITV's 'The Zoo' opens to 3.4m - TV News". Digital Spy. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  10. ^ "ITV Royal Engagement special fetches 5.9m - TV News". Digital Spy. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  11. ^ "Lip Service, Series 2, Episode 1". BBC Three. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  12. ^ "Lip Service, Series 2, Episode 2". BBC Three. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Lip Service, Series 2, Episode 3". BBC Three. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  14. ^ "Lip Service, Series 2, Episode 4". BBC Three. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  15. ^ "Lip Service, Series 2, Episode 5". BBC Three. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  16. ^ "Lip Service, Series 2, Episode 6". BBC Three. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  17. ^ Braun, Harriet (5 October 2010). "BBC - BBC Three - Blog: Creating brand new lesbian drama Lip Service". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  18. ^ Sarah and Lee (18 October 2010). "Great LezBritain: Interview with Ruta Gedmintas from 'Lip Service'". afterellen.com. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  19. ^ Plunkett, John (13 October 2010). "TV ratings - 12 October: BBC3's Lip Service kicks off with 580,000 viewers". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  20. ^ Cahalane, Claudia (13 October 2010). "Lip Service is groundbreaking – whatever its star says". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  21. ^ Watson, Keith (12 October 2010). "Lip Service did lesbians a disservice". Metro. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  22. ^ Rajan, Amol (13 October 2010). "Last Night's TV - Lip Service, BBC3; Tom Daley: the Diver and His Dad, BBC1". The Independent. London: Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  23. ^ "Viewers outraged over BBC's new lesbian show". www.christian.org.uk. Christian Institute. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.

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