Julia Davis’s six-part sitcom traps eight middle-class adults and two children in a field overlooking the English Channel, then watches the social contract rot. Vicki Pepperdine’s control-freak Fiona has organised the surprise trip for Jonathan Cake’s smug forty-something Adam; within hours the chemical toilet is overflowing, Steve Pemberton’s hen-pecked Robin is sneaking whisky behind the tent and Julia Davis’ vampish Fay is flirting with every man within reach. The humour is Davis’s trademark cruelté: a mouth ulcer, a dead rabbit and a misplaced box of condoms become weapons in an escalating war of passive aggression, the laughter arriving in short, shocked bursts.
Sky Atlantic burned the series off across two weeks in April 2016, scheduling the episodes back-to-back so the discomfort could fester like a weekend gone wrong. Critics praised the tight 28-minute running time and the precision of the ensemble, particularly Elizabeth Berrington’s put-upon Kerry, whose slow-motion meltdown in episode four is the series’ comic high point. An HBO remake written by Lena Dunham arrived two years later, transplanting the action to California and softening the edges until only the premise remained.
Production Details
Sky Atlantic / 1 Season / 6 Episodes / 2016
Created by: Julia Davis
Showrunner(s): Julia Davis, Henry Normal, Ben Boyer
Writer(s): Julia Davis
Producer(s): Ted Dowd
Cinematography: John Sorapure
Main Cast
Elizabeth Berrington as Kerry
Vicki Pepperdine as Fiona
Julia Davis as Fay
Steve Pemberton as Robin
Jonathan Cake as Adam
Rufus Jones as Tom
Shaun Aylward as Davey
David Bamber as Noel
Rhianna Merralls as Lisa
Nick Mohammed as Dr. Tolley
Grace Hogg-Robinson as Catherine
