Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps

For the song by Splodgenessabounds, see Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps Please.

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Screen shot from the opening title sequence
Created by	Susan Nickson
Starring	Ralf Little (Series 1-6) Will Mellor Sheridan Smith Natalie Casey Kathryn Drysdale
Opening theme	"Two Pints of Lager Theme" by Christian Henson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	8
No. of episodes	74 as of 22 December 2009 (list of episodes)
Production
Production locations	Runcorn, Cheshire
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	28 minutes
Original release
Network	BBC Two (Series 1) BBC Choice (Series 2) BBC Three (Series 3 onwards)
Release	26 February 2001 – Present
Release	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Release	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Release	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Release	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Release	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Release	Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Related
Grownups Coming of Age

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps is a BBC sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson. It is set in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, and revolves around the lives of five twenty-somethings. The show was first broadcast in 2001 on BBC Two; its most recent episodes were two special episodes shown in December 2009. There is the possibility of a ninth series in 2010.

The title was inspired by the 1980 hit single "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please" by Splodgenessabounds.

History

The original Executive Producer of the show, Geoffrey Perkins, saw writer Susan Nickson's work on Channel 4's Lloyd's Bank Film Challenge, entitled "Life's A Bitch", which starred Sean Hughes and Kathy Burke. Aged just fourteen, Nickson was asked by Perkins (who was also Head of Comedy at the time) to come and work with the BBC after a few years; consequently, Nickson created Two Pints when she was just eighteen.

The BBC tried to persuade the producers of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks to get Will Mellor and Natalie Casey to work with them, when they appeared in the show. . Ralf Little and Sheridan Smith were cast soon after completing work on another BBC sitcom The Royle Family, in which Little had also performed with Smith. Although initially reluctant, he agreed to audition when he realised that Two Pints would be very different from The Royle Family. Kathryn Drysdale was brought in after producers saw her perform at drama school.

The show's unbroadcast pilot starred Little and Mellor, though the characters of Janet, Louise and Donna were portrayed by other actresses, including Lucy Punch as Louise. Smith, Casey and Drysdale were then cast to be in the first series, and have been acting in the show ever since. Both Little and Smith, and Mellor and Casey play couples Jonny and Janet, and Gaz and Donna. Mellor and Casey also played couples on-screen in the past when they portrayed a couple in Hollyoaks. Smith stated how lucky she was to work with Little after starring together before, as playing such a close couple would have been awkward for them both. Mellor stated in a past interview how he sees Casey as a younger sister to him, and mentions that he feels awkward during kissing scenes because of this. Smith also classes Casey as the "mummy" in the show, due to her knowledge and problem solving skills. Typically, episodes end with a particularly dramatic scene, such as Jonny breaking the news to Janet about her parents turning down his request for her hand in marriage.

In one interview, Ralf Little stated in the future he would be doing "more Two Pints", and commentary on the series six DVD seemed to hint at the fact the show hadn't finished. Will Mellor hinted on television interviews, one being Loose Women, and more or less confirming it on The Paul O'Grady Show, after saying statements like "we'll keep on making it". Little announced during an interview for This Morning on 19 September 2007 that he would not be returning for the next series of Two Pints... due to an overwhelming schedule, and Jonny Keogh was therefore killed off-screen in the first episode of the seventh series.

An eighth series was confirmed by Will Mellor in an interview in the Metro on April 21 2008, in which he said that they would be filming the series from November 2008 to January 2009. In January 2009, the BBC announced recording dates for the next series at BBC Television Centre from 1 February to 3 April. A special edition for Comic Relief was also recorded on 25 January. The eighth series began airing on 8 March 2009 starting with a Comic Relief special, which featured characters from Coming of Age and Grownups, as a curtain raiser, with subsequent episodes as normal. Natalie Casey, Kathryn Drysdale, Luke Gell, Will Mellor and Sheridan Smith all returned and the new character of Wesley was played by Thomas Nelstrop.

Format

Although Two Pints is largely comedy, it sometimes, especially at the end of a series, becomes more dramatic and serious. Such storylines have included Janet and Jonny's split, Jonny's shooting and Janet's imminent departure as a cruise singer.

Will Mellor has described the show as being "driven by sex and alcohol" and the show is known for its adult, sometimes scatological humour, mostly involving references to sex and private bodily functions. Vulgar language is also used, except that the word 'fuck' is uttered only in the last episode of each series.

Broadcast

BBC Two broadcast the first series, BBC Choice screened series two but was re branded as BBC Three shortly before it screened series three, and has shown the first run of each new series ever since. BBC Two also repeated the show, though only once, previously shown every Thursday.

Series four ended with Jonny being shot by armed police, and viewers were asked to vote, by text or phone, on Jonny's fate. Series five began with a funeral, which was revealed to be that of Donna's mother, Flo.

Some series are accompanied by a special programme exposing errors that occurred during the filming. The show, titled Two Pints of Lager Outtakes, features interviews with cast and crew, each explaining the difficulties of getting various scenes to be performed as expected.

The outcome of the final episode of series eight was be decided by the public, who in episode seven were asked to vote whether Gaz should be with Donna or Janet. Following this the final episode of the current series was aired on 10 May 2009 showing the audience's views and opinions of the show and who Gaz should be with; the audience chose Donna, with 76.9% of the vote. The final episode concluded with Donna at Gaz's bedside.

Series 9

A series has said to be possible but nothing has been confirmed but if one was made it would most probably be for early 2011 due to the actors other commitments.

Main cast

Main article: List of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps characters

• Ralf Little - Jonny Keogh (series 1-6)
• Will Mellor - Gary "Gaz" Wilkinson
• Sheridan Smith - Janet Keogh (née Smith)
• Natalie Casey - Donna Wilkinson (née Henshaw)
• Kathryn Drysdale - Louise Brooks

Episodes

Main article: List of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps episodes

Distribution

DVD releases

All series to current date (1 to 8) have been released

Series	Episodes	Discs	DVD release date
			Region 2
1 & 2	12	2	UK: August 18, 2003
All episodes from the first and second series.
3 & 4	18	4	UK: September 6, 2004
All episodes from the third and fourth series (including the musical special).
5	14	2	UK: September 5, 2005
All episodes from the fifth series.
6	10	2	UK: September 4, 2006
All episodes from the sixth series plus interviews with the creators and cast, and a feature showing making of the horror special.
7	8	2	UK: April 21, 2008
All episodes from the seventh series, video diaries of the cast, 3 easter eggs, and a feature showing 24 hours until the live show.
8	9	2	UK: September 14, 2009
All episodes from the eighth series, with the Comic Relief special episode and the alternate ending to the final episode included as bonus material.

The first four series have been released in packs of two (1&2 and 3&4), and as a complete series 1 to 4 single pack. Series 5 and 6 have been released separately. The six series were released as a single 10-DVD pack. Series 7 was released on Monday 21 April 2008. Series 8 was released on 14 September 2009.

Boxset releases

Series	Episodes	Discs	DVD release date
			Region 2
1 to 4	30	5	UK: October 24, 2005
All episodes from the first to the fourth series.
1 to 6	54	10	UK: October 16, 2006
All episodes from the first to the sixth series (including the musical special) with interviews with the creators and cast, and a feature showing making of the horror special

Filming locations

Many of the places featured in Two Pints are real:

• The Archer is The Waterloo pub at 88 High Street in the Old Town area of Runcorn, near the canal, and for the series is renamed after the series first script editor, Paul Mayhew-Archer, who was later replaced by Jon Brown. The Waterloo is only used for the exterior shots whereas the interiors are recorded in the studio at BBC Television Centre in London. 53.34083°N 2.73784°W / 53.34083; -2.73784 (Two Pints - Archer Hotel)
• The power station featured in the credits is Fiddlers Ferry power station in the neighbouring town of Widnes
• Sayer's Bakery where Janet works is also real, being located at 30 Church Street, Runcorn Old Town. 53.34356°N 2.74005°W / 53.34356; -2.74005 (Sayer's Bakery)
• Gaz's workshop (Brindley Autos) can be found on Brindley Street in the northwest of the town under one of the rail bridge's arches. 53.34282°N 2.74018°W / 53.34282; -2.74018 (Brindley Autos)
• The Castle ruins featured in the opening title sequence are those of Halton Castle, in the east of the town. 53.33377°N 2.69673°W / 53.33377; -2.69673 (Halton Castle)
• The exterior of Gaz and Donna's flat is also real and can be found opposite the indoor market near Alcock Street and the bus station in the Old Town. 53.34199°N 2.73224°W / 53.34199; -2.73224 (Two Pints - Gaz's flat)
• Janet and Jonny's house can be found at 9 Clarks Terrace, in the Weston Point area of Runcorn. 53.32816°N 2.75663°W / 53.32816; -2.75663 (Two Pints - Janet and Jonny's house)

External links

• Official BBC Website
• Phill.co.uk Guide
• Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps at British Comedy Guide
• Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps at IMDb