"Fat Friends" (2000) TV series 2000-2005

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Directors:

John Deery
Dan Zeff

Writers:

Ruth Jones (writer) (2005-)
Debbie Oates (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

12 October 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

A Drama To Diet For

Plot:

Drama series following eight women's struggle to lose weight at a weekly slimming club.

Plot Keywords:

Weight | Slimming Club | Support Group | Weight Loss | Escort Service

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Alison Steadman	...	Betty Simpson (25 episodes, 2000-2005)
Jonathan Ryland	...	Kevin Chadwick (17 episodes, 2000-2005)
Richard Ridings	...	Alan (14 episodes, 2000-2004)
David Harewood	...	Max Robertson (11 episodes, 2004-2005)

Runtime:

48 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA (TV rating) | Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Rollem Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in An Audience with Joe Pasquale (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Beautiful South

And now for something completely different...

As if I didn't hate soap operas enough, I thought that I would utterly detest "Fat Friends" because the main plot is basically about people who are... well, yeah, fat. But what a relieve this was: not only was the subject matter per episode much more interesting than the usual "who slept with whom" in your average drama series, I was surprised to actually see some REAL ACTING on the screen! So they're fat. Who gives a ***. When I watched the show I never had the feeling that I was being forced to take in some kind of moral stance on the "fat issue", but instead I was swept away in the everyday life of the main characters, who go through things and encounter problems that could happen to anyone (divorce, distrust, insecurity, anorexia in the family, being teased etc.). Mostly thanks to the magnificent acting, and the matter-of-factness in style (not a lot of make-up, no overkill in violin-music in dramatic scenes, etc.). A welcome change from the "overdone" melodramas that crowd all TV-channels nowadays (Dutch people like to criticize American TV-series for being too mushy, but Dutch dramas are a lot worse...). I think this "natural thing" in TV and film is something the British are good at. Keep up the good work, guys.