Friday Night Dinner knows the truth about families. Not that they bicker, mock and childishly compete – sitcom’s known about that since Steptoe & Son. No, Friday Night Dinner knows that families aren’t made up of people; they’re made up of odd habits.
Did you ever invite a friend home from school and pray that none of your family’s Weird Stuff would leak out into the playground the next day? That your mum’s special word for a fart wouldn’t follow you down the corridor into Maths, and the dinner hall wouldn’t echo with the high-pitched voice in which you all talk to the dog? Perhaps you hoped against hope that your brother wouldn’t be wearing his comedy Viz Buster Gonad t-shirt, that no-one would see the wooden clothes peg holding open the choke on your dad’s car, and that nobody would call...
Did you ever invite a friend home from school and pray that none of your family’s Weird Stuff would leak out into the playground the next day? That your mum’s special word for a fart wouldn’t follow you down the corridor into Maths, and the dinner hall wouldn’t echo with the high-pitched voice in which you all talk to the dog? Perhaps you hoped against hope that your brother wouldn’t be wearing his comedy Viz Buster Gonad t-shirt, that no-one would see the wooden clothes peg holding open the choke on your dad’s car, and that nobody would call...
- 3/13/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Friday Night Dinner is ten.
That’s ten years of crimble-crumble, humble bumbling, manic misunderstandings, and more lovely bits of squirrel than you could shake a dead fox at. For thirty-seven Friday nights across six glorious seasons the Goodman family – shirtless dad, Martin (Paul Ritter); long-suffering but ever hopeful mum, Jackie (Tamsin Greig), and their visiting prank-wanker sons Adam (Simon Bird) and Jonny (Tom Rosenthal) – served up a banquet of laughs to a hungry nation, ably assisted by chronically persistent, reality-adjacent next-door-neighbour, Jim (Mark Heap) and his faithful dog, Wilson, and a host of other regulars and monstrously memorable one-offs besides.
In celebration, then, of one of the most smartly-observed, perfectly-cast comedies of recent years, in chronological order, we count down ten of the show’s best.
The Sofabed Series 1, Episode 1
Most first episodes – nay entire first series – of new comedies can be scattergun. Maybe the characters haven’t quite coalesced,...
That’s ten years of crimble-crumble, humble bumbling, manic misunderstandings, and more lovely bits of squirrel than you could shake a dead fox at. For thirty-seven Friday nights across six glorious seasons the Goodman family – shirtless dad, Martin (Paul Ritter); long-suffering but ever hopeful mum, Jackie (Tamsin Greig), and their visiting prank-wanker sons Adam (Simon Bird) and Jonny (Tom Rosenthal) – served up a banquet of laughs to a hungry nation, ably assisted by chronically persistent, reality-adjacent next-door-neighbour, Jim (Mark Heap) and his faithful dog, Wilson, and a host of other regulars and monstrously memorable one-offs besides.
In celebration, then, of one of the most smartly-observed, perfectly-cast comedies of recent years, in chronological order, we count down ten of the show’s best.
The Sofabed Series 1, Episode 1
Most first episodes – nay entire first series – of new comedies can be scattergun. Maybe the characters haven’t quite coalesced,...
- 5/28/2021
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
By Mark Mawston
(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved.)
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We’ve all had it happen to us: after years of watching your favourite films in your “second home”, your favourite cinema closes its doors and the projection light flickers on the end titles for the last time, only to be replaced by the flutter of pigeon’s wings who come to roost in the empty theatre before demolition. It happened to me with the Jesmond Picture House in Newcastle and I’m sure most readers have had a similar experience. In these days of theatres without flesh and blood projectionists and the slightly automated feeling that brings to movie-watching, it is always special to have one last bastion, thriving on the tradition it’s built up over many years and one you love and visit like an old friend. Such has...
(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved.)
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
We’ve all had it happen to us: after years of watching your favourite films in your “second home”, your favourite cinema closes its doors and the projection light flickers on the end titles for the last time, only to be replaced by the flutter of pigeon’s wings who come to roost in the empty theatre before demolition. It happened to me with the Jesmond Picture House in Newcastle and I’m sure most readers have had a similar experience. In these days of theatres without flesh and blood projectionists and the slightly automated feeling that brings to movie-watching, it is always special to have one last bastion, thriving on the tradition it’s built up over many years and one you love and visit like an old friend. Such has...
- 7/6/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Sneak Peek footage, images and synopsis from the upcoming 'royals' TV series "The Crown", created by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures, starring Claire Foy as young 'Queen Elizabeth II' debuting November 4, 2016 on Netflix:
"...'The Crown' will trace the life of 'Queen Elizabeth II' from her wedding in 1947 to the present day, spanning 60 episodes over 6 seasons..."
Cast also includes Matt Smith ("Dr. Who") as 'Prince Philip', Jared Harris as 'King George VI', Vanessa Kirby as 'Princess Margaret' and John Lithgow as 'Winston Churchill'.
Also starring are Greg Wise as 'Lord Louis Mountbatten', Victoria Hamilton as 'Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother', Stephen Dillane as 'Graham Sutherland', Andy Sanderson as 'Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester', Michael Culkin as 'Rab Butler', Nicholas Rowe as 'Jock Colville', Rita McDonald Damper as...
"...'The Crown' will trace the life of 'Queen Elizabeth II' from her wedding in 1947 to the present day, spanning 60 episodes over 6 seasons..."
Cast also includes Matt Smith ("Dr. Who") as 'Prince Philip', Jared Harris as 'King George VI', Vanessa Kirby as 'Princess Margaret' and John Lithgow as 'Winston Churchill'.
Also starring are Greg Wise as 'Lord Louis Mountbatten', Victoria Hamilton as 'Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother', Stephen Dillane as 'Graham Sutherland', Andy Sanderson as 'Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester', Michael Culkin as 'Rab Butler', Nicholas Rowe as 'Jock Colville', Rita McDonald Damper as...
- 9/29/2016
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Irish actor and Ifta nominee Robert Sheehan (Cherrybomb) is to star in a new feature from B Good Picture Company called 'Acts of God'. Robert will star alongside Ed Hogg (Bunny and the Bull) and Celia Imrie (Nanny McPhee) in the black comedy that is to start shooting this autumn. The film's cast also includes Rosalind Knight (About a Boy) and 'One Foot in the Grave' actress Janine Duvitski. 'Acts of God' director, Joe A. Stephenson (The Alchemist Suitcase) tells Iftn the film is almost completely financed and is expected to start filming in October of this year in and around London. "We're all very excited to get started on the film," he tells us, and is delighted to have the Irish actor involved in the project. "He's the slightly odd guardian angel character; it's great to have him on board."...
- 4/14/2010
- IFTN
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