Peep Show (British TV series)
| Peep Show | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Andrew O'Connor Jesse Armstrong Sam Bain |
| Starring | David Mitchell Robert Webb Olivia Colman |
| Theme music composer | Daniel Pemberton (Series 1) |
| Opening theme | Harvey Danger - "Flagpole Sitta" (Series 2-4) |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 24 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Andrew O'Connor |
| Producer | Phil Clarke |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 9 September 2003 – Present |
Peep Show is an award-winning British sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. The programme is written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb themselves. It has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2003, and finished its fourth series in May 2007. It was recommissioned for a fifth series before the fourth was screened.[1]
Synopsis
Peep Show follows the often sexually-frustrated lives of two men in their late twenties, Mark (Mitchell) and Jeremy (Webb). Having met while at the fictional Dartmouth University together (they occasionally refer to themselves as 'The El Dude Brothers' in reference to their student days), they now share a flat in Croydon, south London.
Mark is a loan manager and the more financially successful of the two, but is extremely uncomfortable socially and pessimistic about nearly everything. Jeremy, who at the start of the first episode has recently split up with his girlfriend 'Big Suze', now rents Mark's spare room. He usually has a much more optimistic and energetic outlook on the world than Mark, yet his talent as a musician is yet to be recognised, and he is not as socially popular or sexually attractive as he would like to think.
Characters
Mark Corrigan
- Played by: David Mitchell
- Loan manager Mark Corrigan is a middle-aged man in a twentysomething's body, and the owner of the flat that he shares with Jeremy. He is sensible and careful, but often has moments of impulsive and erratic behaviour. He appears to have had a somewhat miserable upbringing, with a domineering father, a mum who had flings fairly often, and a switch from private to state education (after his father's BAe shares, "went down the toilet") that has left him troubled in adult life. He achieved 7 GCSEs ("back when a GCSE actually meant something"), and is a graduate in Business Studies from fictional Dartmouth University. He has a love of History, specifically Ancient History (which he wanted to study at university, but was apparently forced to do Business Studies by his father) and the Second World War. Mark is conscious of Jeremy's intellectual inferiority, but still looks to him for social guidance.
In series 1 and 2, he is obsessed with workmate Sophie, and attempts to impress and woo her constantly. In series 3 they have become a couple, and Mark is desperate for the relationship to continue despite it obviously not working. In series 4, they are engaged, by which time Mark has ceased to love her. Throughout the series, he faces the decision of whether to break up with her and thus be unhappy alone, or marry her and be unhappily married.
Jeremy
- Played by: Robert Webb
- A wannabe musician, Jeremy is a "work-shy freeloader" who is shallow, naïve, childishly selfish, and has a tendency to easily fall in love (though he is in it for the sex more than the actual "love"). Seemingly oblivious to the outside world, he considers himself very talented and attractive. He tends to be more sociable than Mark, but sometimes he can be quite malicious and hurtful when he wants to be, saying Mark does "posh spazzy things" and makes references and jeers to his "weird nuts". Jeremy is a self-styled libertine, with a penchant for trying "cool" drugs, and his alternative music. Like Mark, Jeremy is a "graduate" of Dartmouth ("Darty") University, but only in the loosest sense of the term, as his degree classification remains something of a mystery. It is unclear whether Jeremy's surname is "Usbourne" or "Osborne" - Channel 4's official website for the series uses both spellings. However, in Episode 5 of Series 3, Jeremy's surname was spelt as "Usbourne" on a letter requiring him to do Jury service.[2]
Super Hans
- Played by: Matt King
- Jeremy's 'band-mate' and friend, Super Hans likes to think of himself as being superior to others and is an untrustworthy shyster and fantasist, exactly the type of guy who would make up his own nickname. He regularly uses recreational drugs, though he moves on to crack cocaine in the second series, and his drug-fuelled opinions on matters usually contradict Jeremy's own ideas. He works in a recording studio in the first series, but in series two is said to be back at work 'on the rig' suggesting that he is spending time in prison ('working on the rig' is a term often used as an excuse to explain a prolonged absence, and his drug addictions and overall attitude support this).
Sophie Chapman
- Played by: Olivia Colman
- Sophie is a work colleague of Mark's and is the centre of attention for both Mark and another work colleague, Jeff. With her positive outlook on life and her outgoing personality, she appears to have more in common with Jeff, though she does have feelings for them both and gets on well with the two despite their differences. Her parents and younger brother live out in the country, yet despite her rural upbringing she seems at home in the city, even going through a period of late nights out drinking and clubbing.
Alan Johnson
- Played by: Paterson Joseph
- A loan manager, Alan Johnson (usually referred to and addressed simply as "Johnson") becomes friends with Mark after meeting him at JLB. As of series 2, he became Mark's boss. Johnson is a big fan of his BMW 5 series, though he is unperturbed when Mark crashes it, claiming he's "insured out of [his] arse". Although a smooth, cool and professional businessman he was previously an alcoholic for 15 years, and he now does community work and mentoring for young black people. In contrast to Mark, Jeremy does not get along well with Johnson, and there is an on-running joke of Jeremy opening a door, unexpectedly finding Johnson behind and exclaiming, "Johnson!". The DVD commentary to series three episode "The Handyman" reveals that an early draft of the final episode of that series concluded with Johnson committing suicide, though this idea was rejected as being too dark.
Jeff Heaney
- Played by: Neil Fitzmaurice
- Hailing from Liverpool, Jeff is a workmate of Mark’s at JLB Credit, though the two don't get on and repeatedly clash for the attentions of Sophie. A confident bully, his handling of everyday situations is the opposite of the self-conscious, self-deprecating Mark. He holds the view that men were created to 'kill and knob', and is "stereotypically" masculine in nature, enjoying pursuits such as kickboxing, pool, poker and chasing women. Most of his jokes target Mark (most likely due to his obsession with Sophie), though Mark takes great pleasure from office rumours that Jeff sniffs the seats of female co-workers.
Toni
- Played by: Elizabeth Marmur
- The next-door neighbour of Mark and Jeremy, and the object of their lust throughout the first series of the show. Married to her husband Tony (leading to much confusion with their names), though their marriage is continually on the rocks with them getting back together only to break up days (or even moments) later. She is a rash decision maker and is prone to jumping to conclusions, traits which often lead to arguments with Tony. Her father died when she was aged three and subconsciously she dates older, taller men looking for a "daddy substitute". She is sexually liberal and opinionated, and during one of her many splits with Tony starts seeing Jeremy, who regards her as a "fuck buddy" rather than a person with whom he could start a meaningful relationship.
Big Suze
- Played by: Sophie Winkleman
- Big Suze lived with Jeremy in a shared flat (which Jeremy nostalgically refers to as the "love shack") for around a year and a half, prior to the start of the first series of the show. She was often mentioned but didn't actually make an appearance until her introduction as a major supporting character in the third series. While for Jeremy their time together was a halcyon time of love and laughter, it seemed to have meant a lot less to Suze, and she claims that they were "Never really...". Suze is incredibly posh, though she appears to want to become more bohemian than she is. She's an actress, but between roles works as a waitress in a café.
Nancy
- Played by: Rachel Blanchard
- As suggested by the production team, Nancy came to England from small-town America, partly to become liberated from her conservative upbringing. A devout but unconventional Christian, Nancy is liberal, kooky and bohemian. Her attitude towards love and relationships is very open-minded, not wanting to stay with only one man at any one time, and is keen to break all the taboos that exist on such matters. She participates in a wide range of activities, from going to a new-age dance class to helping out homeless people on the streets.
Plot summary
Series one
In the first series, Mark and Jeremy start out with similar aims of bedding their next door neighbour Toni, though Mark is also tragically obsessed with his workmate Sophie, who is more interested in the more macho Jeff. Over time, Jeremy's lust for Toni grows, and he contemplates the opportunity of having a "next-door fuckbuddy", including having intercourse through the wall. Both Mark and Jeremy go through awkward periods throughout the series, as is seen by Mark's confusing and sexual admiration for Johnson, while Jeremy remembers a "Bad Thing" he did while high on drugs, which turns out to be having oral sex with friend Super Hans. As the series develops, so do their frustrations, climaxing in the two teaming up to prank call Sophie and launch a pepper spray attack on Jeremy's friend and Toni's short term lover, Super Hans. By the end of the series, Mark nearly succeeds in having sex with Sophie but this chance is ruined by Jeremy's apparent overdose, while the latter claims that he has a terminal illness in order to receive a hand job from Toni.
Series two
In series two, Jeremy's luck is far greater as he meets and falls in love with Nancy and has a little more success with his music career with Super Hans. Meanwhile Mark is on a downward slope: Sophie plans to move in with Jeff, and Mark forges a short friendship with a Neo-Nazi, and falls for a similarly socially inadequate student, before losing her after an ill-judged return to his old university, where she is currently studying. However, the tables turn once more at the end of the series when Jeremy admits to Nancy - now his wife -that he has been in an affair with Toni ("by mistake"), leaving his marriage a 'husk', while Sophie dumps Jeff and very nearly begins a relationship with Mark. During this series Jeremy's friend Super Hans discovers a love of crack cocaine, failing to understand why, in the 21st century, "a nice relaxing smoke of crack" is socially unacceptable.
Series three
This series sees Big Suze re-enter Jeremy's life. Meanwhile, Mark and Sophie have finally become a couple, yet Mark is left alone once again when she is relocated to Bristol. Other developments include Jeremy seducing Mark's sister while Mark falls for Big Suze, and Jeremy and Super Hans attempting to run a pub. In the last episode, Mark plans to propose to Sophie but changes his mind upon realising that they have very little in common. Nonetheless he ends up agreeing to marry her to avoid "embarrassment" after she accidentally finds his engagment ring and accepts a proposal which he has not actually made. Meanwhile Jeremy's efforts to get back together with Suze are hindered somewhat by Super Hans' attempts to go cold turkey.
Series four
As the series begins, Mark and Sophie are still engaged, and picking out items for their wedding list. They visit Sophie's parents in the country, along with Jeremy, who is ostensibly joining them to spend time with Sophie's younger brother, but ultimately has sex with her mother. Big Suze breaks up with Jeremy after he accepts an "indecent proposal" from Johnson (which drives her into Johnson's arms) and Mark claims to be dying from a brain tumour after failing to adequately prepare for a particularly stressful work presentation. In an attempt to get away from Sophie, Mark joins a gym, and discovers that Nancy is working there. Jeremy then gets a job there so he can meet with her and try to win her back. Sophie leaves on a foreign business trip, leaving a jealous Mark to consider a fling with a woman from his school reunion. Jeremy finds some highly-paid handyman work for one of his musical heroes, Russell (aka The Orgazoid), but discovers that his employer expects Jeremy to give him "a hand". Mark and Jeremy spend a weekend on a canal boat for Mark's stag do, where Mark meets a businessman with contacts in India. He attempts to secure a job there as a means of escaping his impending wedding but the plan falls apart when it emerges that Jez accidentally killed, and subsequently ate, the businessman's daughters' beloved dog. In the final episode, Mark prepares to marry Sophie, while struggling with his worries about the wedding. Jeremy is having difficulty juggling a hungover Super Hans, the wedding, Nancy and his desperate need to urinate. After several attempts to get out of marriage, including jumping out in front of a car, Mark ends up marrying Sophie, who is in tears at the altar and runs out on him after the ceremony, claiming that she will seek a divorce or annulment because Mark is "horrible".
Series five
Series 5 was commissioned in March 2007, prior to the broadcast of Series 4, largely due to the impressive DVD sales of the first three series.[1] Mitchell announced on Richard & Judy on February 6, 2008, that filming for the fifth series would start on the following week. He also stated that the series would be shown in May/Spring time.[3]
Production
The show is unusual in that the events of the two main characters' lives are seen almost exclusively from their own points of view (and those of other characters they interact with) to the extent that a working title for the programme was 'POV'. Scenes in the show are often filmed using cameras strapped to the actors' heads,[4] to give the viewer a point of view identical to that of the protagonists, and the two main characters' internal monologues (or interior thoughts) are presented to the audience as voiceovers. On occasion, this viewing style is dropped in favour of a more traditional third person view, usually for establishing shots and flashbacks. It is worthwhile to note that even in such events the third person view is shot from the point of view of an actual third person (a passer by, bystander, or a marginal character) making it to a point still faithful to the initial first person point of view formula.
The theme tune for the first series was an original composition by Daniel Pemberton. Since the second series the theme music has been the song "Flagpole Sitta" by the American band Harvey Danger (However, elements of the original theme tune are still used for scene changes and commercial breaks.)
Reception
At the beginning of 2006 there were rumours that the show would not be commissioned for a fourth series due to lacklustre ratings of just over a million viewers.[5][6] However, due to the large DVD revenues of the previous series, a fourth series was commissioned.[7] Peep Show has won three awards. In 2004, it won the Rose d'Or for "Best European Sitcom" in 2004.[4] At the end of 2006, following the third series, Peep Show was honoured with the British Comedy Award for best TV comedy.[8] It won the same award in 2007 and Mitchell also won "Best TV comedy actor" in the same ceremony.[9] The British Sitcom Guide voted the show the "Returning British Sitcom of 2007".[10] The Guardian newspaper described it as "the best comedy of the decade".[11]
The premiere of the fourth series showed no improvement on the ratings of the previous, continuing to attract its core audience of 1.2 million (7.7% of viewers).[12] Despite the low viewing figures, the fifth series of the show was commissioned prior to the broadcast of Series 4. Channel 4's decision to commission the show for a fifth series is said to be for a variety of reasons, including the high DVD sales of the previous series (400,000 to date),[13] the continued high quality of the show itself,[1] and the rising profile of Mitchell and Webb due to the success of their BBC sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look, their advertisements for Apple,[14] and their feature film Magicians. Mitchell and Webb admitted that Peep Show "could go on forever".[15]
American versions
In 2005, the Fox network commissioned a pilot for an American version of Peep Show. However, the pilot was unsuccessful.[16] Jeremy was played by Josh Meyers, and Mark was played by Johnny Galecki.[16]
Spike TV has since commissioned their own version, originally to be written and directed by Robert Weide, who is the executive producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm. However, it is currently being written by the original creators of the British version, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain.
References
- ^ a b c "News - Peep Show gets a 5th series". British Sitcom Guide. 2007-03-21.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Peep Show minisite on Channel4.com
- ^ "6 February, 2008". Richard & Judy. 2008-02-06.
{{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter|serieslink=ignored (|series-link=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "British Sitcom Guide - Peep Show". British Sitcom Guide. 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "That's all, Peeps". BBC. 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Neil Wilkes (2006-01-29). "Fourth series of 'Peep Show' "unlikely"". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Neil Wilkes (2006-03-01). "New series for 'Peep Show', 'IT Crowd'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Merchant takes top comedy honour". BBC. 14 December 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "News - British Comedy Awards - full results". British Sitcom Guide. 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
- ^ "The British Sitcom Guide Awards 2007". British Sitcom Guide. 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
- ^ "Peep Show is the best comedy of the decade". The Guardian. 2007-16-04. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Ruddy Hell! 4.7m watch Harry & Paul". Broadcastnow.co.uk. 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Eureka!: Peep Show - a real-life Beavis and Butthead". Broadcastnow.co.uk. 2007-05-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "How the tide turned for Mitchell and Webb". The Times. 2007-05-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "PEEP SHOW 'COULD GO ON FOREVER'". Contact Music. 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
- ^ a b "News - Peep Show to be re-made in America". British Sitcom Guide. 2007-05-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
