"Echo Beach" (2008) TV series 2008-????

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Directors:

Jennifer Perrott
Beryl Richards

Writer:

Tony Jordan (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 January 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The lives of former lovers Daniel and Susan are complicated by teen angst, family loyalties and tested friendships.

Plot Keywords:

Surfing | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Martine McCutcheon	...	Susan Penwarden (12 episodes, 2008)
Ed Speleers	...	Jimmy Penwarden (12 episodes, 2008)
Jason Donovan	...	Daniel Marrack (12 episodes, 2008)
Hugo Speer	...	Mark Penwarden (12 episodes, 2008)
Hannah Lederer-Alton	...	Abi Marrack (12 episodes, 2008)
Christian Cooke	...	Brae Marrack (12 episodes, 2008)
Laura Greenwood	...	Grace Penwarden (12 episodes, 2008)
Naomi Ryan	...	Jackie Hughes (12 episodes, 2008)
Susie Amy	...	Angela Cole / ... (12 episodes, 2008)
Jonathan Readwin	...	Charlie Morgan (12 episodes, 2008)
Chandeep Uppal	...	Narinder Gurai (12 episodes, 2008)
Marcus Patric	...	Ian Brenton (11 episodes, 2008)
Gwyneth Powell	...	Ivy Trehearne (11 episodes, 2008)
Johnny Briggs	...	Fin Morgan (10 episodes, 2008)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Australia:M | Australia:PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Kudos Film and Television

Trivia:

Designed to be watched in conjunction with the preceding episode of "Moving Wallpaper" (2008) series, although it could be watched as a stand alone programme.

Movie Connections:

Follows "Moving Wallpaper" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Echo Beach

Original show, but is it good enough to stand the test of time?

Echo Beach is the soap opera the characters in Moving Wallpaper, the show that precedes this programme, are working on. So, we sit through half an hour of office politics, arguments over pay rises and discussions about character changes in Moving Wallpaper, which is then followed by this, Echo Beach, the show they were talking about.

The idea is a clever one, original, with the potential to make this show into one of the big hits of 2008.

However, the idea falls short of the delivery. In some aspects, it tries to hard to be taken seriously to really be considered a parody; some scenes were actually acted out well, and the characters appeared to be quite clearly defined, with the potential to develop into, as one of the writers on Moving Wallpaper put it, into "real, breathing people".

In others, the nature of the show was less clear. Some terrible attempts at West Country accents and an overdose on beautiful looking people hanging around in skimpy clothing, teamed with the poor quality of acting (*ahem* Martine McCutchon, Jason Donovan) and mediocre plot lines left you confused, wondering, "So, is this a parody or not?" In practical terms, one could suppose that the bosses at ITV have yet to decide whether or not Echo Beach is to be a parody, with cheesy one liners and predictable plot lines, or whether it will blossom into a fully fledged, credible soap opera in its own right.

We will have to wait and see.