MANCHILD SEASON TWO

PLEASE NOTE - REVIEWS OPEN IN NEW WINDOW

EPISODE ONE Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 25 February 2003

DESCRIPTION: "As the series begins, it is Gary and Cheryl's 25th wedding anniversary and Gary can't settle on a suitable present to mark the occasion. A (very) large piece of jewellery is the best he can come up with, but Patrick has another suggestion: why not buy Cheryl a handsome young stud for the night, with no strings attached?Initially disgusted by the idea, Gary has to admit that Patrick has a point - after all, he wouldn't exactly mind if Cheryl turned around and offered him the female equivalent. Perhaps it's just what Cheryl needs - but has he the guts to go through with it? Meanwhile, Terry's latest girlfriend, 24-year-old Melissa, has asked for a present of her own: a new pair of breasts. Proving that he does possess moral fibre, for once, Terry decides that it would be wrong to mess with what is already perfect. But Melissa can be very persuasive - particularly in the bedroom."


EPISODE ONE REVIEW


EPISODE TWO Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 4 March 2003

DESCRIPTION: "James falls for Kitty, a beautiful interior designer, and decides to employ her to re-decorate his apartment...as a means to an end, naturally. But as Nick Fisher's comedy drama continues, he breaks an unwritten Manchild rule - never sleep with a woman aged over 30 - and is forced to deal with the consequences.. As the relationship peters out, Kitty arms herself with the perfect weapon for revenge: an unlimited supply of builders (with sledgehammers). James's friends prove ill-equipped to deal with the situation, and he is forced to seek help from his ex-wife, Elizabeth, to placate the vindictive designer. Terry, meanwhile, is doing his best to hold together his "family", which now features an addition in the form of his daughter Helen's new husband, the none-too-bright Christopher. And things go from bad to worse when, at a family lunch, Christine announces that she has some "happy news ":she and Armando are engaged"
EPISODE TWO REVIEW


EPISODE THREE Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 11 March 2003

DESCRIPTION: "Looking forward to another night on the town in glamorous London, Terry's (Nigel Havers) world is shattered by the news that an old schoolfriend is back in town and keen to meet up - a distinctly rough and volatile character called Dirty Dixon (played by Roger Allam). Over one terrible and thrilling evening, Dirty takes the boys on a tour of the London he knows - one that features bare-knuckle boxing in illegal clubs south of the river, rather than champagne cocktails in Knightsbridge. Along the way, Dixon uses his in-depth knowledge of the "manchildren " to antagonise, intimidate and set them against each other. Can their so-called deep bond of friendship survive after just eight hours in the company of this deeply malevolent and destructive force?"
EPISODE THREE REVIEW


EPISODE FOUR Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 18 March 2003

DESCRIPTION: James's apartment is still in some disarray,and he's forced to temporarily move in with Terry, as the comedy-drama about the "menchildren " continues..In a nod to The Odd Couple, Terry fails to adjust to having his space invaded, and the rift is widened further when James ruins a night in for Terry and his new girlfriend,Pippa. Will Terry learn to be more flexible, or will James find his own habits costing him the friendship of his best mate and a roof over his head? Meanwhile, Gary has decided to splash out on a new logo for his wood decking company. Following Patrick's advice, he employs a cutting-edge young graphics firm to do the job.The head of design, Max, comes up with a suitably high-brow idea, but Gary can't decide if he should stick to his original instincts.
EPISODE FOUR REVIEW


EPISODE FIVE Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 25 March 2003

DESCRIPTION: When a distraught Christine calls Terry to tell him Gherkins, the family dog,is on his last legs and is being put down, Terry enjoys providing a well-needed shoulder to cry on as the comedy-drama about the "menchildren " continues.. Much to Terry 's delight, Christine's new boyfriend, Armando, is noticeably absent. Supported by James, Terry is pretty keen that Gherkin should be despatched - until, that is, he discovers that the old dog has recently been causing tension between Christine and Armando. There now begins a race against time to prolong Gherkin's life through whatever means available ... and for all the wrong reasons. Meanwhile, Gary has spotted a suitably ostentatious boat he'd like to fritter a couple of hundred thousand pounds on. However, Cheryl and Patrick seem to be against his whole idea on grounds of taste, but moody son Wayne may yet prove an unexpected ally. Terry is played by Nigel Havers, James by Anthony Head, Gary by Ray Burdis, Patrick by Don Warrington, Cheryl by Lindsey Coulson, Christine by Christine Kavanagh, Wayne by Robert Craig and the vet by Nicholas Pallister.
EPISODE FIVE REVIEW


EPISODE SIX Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 01 April 2003

DESCRIPTION: Terry discovers that his son, Justin, has plans to make a short film, with funding from Armando. Naturally, Terry steps in, although it quickly becomes apparent that he is about to sink thousands of pounds of his own cash into a cruel hatchet job on himself and his failings as a father. Looking on the bright side, Terry speculates that this might actually be good therapy for Justin and, after all, is it so bad to have your own life immortalised on film? However, casting costs go through the roof after the film's star comes on board, and Terry is forced to enrol his friends in the production to help out. Meanwhile, James has some important family news to discuss; a potentially life-changing situation has arisen that threatens to permanently rob him of his "manchild " status..Terry is played by Nigel Havers, Patrick by Don Warrington, Gary by Ray Burdis, James by Anthony Head, Justin by Will Adamsdale and the film star by Kieran Bew.
EPISODE SIX REVIEW


EPISODE SEVEN Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 08 April 2003

DESCRIPTION: Needs and wants, wants and needs. When does a "want" finish and a "need" begin?? The boys are in philosophical mood. Patrick finds his life entirely devoid of thrills - even making an obscene amount of money in a simple telephone deal doesn't do it for him like it used to. He doesn't want anything, and doesn't need anything either, so the money is of no use to him. Gary, meanwhile, has decided that he "wants" a mistress - not because he is unhappy with Cheryl, but because everyone around him is doing it, and he feels it's not "normal" to be monogamous.. Will the addition of a mistress really bring Gary satisfaction, and will the other boys ever learn to seek happiness through the realisation of genuine dreams, rather than just endless, shallow "shopping lists "?
EPISODE SEVEN REVIEW


EPISODE EIGHT Transmitted on BBC2 - Tuesday 15 April 2003

DESCRIPTION: Christine announces that she intends to sell the family home and buy a villa in Spain for herself and Armando, as Nick Fisher's comedy-drama continues. Christine's kids have all left home and, as she tells Terry, she has a new life to enjoy with her new lover. Terry is initially at a loss as to what to do about this "betrayal" but, with James's help, he soon hits upon a plan: he'll buy the house from Christine himself and organise regular family gatherings without her. The first Sunday lunch Terry stages goes remarkably well and, with the added bonus of a fling with glamorous estate agent Libby, it seems that Terry can do no wrong. Gary, meanwhile, is attempting to "connect" with Wayne..At 15, he has almost stopped communicating with his dad altogether. Gary tries a few different techniques with little success, until Wayne announces that he has something important to tell him.
EPISODE EIGHT REVIEW






Giles