The Change is a 2023 British comedy drama series starring, written and created by Bridget Christie for Channel 4. Made by Expectation Entertainment and directed by Al Campbell, the six-part series is produced by Lisa Mitchell, and executive produced by Christie, Nerys Evans and Morwenna Gordon. Joining Christie in the cast are Liza Tarbuck, Omid Djalili, Paul Whitehouse, Monica Dolan and Jim Howick.
| The Change | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Dark comedy Comedy-drama Surreal humour |
| Created by | Bridget Christie |
| Written by | Bridget Christie |
| Directed by | Al Campbell |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Lisa Mitchell |
| Production company | Expectation Entertainment
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 21 June – 5 July 2023 |
The show's end credits music is Hares on the Mountain performed by Shirley Collins and Ian Kearey.
Synopsis edit
Linda (Christie) has an existential crisis at age 50 after being informed she has started the menopause. She finds her old Triumph motorcycle and goes on a pilgrimage around her old haunts in Gloucestershire's Forest of Dean.[1]
Cast edit
- Bridget Christie as Linda
- Monica Dolan as Carmel
- Susan Lynch as Agnes
- Jim Howick as Verderer
- Omid Djalili as Steve
- Liza Tarbuck as Siobhain
- Tanya Moodie as Joy
- Paul Whitehouse as Tony
- Jerome Flynn as William (Pig Man)
- Sonny Charlton as Ryan
- Rich Keeble as Trevor
- Nicholas A. Newman as Jerry
Episodes edit
| No. | Title [2] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [2] | U.K. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 21 June 2023 | N/A | |
| After being told she is going through the menopause, Linda heads to the Forest of Dean to find a time capsule she hid in a tree, trying to reconnect with the person she used to be. | ||||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 21 June 2023 | N/A | |
| Trying to locate the time capsule, Linda runs into Pig Man, who maybe knows about her more than he lets on. | ||||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 28 June 2023 | N/A | |
| Linda interrupts the town meeting after stumbling upon crucial information. | ||||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 28 June 2023 | N/A | |
| Linda receives a visit from her sister Siobhain, who is very displeased with Linda's newfound community. | ||||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 5 July 2023 | N/A | |
| Ahead of the town festival, Linda bonds with the Eel sisters and Joy. | ||||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 5 July 2023 | N/A | |
| The transformed Eel Festival threatens to disrupt the delicate harmony in the village. | ||||||
Production edit
The show was announced to have been commissioned in March 2022, produced by Lisa Mitchell, and executive produced by Bridget Christie, Nerys Evans and Morwenna Gordon.[3] In July 2022 it was revealed that the series has started filming and that Howick, Djalili, Whitehouse, Tarbuck and Dolan had joined the cast.[4] Later, Susan Lynch was revealed to have joined the cast as an Eel sister.[5] Filming took place on location in the Forest of Dean.[6] Christie was herself brought up in Gloucestershire near the Forest of Dean and had in 2021 suffered some of the symptoms explored in the series.[7][8][9]
Broadcast edit
The series began airing on Channel 4 on 21 June 2023.[10]
Reception edit
Critical reception edit
The Evening Standard awarded the show four stars out of five, calling it "joyful" and observing that "[while] it is cutting both in its humour and its astute social commentary, it is also immensely warm, grounded in familial community and nostalgic in a way that is hard to define."[11] The Guardian also gave four stars out of five, declaring it "like nothing else on TV" and identifying Christie's protagonist as "the role model we’ve all been waiting for.".[10] Comedy website Chortle also gave it four stars, calling it 'sardonic yet surreal'[12]
The Guardian subsequently reviewed the final episode of the first series as "gorgeous", "life-affirming", and "the most profound finale of the year."[13]
Accolades edit
In February 2024, the series was nominated at the Broadcast Awards in the Best Comedy Programme category.[14] That month, it was also nominated in the Best TV Show category at the Chortle Awards.[15] Christie was nominated for Best Writer - Comedy at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards.[16] In March 2024, Christie was nominated in the Female performance in a comedy programme category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.[17]
References edit
- ^ "The Change". Comedy.co.uk.
- ^ a b "The Change on Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ "Channel 4 announces new comedy series The Change". Royal Television Society. 15 March 2022.
- ^ "Bridget Christie comedy reveals cast". Comedy.co.uk. 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Dursley actor Susan Lynch set to star in Channel 4 comedy, The Change". Stroud Times. 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Filming starts in the Forest of Dean for Bridget Christie's new Channel 4 comedy series". Gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 27 July 2022.
- ^ "Gloucester comedienne Bridget Christie's new Channel 4 comedy show set in Forest of Dean". Gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 11 May 2022.
- ^ "Comedian Bridget Christie: 'I see my flasher's penis all the time. But I can make horrible things amusing'". The Guardian.
- ^ "Bridget Christie: Menopausal women are some of the coolest people on the planet". The Independent. 5 November 2021.
- ^ a b Jones, Ellen E (21 June 2023). "The Change review – Bridget Christie's super-cool menopause comedy is like nothing else on TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "The Change on Channel 4 review: come for the menopause, stay for the druids..." Evening Standard. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ^ "The Change - review of Bridget Christie's Channel 4 comedy". Chortle. 22 June 2023.
- ^ Richardson, Hollie (6 July 2023). "The most profound finale of the year: why menopause comedy The Change is life-affirming TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
- ^ "Black Ops wins at Broadcast Awards 2024". Comedy.co.uk. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Final Chortle Award nominees revealed". Chortle. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "RTS PROGRAMME AWARDS 2024". RTS.org.uk. 7 March 2024.
- ^ Richardson, Hollie (20 March 2024). "Bafta TV awards 2024 nominations: full list". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
External links edit
- The Change at IMDb
