Get Real (UK TV series)
Encyclopedia
Get Real was a British
sitcom from 1998. It starred Lindsay Duncan
, Lloyd Owen
, Simon Godley and Lesley Vickerage
.
It was made by Carlton Television
for the ITV
network.
in their late 20s or early 30s, all living in Ladbroke Grove
. They are constantly meeting up in each other's flats or in a nearby coffee bar to drink and discuss life, love and sex (possibly due to some of the subject matter being dealt with, the series was broadcast in a post-News at Ten slot).
Adam was the smart, cool one; Louise his glamorous friend and landlady; Lestor, his nerdish
best friend; and Francine his latest girlfriend, a newcomer to the bunch who - lacking confidence with new people - was finding it hard to fit in. Furthermore, Adam and Louise had enjoyed a brief fling in the past and there was still an attraction between them. Due to the status of the characters as young, metropolitan singles, as well as the nature of the characters themselves and the contemporary urban setting in which they are set, the show could be seen as an attempt to be a British equivalent to the more famous American
sitcoms from around the same time that followed this trend, such as Friends
or Seinfeld
.
Unfortunately, one of the reasons that it was not deemed a big success was that many television critics who watched it could not help comparing them with the like of Friends, Frasier
or Seinfeld, particularly in the first few episodes. They condemned it as a poor attempt to imitate that type of American sitcom, and hence ITV cancelled it after its only series of seven episodes. However, according to Mark Lewisohn
in the Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy:
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...
sitcom from 1998. It starred Lindsay Duncan
Lindsay Duncan
Lindsay Vere Duncan, CBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actress. On stage she won two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her performance in Les Liaisons dangereuses and Private Lives , and she starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Her most famous roles on television include:...
, Lloyd Owen
Lloyd Owen
Lloyd Owen is a British actor of Welsh descent. Trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he is probably best known for his portrayal of Indiana Jones's father Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr...
, Simon Godley and Lesley Vickerage
Lesley Vickerage
Lesley Vickerage is an English actress best known for her roles as WPC Jenny Dean in the British television series Between the Lines and as Helen Lynley in the British television series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries....
.
It was made by Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network.
Plot
Louise (Duncan), Adam (Owen), Lestor (Godley) and Francine (Vickerage) are four LondonersLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in their late 20s or early 30s, all living in Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
. They are constantly meeting up in each other's flats or in a nearby coffee bar to drink and discuss life, love and sex (possibly due to some of the subject matter being dealt with, the series was broadcast in a post-News at Ten slot).
Adam was the smart, cool one; Louise his glamorous friend and landlady; Lestor, his nerdish
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
best friend; and Francine his latest girlfriend, a newcomer to the bunch who - lacking confidence with new people - was finding it hard to fit in. Furthermore, Adam and Louise had enjoyed a brief fling in the past and there was still an attraction between them. Due to the status of the characters as young, metropolitan singles, as well as the nature of the characters themselves and the contemporary urban setting in which they are set, the show could be seen as an attempt to be a British equivalent to the more famous American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcoms from around the same time that followed this trend, such as Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
or Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
.
Unfortunately, one of the reasons that it was not deemed a big success was that many television critics who watched it could not help comparing them with the like of Friends, Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
or Seinfeld, particularly in the first few episodes. They condemned it as a poor attempt to imitate that type of American sitcom, and hence ITV cancelled it after its only series of seven episodes. However, according to Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn
Mark Lewisohn is an English author and historian, regarded as the world's leading authority on the English rock band The Beatles.-The Beatles and related subjects:...
in the Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy:
Episodes
- 1. Part Of The Furniture (6 July 1998)
- 2. Secrets (13 July 1998)
- 3. Patches (20 July 1998)
- 4. Parking (27 July 1998)
- 5. Funny Guy (3 August 1998)
- 6. Leg (10 August 1998)
- 7. Hero (17 August 1998)