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Don't Forget the Driver

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Don't Forget the Driver
GenreComedy drama
Directed byTim Kirkby
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Production companySister Pictures
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release9 April (2019-04-09) –
14 May 2019 (2019-05-14)

Don't Forget the Driver is a 2019 BBC Two comedy series, co-created and co-written by Tim Crouch and Toby Jones, in which Jones also stars alongside Erin Kellyman. A second series was commissioned by the BBC for broadcast in 2020,[1][2] but was delayed and then cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[3] The show is produced by Sister Pictures and distributed by BBC Studios.[4]

Plot

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Set in Bognor Regis, Jones plays Pete Green, a depressed single father who works as a coach driver and discovers an asylum seeker after taking a coach party across the channel.[5]

Cast

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Episodes

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No.Title [6]Directed by [6]Written by [6]Original air date [6]UK viewers
(millions) [7][a]
1"Episode 1"Tim KirkbyTim Crouch9 April 2019 (2019-04-09)2.66
2"Episode 2"Tim KirkbyTim Crouch & Toby Jones16 April 2019 (2019-04-16)1.68
3"Episode 3"Tim KirkbyTim Crouch & Toby Jones23 April 2019 (2019-04-23)1.48
4"Episode 4"Tim KirkbyTim Crouch & Toby Jones30 April 2019 (2019-04-30)1.66
5"Episode 5"Tim KirkbyTim Crouch & Toby Jones7 May 2019 (2019-05-07)1.47
6"Episode 6"Tim KirkbyTim Crouch & Toby Jones14 May 2019 (2019-05-14)1.42

Production

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For the role, Jones took Coach Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) lessons and failed his test twice, once for driving too fast and once for going too slowly.[5] In January 2020, Don't Forget the Driver was renewed for a second series of six episodes.[8] However this was cancelled by the BBC due to the Covid-19 pandemic a decision Jones described as “heartbreaking”.[9]

Broadcast

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The six-part series began airing in the UK on BBC Two at 10pm on 9 April 2019 and continued weekly.[10] The series performed well in the 10pm slot attracting over 2.2 millions viewers.[11] The series was made available in its entirety on iPlayer on 9 April.[12]

Reception

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The show won the 2019 Venice TV Award for Best Comedy.[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ Viewers across the first 28 days of broadcast on TV, PC/laptop, tablet or smartphone are counted. Pre-transmission figures are included.

References

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  1. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Don't Forget The Driver to make a return trip : News 2020 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk.
  2. ^ Dickson, Andrew (21 January 2020). "Toby Jones: 'Actors talking about acting? It makes you scream!'". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  3. ^ "Don't Forget the Driver Series 2 cancelled because of Covid - News". British Comedy Guide. 14 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Don't Forget the Driver". Sister Pictures. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b Lawson, Mark (4 April 2019). "Don't Forget the Driver: the show to help you come to terms with Brexit". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  6. ^ a b c d "BBC Two - Don't Forget the Driver - Episode guide". BBC. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Four-screen dashboard BARB". www.barb.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Don't Forget The Driver to make a return trip". Chortle. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  9. ^ Jones, Ellen E. (6 December 2022). "People told us what a consolation it was' – Toby Jones on the return of Detectorists". The Guardian.
  10. ^ "When is Toby Jones comedy Don't Forget The Driver on TV?". Radio Times.
  11. ^ "Don't Forget The Driver Series 2 cancelled because of Covid". British Comedy Guide. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Don't Forget the Driver - Series 1: Episode 1" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  13. ^ "Winners 2019".
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