- No Problem! (TV series)
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No Problem! 
Genre Comedy Created by Black Theatre Co-operative Written by Farrukh Dhondy,
Mustapha Matura [1]Directed by Nic Phillips Starring Victor Romero Evans, Malcolm Frederick, Judith Jacob, Janet Kay, Sarah Lam, Shope Shodeinde, Chris Tummings, Angela Wynter [2] Country of origin United Kingdom Language(s) English No. of series 3 No. of episodes 27 Production Executive producer(s) Humphrey Barclay Producer(s) Charlie Hanson Location(s) London Running time 30 minutes Broadcast Original channel Channel 4 Original run 7 January 1983 – 1 June 1985 No Problem! was a Channel 4 sitcom which ran from 1983 to 1985, created by the Black Theatre Co-operative. The show was written by Farrukh Dhondy and Mustapha Matura. [1] 27 episodes were broadcast of the programme which focused on a family of Jamaican heritage, the Powells, living in a council house in Willesden Green, London. [3] It was voted Britain's 100th best sitcom in a poll carried out by the BBC. [4]
No Problem! was the first sitcom to be broadcast on Britain's new Channel 4 TV station. It was also the first comedy series to specifically address the lifestyle of the British black community. [5] The show's producers made a conscious decision to focus on comedy rather than "race issues", which drew some criticism. Writing for the BFI website "ScreenOnline", critic Mark Duguid wrote:
The 1980s saw television moving with the times and beginning to respond, albeit awkwardly, to calls for greater sophistication in black representations. No Problem! (ITV, 1983-85) drew its cast and creators from the Black Theatre Co-operative, and concerned the teenage and twentysomething Powell kids, left to fend for themselves in a Willesden council house after their parents have returned to Jamaica. But the accent was on comedy, not politics, and the show quickly alienated some black activists, who objected to the narrow roles allotted to its female characters, to its casual jokes at the expense of Asians (ironic given its Asian co-writers, Farukh Dhondy and Mustapha Matura), and even to the scenario itself, which, in the words of cultural critic Paul Gilroy, put "voluntary repatriation at the heart of the situation". [6]
Cast
Bellamy Victor Romero Evans Beast Malcolm Frederick Sensimilia Judith Jacob Angel Janet Kay Susannah Sarah Lam Terri Shope Shodeinde Toshiba Chris Tummings Melba Angela Wynter References
- ^ a b Smith, Gabrielle (2010-12-03). "Throwback TV: No Problem!". UK: I Am The NuBlack. http://www.iamthenublack.com/2010/12/03/throwback-tv-no-problem/. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
- ^ Belcher, David (1984-01-14). "Weekend Viewing Guide". The Glasgow Herald (Glasgow, Scotland): pp. 18. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lsJAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-6UMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3218,2148479&dq=no-problem+channel-4+janet-kay&hl=en. Retrieved 2011-04-28. "The return of the patch comedy series about five young black Londoners whose parents have sold the family business and retired to Jamaica, and left them to run the family house in Willesden. With Shope Shodeinde, Victor Romero Evans, Janey Kay, Chris Tummings and Judith Jacobs."
- ^ Lewisohn, Mark (2003-09-10). "BBC - Comedy Guide - No Problem!". BBC. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. http://replay.web.archive.org/20070519163250/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/n/noproblem_1299002339.shtml. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ^ "BBC - Comedy - Britain's Best Sitcom". BBC. 2003-07-28. Archived from the original on 2007-02-07. http://replay.web.archive.org/20090207133516/http://bbc.co.uk/sitcom/atoz/n.shtml. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ^ Worthington, TJ (November 2002). "Part One: From The Comic Strip to The Cosby Show". Off The Telly. Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. http://www.webcitation.org/5yHn8ik8e. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
- ^ Duguid, Mark. "Race and the Sitcom - How the sitcom has tackled one of society's must difficult subjects". British Film Institute. http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1108234/. Retrieved 2011-04-28.
External links
- No Problem! at BBC Online Guide to Comedy
- No Problem! (TV series) at the Internet Movie Database
- No Problem! - Episode Guide
- No Problem - Series 1 - Episode 1 - Part 1 - from Janet Kay's official Youtube channel
- No Problem - Series 1 - Episode 1 - Part 2
- No Problem - Series 1 - Episode 1 - Part 3
Categories:- Black British sitcoms
- Channel 4 sitcoms
- 1983 in British television
- British television sitcoms
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