Friday Night Dinner
Encyclopedia
Friday Night Dinner is a British
television
sitcom written by Robert Popper
and starring Tamsin Greig
, Paul Ritter
, Simon Bird
, Tom Rosenthal
and Mark Heap
. The first series aired from February 2011 on Channel 4
. A second series has been commissioned by Channel 4. The series began airing in the U.S. on BBC America
as of 30 July 2011.
The comedy is focused around the regular Friday dinner experience of an English
Jewish family (the Goodmans) on each Friday night
.
Jackie and Martin are having a clear-out, but Martin is reluctant to chuck away all his tatty old magazines, and ropes in Jonny to secretly hide the stash back at his flat. Jackie is very excited because it's the final of Masterchef; Jonny thinks it's 'Mastershit'. Jackie is trying to get on with dinner, but their slightly odd neighbour Jim keeps interrupting to use their toilet as he's broken his own loo in mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, Martin has forgotten a man is coming to pick up their old sofabed. Will Jackie even get to see her precious Masterchef?
Episode 2- The Jingle (Original broadcast date )
In the second episode, when Adam and Jonny come home to find Martin secretly peering into his underpants with a magnifying glass, they're desperate to find out what he's looking at. Also Jackie is just trying to have a nice Friday night, but Jim - the neighbour who's terrified of his own dog - keeps interrupting the meal. Martin takes Adam - who's single - into the toilet to have a private chat about 'females'. Soon the whole family are in the loo quizzing poor Adam and Jonny is loving it. Lastly the secret behind Martin's pants-peering is revealed.
Episode 3 - The Curtains (Original broadcast date )
Jackie's excited about the new curtains, but the boys and Grandma think they're horrible leaving Jackie annoyed. Meanwhile, Martin drops Jackie's beef casserole all over the kitchen floor. It looks disgusting yet Martin scoops it back into the dish. The boys are unsurprisingly not happy about their meal. Later, the argument about the curtains spreads, and Jonny leaves in a huff to go to the pub with Adam joining him only to get there and share a quarter of a pint and a chat with Jim. At home, Jackie and Grandma are still not talking, so it rests with Adam to resolve the family argument - can he save the day?
Episode 4 - The Dress (Original broadcast date )
When Jackie finds out that Martin didn't throw away his old boxes of science magazines in their clear-out, she goes mad and Martin builds a bonfire and promises he'll burn them all. Instead Martin is only pretending to burn them and he is squirrelling the boxes off to his shed/lads pad in the garden. Jackie is excited as her best friend, Val, is popping around with her new dress for her daughter Karen's wedding. Adam and Jonny are convinced Karen has a face like a foot. Meanwhile, Jim's dog Wilson goes missing, leaving Jim distraught. Later, Val comes round and she looks just like Jackie: similar hair, similar clothes and - according to Martin - 'similar bottoms'. She tries on her dress which leaves the ladies in their element and the men supremely bored. Will Jim ever find Wilson, and will Jackie venture once again into Martin's shed to discover the truth behind his 'pretend bonfire'
Episode 5 - The Mercedes (Original broadcast date )
It's Adam's birthday. As he arrives home, a silver Mercedes almost runs him over. Inside is Sheila Bloom - or 'Bitchface' as Adam and his family call her. 'Bitchface' is famously obsessed with her Mercedes, and after some catty remarks about Adam's 'Yugo' ('Err... it's a Nissan'), she speeds off. Martin reveals that he used to have a thing with Bitchface years ago. The boys can't believe it. Jackie's not happy. Later, the family abandon dinner and go for a Chinese, but Bitchface is there. An awkward chat ensues, and finally Martin reveals exactly what he got up to with her...
Episode 6 - The Date (Original broadcast date )
Adam comes home to find the house looking immaculate, with classical music playing in the living room, Jackie's posh bowls on the dinner table, Dad in a smart suit, and - most mysteriously - the table set for five. The doorbell rings and in comes Tanya Green, a girl Jackie has been trying to fix up with Adam for months. What follows is possibly the most excruciating family dinner scene of all time. Meanwhile, Jim has been locked out as his dog, Wilson, has swallowed his keys. Inside, the blind date continues, but will Jackie's dream of an Adam and Tanya wedding come true?
, who had adapted The Office
for American television, would spearhead an American remake of the series, again for commercial broadcaster NBC
. This follows another of Big Talk Productions
' popular British sitcoms, Free Agents
which has also been remade by NBC
.
It is unclear if Daniels will write, co-write or supervise the writing of the remake.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom written by Robert Popper
Robert Popper
Robert Popper is a BAFTA winning comedy producer, writer and actor, best known as co-creator of the mock BBC documentary Look Around You, in which he also plays the part of Jack Morgan...
and starring Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
, Paul Ritter
Paul Ritter (actor)
Paul Ritter is a British stage and screen actor.His selected filmography includes roles in Quantum of Solace, Son of Rambow, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Nowhere Boy, The Eagle and the 2007 television serial Instinct....
, Simon Bird
Simon Bird
Simon Antony Bird is an actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for playing Will McKenzie in E4’s BAFTA-winning TV comedy The Inbetweeners.-Early life:...
, Tom Rosenthal
Tom Rosenthal
Thomas Alan S. Rosenthal is an English comedian. He is the son of sports commentator, Jim Rosenthal.-Biography:After attending Reading Blue Coat School, he studied philosophy at King’s College London and has done voice-over work for Comedy Central and other clients in the film and television...
and Mark Heap
Mark Heap
Mark Heap is an English actor. He began his acting career in the 1980s as a member of the Medieval Players, a touring company performing medieval and early modern theatre, and featuring stilt-walking, juggling and puppetry...
. The first series aired from February 2011 on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. A second series has been commissioned by Channel 4. The series began airing in the U.S. on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
as of 30 July 2011.
The comedy is focused around the regular Friday dinner experience of an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Jewish family (the Goodmans) on each Friday night
Sabbath
Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...
.
Cast and characters
- Tamsin GreigTamsin GreigTamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
as Jacqueline "Jackie" Goodman: Mother of Adam and Jonathan. A grown up woman with a teenage sense of humour. Funny, fiery and occasionally a bit saucy.
- Paul RitterPaul Ritter (actor)Paul Ritter is a British stage and screen actor.His selected filmography includes roles in Quantum of Solace, Son of Rambow, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Nowhere Boy, The Eagle and the 2007 television serial Instinct....
as Martin Goodman: Father of Adam and Jonathan, Martin is fond of going shirtless inside and out and seems to have a hearing disability or just has trouble paying attention. Also appears to be deeply concerned with Adam's obtaining of a 'female'. Calls Adam and Jonny "bambinos", English colloquialism for "bambino/bambini" (Baby) in Italian. He is a very keen science lover, and in many ways is socially inept.
- Simon BirdSimon BirdSimon Antony Bird is an actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for playing Will McKenzie in E4’s BAFTA-winning TV comedy The Inbetweeners.-Early life:...
as Adam Goodman: Adam is the elder son. He is in his mid 20s and is trying to forge a career as a musician. Adam is nicknamed "Pusface" by Jonny and sometimes by his mother Jackie.
- Tom RosenthalTom RosenthalThomas Alan S. Rosenthal is an English comedian. He is the son of sports commentator, Jim Rosenthal.-Biography:After attending Reading Blue Coat School, he studied philosophy at King’s College London and has done voice-over work for Comedy Central and other clients in the film and television...
as Jonathan "Jonny" Goodman: Jonny is an Estate agentEstate agentAn estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
and the younger son. He's always trying to start fights with Adam and play practical jokes on him, causing Adam to retaliate. Jonny is nicknamed "Pissface" by Adam, and sometimes by his mother Jackie too.
- Frances CukaFrances CukaFrances Cuka is a British actress, principally on television, whose career has spanned nearly fifty years.Cuka was born in London, England, the daughter of Letitia Alice Annie , a tailor, and Joseph Cuka, a process engraver. On stage, she created the role of Jo in Shelagh Delaney's play A Taste of...
as Gran: Jackie's mother. Her sporadic deafness and lack of situational awareness often cause acute comic embarrassment. She has featured in 2 episodes.
- Mark HeapMark HeapMark Heap is an English actor. He began his acting career in the 1980s as a member of the Medieval Players, a touring company performing medieval and early modern theatre, and featuring stilt-walking, juggling and puppetry...
as Jim Bell: Jim is the Goodmans' neighbour who frequently appears on their front doorstep and is seemingly infatuated with, and therefore trying to stalk, Jackie. He does this by dropping hints to attempt to gain entry into the house. He is accompanied by his Belgian Shepherd, Wilson, of whom he is irrationally afraid. He is featured in every episode, and attempts to flirt with Jackie, however this usually goes wrong.
- Tuppence MiddletonTuppence MiddletonTuppence Middleton is an English actress, born in Bristol, best known for her portrayal of Justine Fielding in the 2009 horror/comedy film Tormented.-Career:...
as Tanya Greene: Adam's long lasting crush. In the episode 'The Date', she is invited around the Goodman house, unbeknownst to Adam. The night goes terribly wrong (as expected), however towards the end Adam is encouraged by his parents and feels that she likes him. Although this proves to be incorrect when he finds his brother Jonny snogging Tanya beside their house. The episode ends with the father saying 'she is a lovely girl'.
Series One
Episode 1 - The Sofabed (Original broadcast date )Jackie and Martin are having a clear-out, but Martin is reluctant to chuck away all his tatty old magazines, and ropes in Jonny to secretly hide the stash back at his flat. Jackie is very excited because it's the final of Masterchef; Jonny thinks it's 'Mastershit'. Jackie is trying to get on with dinner, but their slightly odd neighbour Jim keeps interrupting to use their toilet as he's broken his own loo in mysterious circumstances. Meanwhile, Martin has forgotten a man is coming to pick up their old sofabed. Will Jackie even get to see her precious Masterchef?
Episode 2- The Jingle (Original broadcast date )
In the second episode, when Adam and Jonny come home to find Martin secretly peering into his underpants with a magnifying glass, they're desperate to find out what he's looking at. Also Jackie is just trying to have a nice Friday night, but Jim - the neighbour who's terrified of his own dog - keeps interrupting the meal. Martin takes Adam - who's single - into the toilet to have a private chat about 'females'. Soon the whole family are in the loo quizzing poor Adam and Jonny is loving it. Lastly the secret behind Martin's pants-peering is revealed.
Episode 3 - The Curtains (Original broadcast date )
Jackie's excited about the new curtains, but the boys and Grandma think they're horrible leaving Jackie annoyed. Meanwhile, Martin drops Jackie's beef casserole all over the kitchen floor. It looks disgusting yet Martin scoops it back into the dish. The boys are unsurprisingly not happy about their meal. Later, the argument about the curtains spreads, and Jonny leaves in a huff to go to the pub with Adam joining him only to get there and share a quarter of a pint and a chat with Jim. At home, Jackie and Grandma are still not talking, so it rests with Adam to resolve the family argument - can he save the day?
Episode 4 - The Dress (Original broadcast date )
When Jackie finds out that Martin didn't throw away his old boxes of science magazines in their clear-out, she goes mad and Martin builds a bonfire and promises he'll burn them all. Instead Martin is only pretending to burn them and he is squirrelling the boxes off to his shed/lads pad in the garden. Jackie is excited as her best friend, Val, is popping around with her new dress for her daughter Karen's wedding. Adam and Jonny are convinced Karen has a face like a foot. Meanwhile, Jim's dog Wilson goes missing, leaving Jim distraught. Later, Val comes round and she looks just like Jackie: similar hair, similar clothes and - according to Martin - 'similar bottoms'. She tries on her dress which leaves the ladies in their element and the men supremely bored. Will Jim ever find Wilson, and will Jackie venture once again into Martin's shed to discover the truth behind his 'pretend bonfire'
Episode 5 - The Mercedes (Original broadcast date )
It's Adam's birthday. As he arrives home, a silver Mercedes almost runs him over. Inside is Sheila Bloom - or 'Bitchface' as Adam and his family call her. 'Bitchface' is famously obsessed with her Mercedes, and after some catty remarks about Adam's 'Yugo' ('Err... it's a Nissan'), she speeds off. Martin reveals that he used to have a thing with Bitchface years ago. The boys can't believe it. Jackie's not happy. Later, the family abandon dinner and go for a Chinese, but Bitchface is there. An awkward chat ensues, and finally Martin reveals exactly what he got up to with her...
Episode 6 - The Date (Original broadcast date )
Adam comes home to find the house looking immaculate, with classical music playing in the living room, Jackie's posh bowls on the dinner table, Dad in a smart suit, and - most mysteriously - the table set for five. The doorbell rings and in comes Tanya Green, a girl Jackie has been trying to fix up with Adam for months. What follows is possibly the most excruciating family dinner scene of all time. Meanwhile, Jim has been locked out as his dog, Wilson, has swallowed his keys. Inside, the blind date continues, but will Jackie's dream of an Adam and Tanya wedding come true?
Series Two
In the closing credits of the finale episode of series one, it was confirmed by Channel 4 that the show would return in 2012 for a second series.American remake
In September 2011, Deadline Hollywood announced that Greg DanielsGreg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
, who had adapted The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
for American television, would spearhead an American remake of the series, again for commercial broadcaster NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. This follows another of Big Talk Productions
Big Talk Productions
Big Talk Productions Ltd. is an English film and television production company established in 1995 by Nira Park. The company, located in London, has produced films such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz; it is also known for its British sitcoms such as Spaced and Free Agents...
' popular British sitcoms, Free Agents
Free Agents
Free Agents is a romantic black comedy starring Stephen Mangan, Sharon Horgan and Anthony Head. Originally a pilot for Channel 4 in November 2007, the series began on 13 February 2009. It spawned a short lived US remake, which was cancelled after just 4 episodes aired.-Plot:Alex works for CMA, a...
which has also been remade by NBC
Free Agents (U.S. TV series)
Free Agents is an American re-make of a British workplace sitcom that premiered on NBC September 14, 2011, in the 10:30 pm Eastern/9:30 pm Central time slot, before assuming its regular time slot on September 21, 2011, where it aired at 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central on Wednesday nights...
.
It is unclear if Daniels will write, co-write or supervise the writing of the remake.