Catastrophe (2015 TV series)
| Catastrophe | |
|---|---|
_title.png) | |
| Created by |
Rob Delaney Sharon Horgan |
| Written by |
Rob Delaney Sharon Horgan |
| Directed by | Ben Taylor |
| Starring |
Sharon Horgan Rob Delaney Carrie Fisher Ashley Jensen Mark Bonnar |
| Opening theme | Catastrophe Theme |
| Composer(s) | Oli Julian |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Sharon Horgan Rob Delaney Richard Allen-Turner Jon Thoday Kara Baker |
| Producer(s) | Jack Bayles |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Avalon Television, Merman |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Original release | 19 January 2015 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Catastrophe is a British sitcom first broadcast on 19 January 2015[1] on Channel 4. It stars Sharon Horgan as Sharon Morris and Rob Delaney as Rob Norris, who get together after she falls pregnant following a brief affair while he is in the UK on business.[2] Carrie Fisher, Ashley Jensen, and Mark Bonnar play supporting characters in the series.[2] The show was renewed for a second series in January 2015 and began broadcasting from 27 October 2015, having been brought forward from its original schedule of early 2016. For her performance in the show, Sharon Horgan was nominated for a 2016 British Academy Television Awards for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2016. The show was nominated for a Peabody Award.[3]
Cast
Main characters
- Sharon Horgan as Sharon Morris
- Rob Delaney as Rob Norris
Guest characters
- Ashley Jensen as Fran
- Mark Bonnar as Chris
- Carrie Fisher as Mia (Rob's mother)
- Jonathan Forbes as Fergal (Sharon's brother)
- Daniel Lapaine as Dave
- Tobias Menzies as Dr Harries
- Sarah Niles as Melissa
- Marta Barrio as Mallandra
- Gary Lilburn as Des
- Seeta Indrani as Harita
- Emmanuelle Bouaziz as Olivia
- Amanda Hale as Catherine
Production and broadcast
The series was officially commissioned by Channel 4 in May 2014 after a successful pilot the previous year.[4] The BBC had previously turned down the series after reading the script.[5]
Catastrophe was named after the quote from the movie, Zorba the Greek: "I'm a man, so I married. Wife, children, house, everything. The full catastrophe."[6]
The original theme for the series, "Catastrophe Theme",[7] was composed by Oli Julian.
On January 28, 2015, the show was renewed for a second series, which aired in October 2015.[8] Jay Hunt, Channel 4's chief creative officer, said: "Catastrophe is a real comedy gem. Sharon and Rob have done a magnificent job and we're already looking forward to series two".[9]
Episodes
Series 1 (2015)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 19 January 2015 | 1.10 |
| Irish school teacher Sharon picks up visiting American Rob for a wild weekend of non-stop sex. He returns to Boston, but when Sharon calls to tell him she is pregnant he returns and suggests they become an item, especially after a doctor has told them the pregnancy needs close monitoring. They go to dinner with Sharon's friends Fran and Chris, who are not the best advertisement for marriage, and Rob ends up arguing with Fran. Nonetheless, on their return home Rob proposes to Sharon. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 26 January 2015 | 1.17 |
| Nobody seems to think it a good idea that Rob marries Sharon, certainly not his mother, whom he phones long distance, or Dave, his only friend in London. Fortunately Sharon's brother Fergal is – marginally – more encouraging and helps him choose the cheaper of two engagement rings. So Rob goes down on one knee to Sharon and tries again. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 2 February 2015 | 1.17 |
| Sharon keeps waking in the night worrying about her pregnancy, whilst Rob is having problems generating business for the advertising agency and is relieved to run into Chris, who, on a night out, suggests a career change. Sharon is not encouraging. She herself meets up with old flame Owen, who is now married to a best-selling author, which makes Sharon feel like a failure. Fortunately for her Rob is sympathetic. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 9 February 2015 | 0.90 |
| Rob meets Sharon's parents, who are delighted about the engagement but less so about the pregnancy. Worse is to come when Sharon is told that, as an older mother, she runs the risk of giving birth to a Down Syndrome baby. Rob also has to explain to Fran that Chris is out drinking with him and not having an affair, but this too ends in disaster. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 16 February 2015 | 0.93 |
| Rob is fired, via Skype, for failing to bring in enough customers, but loose cannon friend Dave gets him an interview – and a job offer – with a chemical firm of dubious reputation. Sharon rings Rob's mother with a wedding invitation and is shocked to hear something Rob never told her – that his former girlfriend Betsy had a miscarriage. However after the pair have celebrated Sharon's birthday with friends and relatives, they have a heart to heart which clears the air – almost. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 23 February 2015 | 0.93 |
| Fergal is delighted to act as Rob's best man, but he is also permanently drunk, his wife having left him, whilst Sharon's maid of honour Kate is annoyingly excitable and gets lost on the hen night, having met an eligible man. Rob's stag party, organized by Dave at a pole dancing club, fares no better, as Fergal punches Dave, and Chris cops off with an old flame who is one of the dancers. At least the wedding goes smoothly, but catastrophe strikes on the honeymoon. | ||||||
Series 2 (2015)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 27 October 2015 | 1.43 |
| 8 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 3 November 2015 | 1.43 |
| 9 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 10 November 2015 | 1.50 |
| 10 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 17 November 2015 | 1.23 |
| 11 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 24 November 2015 | 1.02 |
| 12 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Ben Taylor | Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan | 1 December 2015 | N/A |
Broadcast
The series was first broadcast in the UK on Channel 4 from January 2015. In the USA, the series is shown exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video, with the first series added in June 2015. It will be made available to subscribers in the United Kingdom later in the year. Amazon Studios vice president Roy Price said: "Rob and Sharon have created an engaging, contemporary, funny and moving story. We are excited to bring 'Catastrophe' exclusively to our Amazon Prime customers, and can't wait to hear what they think of the series."[10] The show has also been sold to numerous other countries.[11] In Australia it is shown on Australian Broadcasting Corporation,[12] in Canada on Shomi,[11] and in New Zealand on SoHo.[11][13]
References
- ↑ "Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney on sex, parenthood and Catastrophe". The Guardian. 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
- 1 2 "Star Wars' Carrie Fisher in new Sharon Horgan comedy Catastrophe – first look". Radio Times. 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
- ↑ "The 60 Peabody Finalists". Peabody Award. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ "Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan for new Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe". Digital Spy. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ↑ "Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan on Catastrophe: 'We want people to laugh'". Digital Spy. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
- ↑ Horn, John; Lanz, Michelle; Kell, Cameron (12 April 2016). "'Catastrophe' creators embrace raunchy language but think nudity is too distracting". KPCC - The Frame. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ "Catastrophe Theme". SoundCloud. Oli Julian. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- ↑ "Catastrophe series 2 brought forward to October as Channel 4 lines up autumn comedy bonanza". Radio Times. 9 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ↑ "Catastrophe to return for second series on Channel 4". Digital Spy. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ↑ "Catastrophe to be added to Amazon Prime Instant Video". Digital Spy. 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
- 1 2 3 "A global Catastrophe". Chortle. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/catastrophe/
- ↑ "Catastrophe: Far-flung fling with sting". The New Zealand Herald. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.