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Life of Riley (British TV series)

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Life of Riley
Life of Riley titles for Series 1
GenreSitcom
Created byGeorgia Pritchett
Written byGeorgia Pritchett
Directed byMartin Dennis
StarringCaroline Quentin
Neil Dudgeon
Opening theme"The Life of Riley"
ComposerWillie Dowling - Jackdaw 4
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersAlan Tyler
Rosemary MaGowan
ProducerCatherine Bailey
Production locationsPacific Quay Studios,
Glasgow, Scotland
CinematographyJohn Record
EditorFergus MacKinnon
Running time12 x 30 mins
Production companiesCatherine Bailey Productions Limited
BBC Scotland
Original release
NetworkBBC One/BBC HD
Release8 January 2009 (2009-01-08) –
Present
Not to be confused with The Life of Riley, a 1940's - 1950's radio show or 1950s American television series which starred William Bendix as Chester A. Riley.

Life of Riley is a 2009 British comedy television series, shown on BBC One & BBC HD. The show stars Caroline Quentin and Neil Dudgeon, who are recently married, and is set around their dysfunctional family.

Airing

The first episode aired on 8 January 2009, and was shown on Thursdays at 8:00pm on BBC One. Each episode of Life of Riley also aired in high-definition on BBC HD. Series 2 started airing on Wednesdays at 7:30pm from 17 March 2010. The show will return in April 2011 for a third series of eight episodes.[1]

Development

The six episode series was commissioned by Lucy Lumsden, BBC Controller, Comedy Commissioning. The show is produced by Catherine Bailey Productions Limited for BBC Scotland, and is distributed by Outright Distribution Ltd. The series was written by Georgia Pritchett, and it was filmed at Pacific Quay Studios in Glasgow, Scotland [2] and on location.

The theme music is a cover version of The Lightning Seeds' song, "The Life of Riley".

Plot

Jim (Dudgeon) and Maddy Riley are newly-weds, Jim has two children from a previous relationship, teenagers Katie and Danny, whilst Maddy also has a child of her own - primary schooler Ted from her previous marriage - and baby Rosie with Jim. Jim and Maddy also try to compete with their next-door neighbours, the Weavers; this basic plot is in most episodes and usually makes the Rileys look like The Addams Family. As well as the Riley family, the Weavers also play principal characters in the sitcom.

Cast

Characters

Main article: List of Life of Riley characters

Critical reception

Reviews for the first series were almost universally negative. The Herald described it as "a palpable flop" and "unfunny in any age"[3]. The Daily Telegraph noted that it was "another half-hour firmly on Planet Sitcom: that strange world where people behave not like anybody in real life, but merely like people in other sitcoms"[4]. The Daily Record called it a "lazy insult of a comedy" [1]. The Northern Echo observed that "there was something missing for a comedy – jokes"[5]; The Daily Mirror comments that there are "some witty moments but these are drowned out by more regular unfunny happenings, so unimaginative and staid it's embarrassing"[6]. The Independent headlined its review of the opening episode by calling it "a marital comedy divorced from wit"[7]. Most vehemently the Sunday Mail called the show "about as funny as inflamed piles" [2].

The second series of the show has been well received by audiences, with viewing figures reaching nearly 6 million, a much higher proportion of the viewing public than the BBC usually receives in this time slot[8]. However, it has again received regular negative reviews from critics. The Sun called it bland and dull, whilst another paper referred to it as 'a waste of perfectly good television space'. [citation needed]

Episodes

Series 1 (2009)

Life of Riley's first series comprises six episodes, each of which are thirty minutes long.

# Title Directed by Written by Original airdate
1"In the Family Way"Georgia PritchettGeorgia PritchettJanuary 8, 2009
When Maddy finds a pregnancy test, she is convinced it belongs to one of her stepchildren. But the identity of its true owner comes as a big surprise.
2"New Beginnings"Georgia PritchettGeorgia PritchettJanuary 15, 2009
The cat's gone missing, half their possessions have vanished and a crate is doubling as the baby's cot. Maddy catches Danny smoking but Jim's way of disciplining Danny and his friend isn't the best idea.
3"The Ex Factor"Georgia PritchettGeorgia PritchettJanuary 22, 2009
Maddy's husband Jim decides that her ex-husband Robbie is his new best friend. While the two of them bond by putting up shelves, Maddy's stepson decides to come out of the closet.
4"Beating the Bully"Georgia PritchettGeorgia PritchettJanuary 29, 2009
Ted is getting bullied at school by a girl so Maddy tries to help him stand up for himself. Meanwhile Katy has become a vegetarian and rescues a pigeon which is eaten by the cat.
5"The Little White Lie"Georgia PritchettGeorgia PritchettFebruary 5, 2009
Maddy's son Ted does not want to go for a sleepover at his friend's house and so Maddy finds herself trying to create reasons why he isn't going.
6"The Worst Best Man"Georgia PritchettGeorgia PritchettFebruary 12, 2009
Jim is asked to be Maddy's ex-husband's best man but he turns out to be the worst best man.

Series 2 (2010)

In May 2009, it was confirmed that the Life of Riley & The Old Guys will have a second series. It began airing on March 17, 2010 and The Old Guys returned on 9 July 2010.

# Title Directed by Written by Original airdate
7"Just The Two Of Us"Richard BodenGeorgia Pritchett, Paul AlexanderMarch 17, 2010
Maddy decides that she needs to spend more quality time with her husband, but in doing so almost kills him (and her marriage)...
8"Crowded House"Richard BodenGeorgia PritchettMarch 24, 2010
When building work puts Maddy and Jim's bedroom off limits, everyone has to shuffle round to make room and the lack of personal space leads to some uncomfortable discoveries.
9"Nine to Five"Richard BodenGeorgia PritchettMarch 31, 2010
Maddy decides the time has come to get back into paid employment, but juggling her office job and her domestic responsibilities turns out to be harder work than she had expected.
10"Is She Really Going Out With Him?"Richard BodenGeorgia Pritchett, Dan Caster, Paul HowellApril 7, 2010
When Maddy's ex-husband Robbie gets a young, trendy new girlfriend, Maddy cannot help setting herself up in competition - but her attempts to make herself more youthful do not go according to plan.
11"School's Out"Richard BodenGeorgia PritchettApril 14, 2010
Maddy tries to get Ted into the best school in the area, but discovers that passing the entrance exam is actually the easiest requirement, and that there are plenty more challenges to overcome if she's to get him the highest education.
12"Crazy"Richard BodenGeorgia PritchettApril 21, 2010
Maddy plays therapist to Danny when she discovers he has been seeing the school counsellor, but her efforts prove to cause more problems than they solve.

Series 3 (2011)

A third series will enter production in October 2010 and will air in April 2011.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b In Production, Catherine Bailey Ltd, July 2010.
  2. ^ "Two brand new sitcoms from BBC Scotland - Life Of Riley and The Old Guys". BBC Press Office. 19 March 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
  3. ^ Belcher, David (16 January 2009). "Life of Riley: unfunny in any age". The Herald. Retrieved 15 April 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Walton, James (8 January 2009). "Last night on television: Victorian Farm (BBC2) - Life of Riley (BBC1)". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  5. ^ "Riley tedious". The Northern Echo. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  6. ^ Simon, Jane (8 January 2009). "We love sitcoms: The Life Of Riley BBC1, 8pm". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  7. ^ Hanks, Robert (9 January 2009). "Last Night's Television: A marital comedy divorced from wit". The Independent. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  8. ^ Parker, Robin (18 March 2010). "BBC1 enjoys Life of Riley with 5.8m". Broadcast Now. Emap Ltd. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
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