You Me Now
Encyclopedia
You Me ... Now is New Zealand
's first radio soap opera
written and created by All The Way Home Productions. Season One was 25 episodes long and originally aired on Radio New Zealand
in 2010. After a successful run, "You Me Now" was picked up for another 150 episodes available for podcast on the Radio New Zealand
website with new episodes uploaded every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
: NZ Drama School. In 2009 executive producer Adam Macaulay suggested that the interns pitch a daily 5 minute soap opera style drama. Eventually You Me Now was pitched as a modern day love story set in Wellington
. The pitch was accepted and 25 episodes were commissioned to be written and recorded.
Alice McKinnely (Esther-Rose Green)
Johno Anderson (Asher Smith)
Jarrod Parkin (Cohen Holloway) (Hadleigh Walker EP 51 Onward)
Lucille Menzies (Sara Allen)
Terry Prichard (Paul Gordon Harrop)
Gavin Beesley(Barnaby Fredric)
Celeste McKinnely (Sarah Boddy)
Magnus Mouat(Tim Gordon)
Dave McKinnely (Jed Brophy
)
Katherine Paterson (Amy Tarleton)
Joel Parkin (Simon K Leary)
Wiremu Johnson (James Tito)
Max Cooper (James Kupa)
Katazyna (Ivana Palezevich)
Jake the Fisherman (Duncan Smith)
Rhys Kirkson (Martyn Wood)
Various (Adam Macaulay)
s which she titles "Accidentally Alice". Meanwhile Johno's technology savy friend (Terry) finds Alice's Vlog online along with a message to her 'saviour' to meet her at the market where her mother works. Johno happens to work there as well so meeting her is not a problem. The rest of the season follows the rocky on again off again relationship between Johno and Alice. Along the way, Johno is tempted by an older woman, Alice's estranged father (Dave) turns up sick, Jarrod and Lucille hook up, The Boy's band plays some gigs and there is a house fire. The season ends with Johno deciding to go overseas to find himself and Alice unsure whether or not to join him.
Season Two (Episodes 26-50) begins with the funeral of Alice's father (Dave McKinnely) which Alice has had to return early from her overseas trip for. Johno remains overseas in the meantime. After the destruction of the boys' flat in Season One, Jarrod and Lucille have moved in together and are now in a relationship, Terry has moved into Alice's old room while she was overseas and now Alice is forced to sleep on the couch. This turns around fairly quickly though when she finds that she has been left her father's houseboat. Terry and Alice move in. Meanwhile Jarrod's brother (Joel) has come to town, Jarrod wants nothing to do with him for reasons that are unclear to everyone else. Alice offers Joel a place to stay on the Houseboat which he gratefully accepts. Johno returns home to find Alice on top of Joel play-fighting, once again they fly into another of their: "It's not what it looks like" fights resulting in Alice asking Johno to move in with them. Terry has not been enjoying the houseboat due to it's bad internet connection, he has been having skype dates with a russian girl (Katazyna) that he met on "Dating Roulette". When Terry is offered money by Marbel Enterprises for some internet applications he patented , Terry decides to use the money to fly Katazyna over from Russia. Lucille discovers she is pregnant after vomiting at a "welcome home" breakfast for Johno. Alice is offered a job at Puka Puka publishing by Wiremu Johnson, her new boss. Alice tells everyone the good news (after drinking with Joel all day) at the naming ceremony for her houseboat. Lucille finally manages to get Alice and Gavin alone and tells them she is pregnant, she doesn't know how to tell Jarrod.
Esther-Rose Green, Paul Gordon Harrop, Sara Allen and Asher Smith as contracted by All The Way Home Productions with Adam Macaulay (RNZ Drama Dept Exec Prod) as script supervisor. Season One was awarded the Best New Drama Award in the 2011 New Zealand Radio Awards.
Season Two added 2010 graduate of the acting course Toi Whakaari
Simon Leary to the writing team. With a writing team of five, each member wrote five episodes a (25 episode) season and after notes from Adam Macaulay, edited each other's episodes to get a consistent tone for the season.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's first radio soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
written and created by All The Way Home Productions. Season One was 25 episodes long and originally aired on Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...
in 2010. After a successful run, "You Me Now" was picked up for another 150 episodes available for podcast on the Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand is a New Zealand public service radio broadcaster and Crown entity formed by the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news, current affairs and arts network Radio New Zealand National and classical music and jazz network Radio New Zealand Concert with full government funding...
website with new episodes uploaded every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Development
Discussion that led to the creation of the series began in 2009. Every year Radio New Zealand's Drama department offers a three week internship to four graduates of the acting course of Toi WhakaariToi Whakaari
Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's National Drama School. It is located in Wellington, New Zealand Toi Whakaari offers training in Acting, Directing, Costume Construction, Entertainment Technology, Performing Arts Management and Design for Stage & Screen.The School offers the following...
: NZ Drama School. In 2009 executive producer Adam Macaulay suggested that the interns pitch a daily 5 minute soap opera style drama. Eventually You Me Now was pitched as a modern day love story set in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. The pitch was accepted and 25 episodes were commissioned to be written and recorded.
Characters
You Me ... Now has a core cast of characters as well as recurring minor roles.Alice McKinnely (Esther-Rose Green)
Johno Anderson (Asher Smith)
Jarrod Parkin (Cohen Holloway) (Hadleigh Walker EP 51 Onward)
Lucille Menzies (Sara Allen)
Terry Prichard (Paul Gordon Harrop)
Gavin Beesley(Barnaby Fredric)
Celeste McKinnely (Sarah Boddy)
Magnus Mouat(Tim Gordon)
Dave McKinnely (Jed Brophy
Jed Brophy
Jed Brophy is a film actor from New Zealand. He has appeared in several of Peter Jackson's films, including Braindead, Heavenly Creatures, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, King Kong, and will also appear as the dwarf Nori in The Hobbit films.-Filmography:-External links:...
)
Katherine Paterson (Amy Tarleton)
Joel Parkin (Simon K Leary)
Wiremu Johnson (James Tito)
Max Cooper (James Kupa)
Katazyna (Ivana Palezevich)
Jake the Fisherman (Duncan Smith)
Rhys Kirkson (Martyn Wood)
Various (Adam Macaulay)
Plot
Season One (Episodes 1-25) begins with the episode "Crash" in which the lead character Alice McKinnely crashes her car into a tree while talking to her mother (Celeste) on the phone. Johno Anderson happens to be biking past at this time and waits by her side after calling emergency services. The two have an immediate connection but are swept away from each other when the ambulance arrives. In hospital, Alice is encouraged by her best friend (Lucille) to begin a series of vlogVlog
Video blogging, sometimes shortened to vlogging or vidding or vidblogging is a form of blogging for which the medium is video, and is a form of Web television. Entries often combine embedded video or a video link with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one take...
s which she titles "Accidentally Alice". Meanwhile Johno's technology savy friend (Terry) finds Alice's Vlog online along with a message to her 'saviour' to meet her at the market where her mother works. Johno happens to work there as well so meeting her is not a problem. The rest of the season follows the rocky on again off again relationship between Johno and Alice. Along the way, Johno is tempted by an older woman, Alice's estranged father (Dave) turns up sick, Jarrod and Lucille hook up, The Boy's band plays some gigs and there is a house fire. The season ends with Johno deciding to go overseas to find himself and Alice unsure whether or not to join him.
Season Two (Episodes 26-50) begins with the funeral of Alice's father (Dave McKinnely) which Alice has had to return early from her overseas trip for. Johno remains overseas in the meantime. After the destruction of the boys' flat in Season One, Jarrod and Lucille have moved in together and are now in a relationship, Terry has moved into Alice's old room while she was overseas and now Alice is forced to sleep on the couch. This turns around fairly quickly though when she finds that she has been left her father's houseboat. Terry and Alice move in. Meanwhile Jarrod's brother (Joel) has come to town, Jarrod wants nothing to do with him for reasons that are unclear to everyone else. Alice offers Joel a place to stay on the Houseboat which he gratefully accepts. Johno returns home to find Alice on top of Joel play-fighting, once again they fly into another of their: "It's not what it looks like" fights resulting in Alice asking Johno to move in with them. Terry has not been enjoying the houseboat due to it's bad internet connection, he has been having skype dates with a russian girl (Katazyna) that he met on "Dating Roulette". When Terry is offered money by Marbel Enterprises for some internet applications he patented , Terry decides to use the money to fly Katazyna over from Russia. Lucille discovers she is pregnant after vomiting at a "welcome home" breakfast for Johno. Alice is offered a job at Puka Puka publishing by Wiremu Johnson, her new boss. Alice tells everyone the good news (after drinking with Joel all day) at the naming ceremony for her houseboat. Lucille finally manages to get Alice and Gavin alone and tells them she is pregnant, she doesn't know how to tell Jarrod.
Writing
Season One was written by the 2008 graduates of the acting course Toi WhakaariToi Whakaari
Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's National Drama School. It is located in Wellington, New Zealand Toi Whakaari offers training in Acting, Directing, Costume Construction, Entertainment Technology, Performing Arts Management and Design for Stage & Screen.The School offers the following...
Esther-Rose Green, Paul Gordon Harrop, Sara Allen and Asher Smith as contracted by All The Way Home Productions with Adam Macaulay (RNZ Drama Dept Exec Prod) as script supervisor. Season One was awarded the Best New Drama Award in the 2011 New Zealand Radio Awards.
Season Two added 2010 graduate of the acting course Toi Whakaari
Toi Whakaari
Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is New Zealand's National Drama School. It is located in Wellington, New Zealand Toi Whakaari offers training in Acting, Directing, Costume Construction, Entertainment Technology, Performing Arts Management and Design for Stage & Screen.The School offers the following...
Simon Leary to the writing team. With a writing team of five, each member wrote five episodes a (25 episode) season and after notes from Adam Macaulay, edited each other's episodes to get a consistent tone for the season.