The Power of Parker is a British television comedy series. Created and written by Sian Gibson and Paul Coleman, and starring Conleth Hill as businessman Martin Parker in Stockport in 1990, trying to juggle his debts, his wife, and his mistress. Gibson also stars, along with Rosie Cavaliero. The series aired weekly on BBC One from 28 July 2023, with all six episodes released on the same day on BBC iPlayer. The series was released on DVD on 4 September 2023. It was renewed for a second series in May 2024.[1]
| The Power of Parker | |
|---|---|
 Promotional image showing the main characters. Diane & Martin Parker and Kath | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Paul Coleman Sian Gibson |
| Written by | Paul Coleman Sian Gibson |
| Directed by | Joseph Roberts Andrew Chaplin |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Gill Isles |
| Running time | 29 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 28 July 2023 – present |
Synopsis
editIn Stockport, 1990, Martin Parker (Hill) has a complicated life with personal issues and business debts but things could get worse if his mistress Kath (Gibson) and wife Diane (Cavaliero) team up to bring him down.[2]
Cast
edit- Conleth Hill as Martin
- Sian Gibson as Kath
- Sheila Reid as Gladys
- Rosie Cavaliero as Diane
- Steve Pemberton as Sandy
- George Costigan as Dougie
- Rhiannon Clements as Bev
- Austin Haynes as Ryan
Production
editThe series is written by Paul Coleman and Sian Gibson. Coleman came up with the idea and asked Gibson to write with him. It is set in Stockport, near Manchester, in 1990. Gibson was in Manchester as a student in the 1990s. Cavaliero also studied in Manchester. Lead actor Hill was also in Manchester in 1990, filming the TV show Medics.[3][4] Gibson has described the series as a “suburban Fatal Attraction.[5] The show was commissioned in 2022 under the title Undoing Martin Parker and was filmed in Stockport in early 2023.[6]
Broadcast
editThe series first aired on 28 July 2023 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.[7]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | BBC iPlayer release date | BBC One broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Two Soaps and a Talc" | Andrew Chaplin | 28 July 2023 | 28 July 2023 |
| 2 | "Miss Stockport" | Joe Roberts | 28 July 2023 | 4 August 2023 |
| 3 | "A Dark Horse" | Joe Roberts | 28 July 2023 | 11 August 2023 |
| 4 | "No Words Are Spoken" | Joe Roberts | 28 July 2023 | 18 August 2023 |
| 5 | "White Goods" | Joe Roberts | 28 July 2023 | 25 August 2023 |
| 6 | "Dynamite" | Joe Roberts | 28 July 2023 | 1 September 2023 |
Reception
editLucy Mangan in The Guardian wrote: "this comedy-drama wishes it was a Victoria Wood show".[8] Rachel Cooke in the New Statesman described it as “comic perfection”, but that with its 1990 setting and jokes about “Anneka Rice and Juliet Bravo”, it may be “only half comprehensible to anyone under 45”.[9] The Newspaper i described how the show’s “costume designers have had a ball with some truly horribly 1990s fashions.”[10]
References
edit- ^ "The Power of Parker to return for Series 2". British Comedy Guide. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Robinson, Abby (27 July 2023). "Car Share's Sian Gibson stars in first look at BBC's The Power of Parker". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "NI actor Conleth Hill back in business with Sian Gibson in new show". Belfast Telegraph. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ "The Power of Parker's cast reveal all about the "suspenseful, awkward, funny, sad and engrossing" new series". BBC.com. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ Brown, Helen (28 July 2023). "Sian Gibson interview: 'I've become addicted to clairvoyants. It's like therapy'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ "BBC Comedy commissions Undoing Martin Parker from Bafta Award-winning writers Paul Coleman and Sian Gibson".
- ^ Snell, Calum (22 July 2023). "Mold's Sian Gibson to star in BBC's 'The Power of Parker'". Leader Live. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (28 July 2023). "The Power of Parker review – this comedy-drama wishes it was a Victoria Wood show". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Cooke, Rachel (26 July 2023). "The Power of Parker captures the particular quirks of Nineties northern England". New Statesman. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ Gilbert, Gerard; Walsh, Ben (28 July 2023). "What's on TV this weekend: new BBC sitcom The Power of Parker takes us back to 1990s Stockport". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2023.