The Book Group

infobox television
show_name = The Book Group


caption = The cast of "The Book Group"
format = Sitcom
runtime = approx 30 minutes
creator = Annie Griffin
starring = Anne Dudek
Michelle Gomez
James Lance
Rory McCann
Saskia Mulder
Bonnie Engstrom
country = United Kingdom
network = Channel 4
first_aired = 12 April, 2002
last_aired = 28 February, 2003
num_episodes = 12

"The Book Group" was a situation comedy, aired on Channel 4 between 2002 and 2003, and ran for two series. It was written and directed by the American-born Glasgow resident Annie Griffin, who also wrote and directed "Festival". It was the winner of two Bafta Scotland awards.

In January 2006, it was announced that screenwriter Andrew Davies would make a feature film adaptation of "The Book Group" for Film 4, [cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/jan/31/channel4.broadcasting|title=Davies to write Book Group film|date=January 31, 2006|work=The Guardian] but the project was never started.

Plot synopsis

"The Book Group" revolved around the life of Clare Pettengill (Anne Dudek), who, at the start of the series, had recently arrived in Glasgow. She starts up a book club to try to find friends with similar interests. Those whom she encounters are not what she expected: her new group consists of a drug-addled, egotistical postgraduate student (and subsequently his neurotic and ever worrying brother), an easy-going disabled man who aims to be a writer, three discontented footballers' wives, and a straggler who hides his bisexuality with an obsession for football. All of the members are brought together not so much by the books that they read (if they read the book at all), but by their all having ambitions to better their lives and their general contempt for so many others around them.

Cast

*Anne Dudek as Claire
*Rory McCann as Kenny
*Derek Riddell as Rab
*Michelle Gomez as Janice
*James Lance as Barney / Lachlan (Barney's Brother)
*Saskia Mulder as Fist
*Bonnie Engstrom as Dirka
*Gotti Sigurdarson as Lars
*Karen Kilgariff as Jean (Series 2)
*Kerry McGregor as Carol Ann (Series 2)
*Henry Ian Cusick as Miles (Series 2)
*Jack McElhone as Wee Jackie

Crew

*Writer: Annie Griffin
*Director: Annie Griffin
*Producers: Anita Overland (series one), Derrin Schlesinger (season two)

Episodes

eason one

#"On The Road"
#"The Alchemist"
#"Magical Realism"
#"Bedtime Stories"
#"Dark Alley"
#"A Little More Living"

eason two

#"Sueños"
#"Hunger"
#"You Must Change Your Life"
#"Drowning"
#"Research"
#"A'salaam Insha'lah"

External links

* [http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/B/bookgroup/index.html Channel4 Website]
*

References