The Booze Cruise
Encyclopedia
The Booze Cruise is a feature length comedy drama written for British television
on the channel ITV
, shown in 2003 and written by Paul Minett & Brian Leveson.
The three episodes have received mixed reviews, with the Radio Times
describing it as "like comedy in 1973" and also "you can see each joke a mile off", but generally liking the show.
; Clive (Martin Clunes
), Rob (Neil Pearson
), Dave (Mark Benton
), Maurice (Brian Murphy
) and Daniel (Ben Whishaw
) - went on a booze cruise
to France, with mixed success and many mishaps along the way. The events involving their wives and families back home also formed a large part of the plot.
Two follow-up episodes were also created by Minett & Leveson, featuring the same characters, with the exception of Clive, who didn't appear in either sequel owing to Martin Clunes's Doc Martin commitments . Daniel was played by Tom Bennett, and only appeared in The Booze Cruise II, while Amanda Abbington
took on the role of Leone.
. Marcus (a businessman who deals with Dave's company) first appeared in this episode.
for a variety of reasons including scattering the ashes of Maurice's mother-in-law on the Moors. In this episode both Rob's estranged wife (Leone) and his new girlfriend were in the same car, causing much friction. The Booze Cruise III won the Royal Television Society Award North for Best Network Drama.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
on the channel 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...
, shown in 2003 and written by Paul Minett & Brian Leveson.
The three episodes have received mixed reviews, with the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
describing it as "like comedy in 1973" and also "you can see each joke a mile off", but generally liking the show.
The Booze Cruise (2003)
A group of men from KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
; Clive (Martin Clunes
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....
), Rob (Neil Pearson
Neil Pearson
Neil Joshua Pearson is a British actor best known for his work on television.-Biography:Pearson grew up in Battersea, London, the son of a panel beater, who left home when he was five, and a legal secretary, and was educated at Woolverstone Hall School, Suffolk, a boarding school, where he first...
), Dave (Mark Benton
Mark Benton
Mark Benton is an English actor, perhaps most famous for his roles as Eddie in Early Doors and Howard in Northern Lights.-Life and career:Benton was born in Guisborough, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England....
), Maurice (Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy (actor)
Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and...
) and Daniel (Ben Whishaw
Ben Whishaw
Benjamin John "Ben" Whishaw is an English actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Whishaw is perhaps best known for his breakthrough role as Hamlet, and his role as the lead character in Tom Tykwer's film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.-Early life:Whishaw was born and raised in...
) - went on a booze cruise
Booze cruise
Booze cruise is a British colloquial term for a brief trip from Britain to France or Belgium with the intent of taking advantage of lower prices, and buying personal supplies of alcohol or tobacco in bulk quantities...
to France, with mixed success and many mishaps along the way. The events involving their wives and families back home also formed a large part of the plot.
Two follow-up episodes were also created by Minett & Leveson, featuring the same characters, with the exception of Clive, who didn't appear in either sequel owing to Martin Clunes's Doc Martin commitments . Daniel was played by Tom Bennett, and only appeared in The Booze Cruise II, while Amanda Abbington
Amanda Abbington
Amanda Abbington is an English actress and comedienne who has appeared on both television and stage. She is best known for her roles in the 2005 comedy sketch show Man Stroke Woman and the 2007–2008 comedy After You've Gone with Nicholas Lyndhurst...
took on the role of Leone.
The Booze Cruise II: The Treasure Hunt (2005)
In this episode the same characters went on a treasure hunt, and ended up with their car being washed out to sea on a beachBeach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
. Marcus (a businessman who deals with Dave's company) first appeared in this episode.
The Booze Cruise III: The Scattering (2006)
The characters went to YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
for a variety of reasons including scattering the ashes of Maurice's mother-in-law on the Moors. In this episode both Rob's estranged wife (Leone) and his new girlfriend were in the same car, causing much friction. The Booze Cruise III won the Royal Television Society Award North for Best Network Drama.
Partial cast
- Martin ClunesMartin ClunesAlexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....
- Clive Rainer - Neil PearsonNeil PearsonNeil Joshua Pearson is a British actor best known for his work on television.-Biography:Pearson grew up in Battersea, London, the son of a panel beater, who left home when he was five, and a legal secretary, and was educated at Woolverstone Hall School, Suffolk, a boarding school, where he first...
- Rob - Mark BentonMark BentonMark Benton is an English actor, perhaps most famous for his roles as Eddie in Early Doors and Howard in Northern Lights.-Life and career:Benton was born in Guisborough, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England....
- Dave Bolton - Brian MurphyBrian Murphy (actor)Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and...
- Maurice - Anne ReidAnne ReidAnne Reid, MBE is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television actress from Newcastle upon Tyne, best known for her roles as Valerie Tatlock in Coronation Street and Jean in dinnerladies....
- Grace - Claire SkinnerClaire SkinnerClaire L. Skinner is an English actress, who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television career.-Biography:Born and brought up in Hemel Hempstead, Skinner, the youngest daughter of a shopkeeper and an Irish-born secretary, was immensely shy as a child...
- Leonie (The Booze Cruise) - Amanda AbbingtonAmanda AbbingtonAmanda Abbington is an English actress and comedienne who has appeared on both television and stage. She is best known for her roles in the 2005 comedy sketch show Man Stroke Woman and the 2007–2008 comedy After You've Gone with Nicholas Lyndhurst...
- Leonie (The Booze Cruise II and III) - Marsha FitzalanMarsha FitzalanLady Marcia Mary Josephine Fitzalan-Howard, better known as Marsha Fitzalan is an English actress.-Personal:...
- Ruth Rainer - Karen HenthornKaren HenthornKaren Henthorn is a British character actress who portrayed the role of Teresa Bryant in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. She appeared in the role briefly in 2007 and became a regular character in 2008. Her character was involved in major story lines. In late 2008, she left...
- Cath Bolton - Ben WhishawBen WhishawBenjamin John "Ben" Whishaw is an English actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Whishaw is perhaps best known for his breakthrough role as Hamlet, and his role as the lead character in Tom Tykwer's film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.-Early life:Whishaw was born and raised in...
- Daniel - :fr:Elsa Kikoïne Juliette (as Elsa Kikoine)
- Louise Callaghan - Chloe Rainer
- Jalaal Hartley - Dominic
- Suzy Cooper - JackieElsa Kikoïne]]