"Green Wing" (2004) TV series 2004-????

User Rating:

9.1/10   

Creator:

Victoria Pile

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

19 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Funky hospital-based sketch-comedy-drama type show.

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Color In Title | Counsellor | Musical Instrument | Slow Motion

Awards:

4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Sally Bretton	...	Kim Alabaster (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Oliver Chris	...	Boyce (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Olivia Colman	...	Harriet Schulenburg (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Michelle Gomez	...	Sue White (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Tamsin Greig	...	Dr. Caroline Todd (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Pippa Haywood	...	Joanna Clore (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Mark Heap	...	Dr. Alan Statham (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Katie Lyons	...	Naughty Rachel (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Stephen Mangan	...	Dr. Guillaume Secretan (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Lucinda Raikes	...	Karen Ball (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Julian Rhind-Tutt	...	Dr. Macartney (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Karl Theobald	...	Dr. Martin Dear (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Sarah Alexander	...	Dr. Angela Hunter (13 episodes, 2004-2006)
Paterson Joseph	...	Lyndon / ... (9 episodes, 2004-2006)
Keir Charles	...	Oliver (8 episodes, 2004-2006)

Runtime:

UK:65 min (including commercials) (9 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:MA | Australia:M (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

North Hampshire Hospital, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

TalkBack Productions

Trivia:

Stephen Mangan and Michelle Gomez have a tendency to improvise - the scene between Guy and Sue White where Guy is holding a child is entirely improvised, for example.

Quotes:

[Sue has bought Guy at the slave auction since Mac wasn't available]
Sue White: Right, now, you are my slave and I can make you do anything I want you to, Dr Secretan.
Dr. Guilaume Secretan: Yeah, within reason.
Sue White: Well, not necessarily.
[she pulls a red curly wig out of her bag]
Sue White: Right, for instance, pop this on.
Dr. Guilaume Secretan: What?
Sue White: Go on, slave, pop that on!
[Guy puts the wig on reluctantly]
Sue White: Oohh, good, just, er, you know, suck your cheeks in.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Comic Relief: Red Nose Night Live 05 (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Que Onda Guero

Brilliant Show--NOT just another hospital show.

This show is so utterly brilliant. The other day my husband came home while I was watching it and said he could hear me laughing halfway down the sidewalk. May take one or two episodes to acquire a taste for this show, as it is so different from what you're used to watching, but there is so much richness and depth to Green Wing. The characters, while extremely quirky, are still real. While you may be screaming with laughter at some outlandish physical comedy moment or gag one moment, the next they will surprise you with a relatively sober, very dark scene (Joanna and her flip-book of Polaroids of herself as she ages).

In the US, this airs on BBC America. I would recommend it to people who love "Arrested Development." Of course, some of the most quirky and original shows can't last through very many seasons without losing some of their sting. I just hope "Green Wing" doesn't flare out soon, or disappear as its actors become stars in high demand in Britain and the US, as I'm sure many of them will.

By the way, for those of you who are sick of "hospital" shows, don't be fooled. This show couldn't care less about the patients! You almost never even see one, unless used as a meaningless prop beneath a sheet in the operating room. Definitely no "ER," this, thank God.