Borderline (2016 TV series)

Borderline is a British mockumentary television comedy series devised by Michael Orton-Toliver and Chris Gau. Narrated by Ralf Little, the series launched on 2 August 2016 on Channel 5. The series follows the activity of customs agents working for Borderline, a fictionalised version of the Border Force, at the fictional Northend Airport.[1]

Borderline
The cast of Borderline, as seen in the opening sequence. From left to right: Agent Tariq Mansoor, Senior Agent Grant Brodie, Chief Inspector Linda Proctor, Agent Andrea "Andy" Church, and Agent Clive Hassler.
GenreComedy, mockumentary
Written by
  • Chris Gau
  • Michael Orton-Toliver
Directed byMatt Jones
Starring
Narrated byRalf Little
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Sarah Doole
  • Chris Gau
  • Ralf Little
  • Michael Orton-Toliver
ProducerZoë Rocha
Running time28 minutes
Production companyLittle Rock Pictures
Original release
NetworkChannel 5
Release2 August 2016 (2016-08-02) –
19 October 2017 (2017-10-19)

In contrast to most series, which require the cast to memorise a script, Borderline is "retro-scripted": the cast is given a plot outline to guide them as they improvise their dialogue and actions.[2]

As of December 2016, the series is available on Netflix in select regions.[3]

Production

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In February 2016, it was announced that Channel 5 had ordered a new comedy series.[4] The news was revealed by Royle Family star Ralf Little.[4]

The first series was filmed at Coventry Airport in March/April 2016.

In August 2016, during the first series run it was announced by Ben Frow (Channel 5's Director of Programming) that the show had been commissioned for a second series.[5]

Cast

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Main

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  • David Avery as Customs Agent Tariq Mansoor
  • Jackie Clune as Chief Customs Inspector Linda Proctor
  • David Elms as Customs Agent Clive Hassler
  • Liz Kingsman as Customs Agent Andrea "Andy" Church
  • Jamie Michie as Senior Customs Agent Grant Brodie

Recurring

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  • Guz Khan as Mo
  • Sunil Patel as Sujan Stevens
  • Manoj Anand as Kareem Khan (series 1)
  • Alan Faulkner as David Thompson (series 1)
  • Patricia Drabble as Fran Lewis (series 1)
  • Guy Normas as Steve Marks (series 1)
  • Cameron Moon as Sheikh Mohammed (series 1)
  • Paulina Boneva as Zara Lewis (series 2)

Notable guest

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Cancellation

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On 19 October 2017, Channel 5 had announced Borderline would not return for its third series due to a drop in ratings and just 12 episodes were produced in two series.

References

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  1. ^ "Northend Airport (@northendairport) - Twitter". Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Borderline". 2 August 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017 – via IMDb.
  3. ^ "Borderline". 20 December 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017 – via Flixlist.
  4. ^ a b "Channel 5 orders immigration mockumentary Borderline". British Comedy Guide. 10 February 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Channel 5 orders Borderline Series 2". British Comedy Guide. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
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