The Cafe (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Cafe is a British comedy-drama
written by Ralf Little
and Michelle Terry
. It is one of the few new television comedy series that has been commissioned and aired on a digital only channel Sky1.
run by generational trilogy Mary (June Watson), Carol (Ellie Haddington
) and Sarah (Michelle Terry).
Acting as the social hub of the seafront town, the café sees all walks of life pass through and gives viewers an honest portrayal of life in a typical British seaside resort.
and Michelle Terry
. The six-part series is directed by The Royle Family
writer and star, Craig Cash
. The series was filmed in Weston-Super-Mare
. The Cafe shop was built for the filming. Craig and Ralf both worked together on The Royal Family and Rafle meet Michelle two years ago whilst they performed a sketch together at the Bush Theatre for the Latitude Festival.
Tom Meltzer of The Guardian
gave the series a mixed review. "In fairness to the writers, their performances are both consistently excellent, and the direction is both naturalistic and nicely understated. But while, as the name suggests, the show owes a clear debt to The Office
in its style, it sadly failed to nick Gervais and Merchant's knack for writing characters, stories and, crucially, jokes."
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
written by Ralf Little
Ralf Little
Ralf Alistair J. B. Little is an English actor, writer and semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He is best known for playing Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life and work...
and Michelle Terry
Michelle Terry
Michelle Terry is an English actress and writer, known for her work on stage and for portraying Sara in the television pilot Reunited.-Background:Terry is from Weston-super-Mare...
. It is one of the few new television comedy series that has been commissioned and aired on a digital only channel Sky1.
Premise
The Café is set in and around a café in Weston-Super-MareWeston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
run by generational trilogy Mary (June Watson), Carol (Ellie Haddington
Ellie Haddington
Ellie Haddington is a British actress who had a starring role in 2005 and 2006 as Governing Governor Joy Masterton in the ITV1 prison drama Bad Girls....
) and Sarah (Michelle Terry).
Acting as the social hub of the seafront town, the café sees all walks of life pass through and gives viewers an honest portrayal of life in a typical British seaside resort.
Production
The series is co-written by two of it's lead actors, Ralf LittleRalf Little
Ralf Alistair J. B. Little is an English actor, writer and semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He is best known for playing Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life and work...
and Michelle Terry
Michelle Terry
Michelle Terry is an English actress and writer, known for her work on stage and for portraying Sara in the television pilot Reunited.-Background:Terry is from Weston-super-Mare...
. The six-part series is directed by The Royle Family
The Royle Family
The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, and specials from 2006 onwards...
writer and star, Craig Cash
Craig Cash
Craig Cash is an English comedy actor, BAFTA award-winning writer and also a director.-Biography:Cash is best known for playing slightly dull and dopey working-class northern men, particularly Dave Best in the hugely successful BBC sitcom The Royle Family, which he co-wrote with Caroline Aherne...
. The series was filmed in Weston-Super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
. The Cafe shop was built for the filming. Craig and Ralf both worked together on The Royal Family and Rafle meet Michelle two years ago whilst they performed a sketch together at the Bush Theatre for the Latitude Festival.
Cast and Characters
- Ellie HaddingtonEllie HaddingtonEllie Haddington is a British actress who had a starring role in 2005 and 2006 as Governing Governor Joy Masterton in the ITV1 prison drama Bad Girls....
as Carol Porter - Michelle TerryMichelle TerryMichelle Terry is an English actress and writer, known for her work on stage and for portraying Sara in the television pilot Reunited.-Background:Terry is from Weston-super-Mare...
as Sarah Porter - June Watson as Mary Ellis
- Ralf LittleRalf LittleRalf Alistair J. B. Little is an English actor, writer and semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He is best known for playing Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life and work...
as Richard Dickens - Daniel IngsDaniel IngsDaniel Ings is an English actor.He trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and The National Youth Theatre and has appeared in a number of stage, short films and television programs. His most notable roles to date are those of Jake in the Channel 4 comedy Pete versus Life and Kelvin in the BBC...
as John Streatfield - Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Chloe Astill
- Kevin TrainorKevin TrainorKevin Trainor is an Irish actor. He grew up in Kilkeel, County Down and attended St Colman's College in Newry before going up to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he read English...
as Keiran Barker - David TroughtonDavid TroughtonDavid Troughton is an English actor, best known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage.- Biography :David Troughton was born in Hampstead, North London. He comes from a theatrical family: he is the son of Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton, elder brother of Michael Troughton, and father...
as Stan Astill - Seeta IndraniSeeta IndraniSeeta Indrani is an English dancer and actress.-Performance:After graduation as a dancer from the London Contemporary Dance School, she took the role of Cassandra in the original 1981 West End production of Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber...
as Brenda Kiely - 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...
as Frank Dobson - Marcia WarrenMarcia WarrenMarcia Warren is an English stage, film and television actress. On stage, she appeared in Blithe Spirit as Madame Arcati, and The Sea at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.-Partial filmography:...
as Alice Dobson - Carolin StoltzCarolin StoltzAnne Frida Carolin Stoltz, , is a Swedish actress, who is best known for her role as Olena Petrovich in the British TV soap Emmerdale. She has previously had minor TV roles in the British television series Doctors and the ITV Christmas special Clash of the Santas, where she played a German...
as Ava Lipinski - Jack RothJack RothJack Roth was a 20th century American painter who developed a style as an Abstract Expressionist, and as a Color Field painter...
as Big Issue Frank
Episode list
| Episode | Title | Directed by | Written by | Ratings | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reception
Mark Webster of Sabotage Times had this to say about the doubled-billed premier. "Over the last couple of years or so, Sky One have clearly made a consolidated effort to present themselves as a channel that wants to do its business just like their buddies over on terrestrial, and in giving this gently lapping little comedy space alongside the likes of ‘Ross Kemp On..’, ‘A League Of Their Own’ and David Walliams ‘Wall Of Fame’, they are proving they’ve got the chops to do it."Tom Meltzer of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
gave the series a mixed review. "In fairness to the writers, their performances are both consistently excellent, and the direction is both naturalistic and nicely understated. But while, as the name suggests, the show owes a clear debt to The Office
The Office
The Office is a popular mockumentary/situation comedy TV show that was first made in the UK and has now been re-made in many other countries, with overall viewership in the hundreds of millions worldwide. The original version of The Office was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. It...
in its style, it sadly failed to nick Gervais and Merchant's knack for writing characters, stories and, crucially, jokes."