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Grandma's House

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Grandma's House
GenreSitcom
Created bySimon Amstell
Dan Swimer
Written bySimon Amstell
Dan Swimer
StarringSimon Amstell
Linda Bassett
Geoffrey Hutchings
Rebecca Front
James Smith
Samantha Spiro
Jamal Hadjkura
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersSophie Clarke-Jervoise
Simon Lupton
ProducerBen Cavey
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release9 August 2010 (2010-08-09) –
present

Grandma's House is a sitcom television series for BBC Two. Written by Simon Amstell and long term collaborator Dan Swimer, the series stars Simon Amstell playing a version of himself: a television presenter searching for meaning in his life. Each episode takes place at his Grandma's house, where Grandma (Linda Bassett) welcomes her family, desperate to see everyone happy.

A second series has been commissioned and was due to be filmed near the end of 2011. In February 2012 on Grandma's House official twitter page that a second series is 'coming soon'. In early March, Amstell announced on his twitter account that the second series would start broadcasting on BBC Two during April. [1] The BBC confirmed the second series would start airing on 19 April 2012. [2]


Cast and characters

Character Actor/Actress Series Duration Notes
Simon Simon Amstell 1- 2010-present
Grandma Linda Bassett 1- 2010-present
Grandpa (Bernie) Geoffrey Hutchings 1 2010 Actor Hutchings died before Series 1 aired
Tanya Rebecca Front 1- 2010-present
Clive James Smith 1- 2010-present
Auntie Liz Samantha Spiro 1- 2010-present
Adam Jamal Hadjkura 1- 2010-present
Mark Grosman Oliver Coopersmith 2- 2012-present New Love interest for Simon

Production

The show was created and written by Simon Amstell and Dan Swimer.[3] Six 30-minutes episodes were produced for the first series by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Two. These were filmed at Pinewood Studios.[3]

On 1 July 2010, Geoffrey Hutchings, who portrayed Grandpa, died.[4] His character was written out as having died at some point between series 1 and 2.

Critical reception

The show has received a generally positive reaction from critics and audiences alike. TV.com's Ruth Margolis claimed that "[Amstell's] written a sitcom stuffed with gently funny moments and acerbic gems", but suggested "few more naturalistic pauses would have just polished this into the self-assured comedy it so wants to be."[5] Other publications had differing opinions. UK's Metro' claimed on their website that "[Amstell's] brilliantly funny but we won’t be inviting him round for tea."[6] Sam Wollaston of The Guardian asked, "Can Simon act, though? Well, it's hard to know really, given that he's essentially just being himself", but comes around to the opinion that "Grandma's House is sharply written, with some nice lines and a bit of edge to it."[7] Two weeks later, Wollaston revealed "I'm enjoying Grandma's House more and more (...) there's a subtlety and a sharpness about it. And yeah, it's funny."[8]

Jewish media outlets such as the Jewish Chronicle were pleased that the show was bringing Jewish humour to mainstream audiences[9] and the newspaper also described the show as "genius".[10]

Awards

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2010
 British Comedy Award Best Female Comedy Breakthrough Artist Samantha Spiro as Auntie Liz[11] Won
British Comedy Award Best New TV Comedy Grandma's House[11] Nominated

Episode list

Series 1

# Title Directed by Original airdate Viewers
1"The Day Simon Told His Family About His Important Decision"Christine Gernon9 August 2010 (2010-08-09)1.56 million[12]
When Simon tells his mum Tanya that he's quitting the programme he presents, she is less than happy. While Simon struggles to make his mum realise that her new boyfriend Clive might not be the right man for her, Grandpa has discovered something that will leave Grandma in a panic. Meanwhile, Auntie Liz is struggling with her son Adam, who appears to be starting a teenage rebellion.
2"The Day Simon Decided It Might Be a Nice Idea to Surprise His Mother with a Gift"Christine Gernon16 August 2010 (2010-08-16)1.11 million[13]
Simon has brought his mum, Tanya, an extravagant gift which she refuses to accept. He's also trying to convince her that maybe she shouldn't marry Clive. Meanwhile, it's Liz's birthday but nobody seems to care. Grandad has news from the doctor about his cancer scare and Simon has decided he might write a play for the theatre. However, his family isn't impressed.
3"The Day Simon Announced That He Was in Control of the Universe"Christine Gernon23 August 2010 (2010-08-23)1.06 million[14]
Simon has fallen in love. He's also read a book which leads him to believe that he might be able to control the universe. The family aren’t very impressed with either. Grandpa has invited Deborah Adler to visit, Grandma doesn’t like her and is less than happy. Liz has had to take extreme measures to try to get her son Adam into a new school. Guest starring Pam Ferris and Iwan Rheon
4"The Day Simon Decided He Was Forlorn"Christine Gernon30 August 2010 (2010-08-30)1.22 million[15]
Simon is having a life crisis and is depressed. The situation is exacerbated when a guest he interviewed on his show attacks him in the press. Tanya moves into Clive's house, much to Simon's irritation. Meanwhile, Grandma and Grandpa plan a cruise.
5"The Day Simon Felt the Family Was Ready to Be Healed"Christine Gernon6 September 2010 (2010-09-06)990,000[16]
Simon has been on a life-changing course and has decided it's his job to heal the family. He starts by giving his Granddad an exercise ball. Tanya has had a realisation that maybe Clive isn't the man for her, and when the family discover that Simon has organised a surprise for them, they are fearful what Grandma might do to him. Guest starring Allan Corduner.
6"The Day Simon Finally Found the Strength to Accept That His Mother Was Getting Married"Christine Gernon13 September 2010 (2010-09-13)770,000[17]
When Grandpa is taken ill, it's unsure whether Tanya and Clive will be able to get married today. Grandma takes on the responsibility of trying to resolve the situation, but is she right to advise Tanya to get married? Meanwhile, Liz has a favour to ask of Simon which might help Adam sort out his schooling problems.

Series 2

# Title Directed by Original airdate Viewers
1 (7)"The Day Simon Officially Became a Very Good and Totally Employable Actor"[18]Christine Gernon19 April 2012 (2012-04-19)TBA
2 (8)"The Day Simon Thought It May Be a Good Idea to Find New Living Arrangements"[19]TBA26 April 2012 (2012-04-26)TBA

DVD release

2 Entertain released the first series of Grandma's House on DVD on 20 September 2010; it includes all six episodes, a making-of documentary, a booklet and an audio commentary on one of the episodes.[20][21]

References

  1. ^ "Simon Amstell Twitter Entry". Twitter. 7th March 2012. Retrieved 19 March2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  2. ^ "BBC Programmes Grandma's House". BBC. 9th April 2012. Retrieved 9th April 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Grandma's House - Production Details". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Stage and TV actor Geoffrey Hutchings dies aged 71". BBC. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  5. ^ Ruth Margolis (6 August 2010). "Welcome to Simon Amstell's Grandma's House". TV.com. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  6. ^ Sharon Lougher (9 August 2010). "Grandma's House: Simon Amstell returns to TV presenter mode (sort of)". Metro. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  7. ^ Sam Wollaston (10 August 2010). "TV review: Grandma's House, Inn Mates and Gears And Tears". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  8. ^ Sam Wollaston (24 August 2010). "TV review: The Hospital, Grandma's House". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  9. ^ Tracy-Ann Oberman (19 August 2010). "Finally, we're no longer a niche". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  10. ^ Simon Rocker (19 August 2010). "Read all about it on the BBC". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  11. ^ a b Amy Bell (22 January 2011). "In Full: British Comedy Awards - Winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  12. ^ Andrew Laughlin (10 August 2010). "'Grandma's House' debuts to 1.5m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  13. ^ Andrew Laughlin (17 August 2010). "'The One Show' relaunch appeals to 4.5m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  14. ^ Andrew Laughlin (24 August 2010). "New look 'The One Show' holds steady". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  15. ^ Andrew Laughlin (1 September 2010). "4.9m watch Donovan's 'You Think You Are?'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
  16. ^ Andrew Laughlin (7 September 2010). "'Bouquet of Barbed Wire' opens to 5.2m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  17. ^ Andrew Laughlin (14 September 2010). "'The Inbetweeners' returns to 2.2m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  18. ^ "Grandma's House | Series 2 | The Day Simon Officially Became a Very Good and Totally Employable Actor". Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  19. ^ "Episode 2.2 - The Day Simon Thought It May Be a Good Idea to Find New Living Arrangements". Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  20. ^ "DVD details for Grandma's House". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  21. ^ "Grandma's House Merchandise". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 September 2010.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grandma%27s_House&oldid=488236174"