Mandy is a British television comedy series, written by Diane Morgan, who also stars as the title character Mandy Carter. After a pilot in 2019, the first series was broadcast in August 2020. A second series was commissioned by the BBC in 2021 which was released in January 2022.[2] A third series was confirmed in May 2023 and was released in March 2024.[3]
| Mandy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Diane Morgan |
| Written by | Diane Morgan |
| Directed by | Diane Morgan |
| Starring | Diane Morgan |
| Opening theme | "Mandy" by Barry Manilow |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Diane Morgan |
| Producers | Ben Caudell, Sam Ward, Kenny Tanner |
| Editor | Jerry Ramsbottom |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 15 minutes[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 25 July 2019 – present |
Production
editFollowing a pilot episode that was filmed in February 2019 and released in July 2019, the BBC announced that Mandy had been commissioned for a full series in February 2020.[4]
Filming
editFilming took place across England with the primary locations being in London and one of the home counties Hertfordshire. Some scenes were filmed in one of the other home counties, Buckinghamshire. Specific locations in London include Brentford, Bethnal Green, Mile End, Leyton and Hackney. In Hertfordshire: Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, Rickmansworth, Borehamwood and Watford. The pilot episode was filmed in Brentford (191 High Street). In the Broadsword to Donna Ball episode, the pub scene was filmed at The Palm Tree, Mile End and the funeral scene in the same episode was filmed at Heath Lane Cemetery. The funeral scene in the Christmas Special was filmed at St Michael's, Chenies. Chenies Manor doubled as Brampton Hall in the first episode of the second series. Scenes in the SpaceMandy and Fatberg episodes were filmed at the BRE Testing complex in Watford. The library scene in the Fatberg episode was filmed at the Haberdashers' Girls' School, however the leisure centre/pool scenes in the same episode was filmed at the Haberdashers' Boys' School. Scenes in the Get Mandy Carter episode of the third series was filmed at Gadebridge Park. In the Career Ladder episode, the church was St. Paul’s Church in Sarratt. In the Ballad of Mandy Carter episode, Hemel Hempstead Hospital doubled as Crumbs Biscuit Factory. The line dancing competition in the Susan Bloody Blower episode of the first series and the psychic show in the Humandy Statue episode of the third series, were filmed at the Boxmoor Playhouse.
The first series was filmed in February 2020 and aired in mid August 2020. The second series was filmed in June 2021 and aired in early January 2022, with the 2021 Christmas special being released a month earlier in December 2021. The third series was filmed in October 2023 and aired in late March 2024. [5]
Main cast
edit- Diane Morgan as Mandy Carter. She is based on the character of the same name from the Sky One sitcom Rovers.
- Michelle Greenidge as Lola Okonedo Akimbo
- Mark Silcox as various
- Alistair Green as various
- Michael Spicer as various
- Tom Basden as Benefits Advisor
Episodes
edit| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Ave. UK viewers (millions)[citation needed] | Ave. UK viewers (millions)[citation needed] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||
| Pilot | 1 | 25 July 2019 | TBA | TBA | ||
| 1 | 6 | 13 August 2020 | 28 August 2020 | TBA | TBA | |
| 2 | 7 | 20 December 2021 | 19 January 2022 | TBA | TBA | |
| 3 | 6 | 27 March 2024 | 10 April 2024 | TBA | TBA | |
Pilot (2019)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.K. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 25 July 2019 | N/A | |
|
Mandy discovers the sofa of her dreams, but it's way out of her price range, so she turns to a succession of get rich quick schemes to fund it. Guest stars: Gbemisola Ikumelo (Shola), Carol Decker (herself), Rick Edwards (himself) | ||||||
Series 1 (2020)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.K. viewers (millions) [6] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Jobseeker" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 13 August 2020 | 1.59 | |
|
Mandy's employment adviser finds her a job in a banana processing factory. It seems simple enough, but chaos soon follows. | ||||||
| 2 | "Susan Bloody Blower" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 13 August 2020 | 1.38 | |
|
Mandy is determined to win a line dancing endurance challenge, but unfortunately her former friend turned adversary, Susan Blower, has the same idea. Mandy and Lola turn to voodoo in an attempt to stop her. Guest star: Maxine Peake (Susan Blower) | ||||||
| 3 | "Russian" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 20 August 2020 | N/A | |
|
When Mandy advertises her spare room on Airbnb, she finds herself playing host to a taciturn Russian man. Romance ensues, but it's not without its problems: he's an assassin being hunted by MI6, and she's still married to Shaun Ryder. Guest stars: Tony Way (Sergei), Shaun Ryder (himself). | ||||||
| 4 | "Fish" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 20 August 2020 | N/A | |
|
Mandy is fired from her latest job in a sushi restaurant, but befriends one of the diners. Meanwhile Lola is seeking something to bring customers to the salon, so Mandy suggests fish pedicures. Guest star: Sean Lock (Geoff). This was Lock's last performance before his death in August 2021. | ||||||
| 5 | "Meat" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 27 August 2020 | N/A | |
|
Mandy goes on a health kick by quitting smoking, eating more protein, and getting active by offering her services as a dog walker, a combination with unforeseen consequences. Guest stars: David Bradley (Frank), Jackie Clune (Nurse) | ||||||
| 6 | "Broadsword to Donna Ball" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 27 August 2020 | N/A | |
|
An old associate ropes in Mandy to act as lookout for a robbery, but when Mandy falls asleep on the job, she ends up being buried alive. Guest stars: Natalie Cassidy (Donna Ball), Iain Lee (himself) | ||||||
Series 2 (2021–2022)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.K. viewers (millions) [6] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Special | ||||||||||||
| 1 | "We Wish You a Mandy Christmas" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 20 December 2021 | N/A | |||||||
|
Mandy contemplates the true meaning of Christmas, and whether anyone actually likes eating turkey. Guest stars: Jo Hartley (Mandy's Mum), Neil Edmond (Mandy's Dad), Johnny Vegas (Ghost of Christmas Past), Pearce Quigley (Ghost of Christmas Present) and John Cooper Clarke (Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come).[7] | ||||||||||||
| Series | ||||||||||||
| 2 | "The Unpleasantness at Brampton Hall" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 5 January 2022 | 1.65 | |||||||
|
Unpleasantness comes in many different forms, but the unpleasantness at Brampton Hall, a stately home and Mandy's latest workplace, is like none other. Guest stars: Jackie Clune (Mrs. Anderson) | ||||||||||||
| 3 | "Who Are You, Do You Think?" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 5 January 2022 | N/A | |||||||
|
Mandy's job as a cleaner leads to an unexpected role in an episode of a new TV show, Who Are You, Do You Think?. Guest stars: Deborah Meaden (herself), Charlie Chuck (Uncle Charlie) | ||||||||||||
| 4 | "Holiday for One" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 12 January 2022 | N/A | |||||||
|
Lola wins a holiday on a fancy cruise across the sea, but it's only for one. But that won't stop Mandy from having a vacation too. Guest stars: Kate Robbins (Joan MacDonald), Nigel Planer (Captain), Roger Sloman (The Purser) | ||||||||||||
| 5 | "SpaceMandy" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 12 January 2022 | N/A | |||||||
|
Mandy finds herself the face of the next frontier of space exploration: a one-way journey to Mars. Guest stars: Peter McDonald (Dr. Gould), Anna Maxwell Martin (Eva), Konnie Huq (herself) | ||||||||||||
| 6 | "Fatberg" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 19 January 2022 | N/A | |||||||
|
A cushy job down the sewers yields some unexpected training and an extraordinary first day for Mandy. Guest stars: Alexei Sayle (Darren Dugdale), Tom Courtenay (Engineer Woodcock) | ||||||||||||
| 7 | "The Curse of Mandy Carter" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 19 January 2022 | N/A | |||||||
|
Believing she's been cursed by a traveller, and is being hunted by a leather-clad man on a motorbike, Mandy prepares for a frozen future. Guest stars: Jo Hartley (Heather seller), Neil Edmond (Reporter), Nick Mohammed (Future Doctor), Brian Cox (himself) | ||||||||||||
Series 3 (2024)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.K. viewers (millions) [6] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Destination: Dundee" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 27 March 2024 | N/A | |
|
Some surgical modifications enable Mandy to work as an air hostess, where airborne scratchcards turn out to be the least of her worries. Guest stars: Nathan Foad (Kenny), Lucia Keskin (Shona) and Paul Ready (Cooper) | ||||||
| 2 | "Get Mandy Carter" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 27 March 2024 | N/A | |
|
A job protecting a very old tree from climbing children takes Mandy's career in an unexpectedly violent direction. Guest stars: Miles Chapman (Mr Taupe), Robbie Gee (Mr Beige) and Graham Norton (himself) | ||||||
| 3 | "Humandy Statue" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 3 April 2024 | N/A | |
|
Can Psychic Pauline help Mandy to lay the (snooker-playing) ghosts of her past to rest? Guest stars: Beverley Callard (Psychic Pauline), Jackie Clune (Assistant) and Seán Burke (Alex "Hurricane" Higgins) | ||||||
| 4 | "The Career Ladder" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 3 April 2024 | N/A | |
|
Mandy's odd jobs fixing the roof of the local church lead her into direct conflict with the local bird life. Guest stars: Ben Green (Vicar), Michaela Strachan (herself), Aled Jones (himself) | ||||||
| 5 | "Nandy" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 10 April 2024 | N/A | |
|
Mandy's 110-year-old relative buys a baby on the dark web, with life-threatening consequences. | ||||||
| 6 | "The Ballad of Mandy Carter" | Diane Morgan | Diane Morgan | 10 April 2024 | N/A | |
|
After some near-misses at a biscuit factory and an abattoir, Mandy decides the only way to enhance her career prospects is to improve her social status. Guest stars: Linda Lusardi (herself) and Alan Yentob (himself) | ||||||
References
edit- ^ Smith, Gwendolyn (5 January 2022). "Diane Morgan's Mandy is knife-sharp, gleefully silly and a bit tired". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- ^ "Diane Morgan's comedy Mandy commissioned for a second series and first-look image revealed". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Jon Petrie announces new and returning series featuring stellar talent and rising stars at the BBC's Comedy Festival in Cardiff". BBC Press. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Bennett, Steve. "BBC commissions Diane Morgan's Mandy : News 2020 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Harrison, Phil; Dray, Kayleigh; Seale, Jack (27 March 2024). "TV tonight: Diane Morgan's comedy grotesque returns". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "Four Screen Dashboard". BARB. See relevant channel and week(s). Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "We Wish You a Mandy Christmas". IMDb.
External links
edit- Mandy at BBC Online
- Mandy at IMDb