''Chewing Gum'' is a British television

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

created and written by Michaela Coel, based on her 2012 play ''Chewing Gum Dreams''. It stars Coel and Robert Lonsdale. Set in London, the show follows 24-year-old shop assistant Tracey Gordon, a restricted, religious virgin, who wants to have sex and learn more about the world. The show earned Coel the BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme and Breakthrough Talent. The first series debuted on E4 on 13 October 2015 and on

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in the United States on 31 October 2016. The series was removed from Netflix in April 2020 and became available on

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

in February 2021.

Background

In August 2014,

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service i ...

announced that Coel was to star in and write a new sitcom called ''Chewing Gum'', inspired by her play ''Chewing Gum Dreams''. "C4 Comedy Blaps" were released as teasers in September 2014, and the series began on E4 in October 2015. Her performance earned her the

British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance The British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance was instituted in 2009. It is awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), a British organisation that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, c ...

in 2016; she also won a BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent for writing the show. ''Chewing Gum'' received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Series one premiered on 6 October 2015 until 10 November 2015. On 3 December 2015, E4 ordered a second series; it began broadcasting on 12 January 2017. In April 2017, it was announced by

that the show would not be returning for a third series. However, in November 2017, Coel stated via

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that she intended to create a third series at some point in the future. In November 2018, Coel made another statement via Twitter confirming that the show wouldn't return for a third series. Filming locations have included

West London Film Studios West London Film Studios ("WLFS") is a British film studio and television studio complex located in Hayes, Middlesex. The studios cater to small and large productions; for films, television shows, TV adverts and photo shoots. History Frank Kh ...

and the Andover Estate in Holloway, North London.

Cast

* Michaela Coel as Tracey Gordon * Robert Lonsdale as Connor Jones *

John MacMillan John Victor Macmillan OBE DD (1877–1956) was the fifth Bishop of Dover in the modern era who was later translated to Guildford. Born into a publishing family (he was an uncle of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan), he was educated at Eton and ...

as Ronald, Tracey's boyfriend for six years *

Tanya Franks Tanya Christine Franks (born 16 August 1967) is an English actress, producer and writer. She has had starring roles on the television shows '' Family Affairs'', ''The Bill'', '' Pulling'', ''EastEnders'' and '' Broadchurch''. Franks is also the ...

as Mandy, Connor's mother * Danielle Isaie as Candice, Tracey's best friend * Kadiff Kirwan as Aaron, Candice's boyfriend * Susan Wokoma as Cynthia, Tracey's naive sister * Shola Adewusi as Joy, Tracey and Cynthia's religious mother *

Maggie Steed Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret. Maggie may refer to: People Women * Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician * Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist * Maggie Alderson (born 1959), ...

as Esther, Candice's grandmother * Olisa Odele as Ola * Sarah Hoare as Karly Raven * Abby Rakic-Platt as Kristy Raven

Guest

* Cynthia Erivo as Magdalene (series 1) *

Jonathan Bailey Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award. B ...

as Ash (series 2) *

Vera Chok Vera Chok is a Malaysian actress and writer based in the United Kingdom, who has featured in various stage, screen and radio roles. Since December 2021, she has played Honour Chen-Williams in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. Early and pe ...

as Penelope (series 2)

Episodes

Series 1 (2015)

Series 2 (2017)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chewing Gum (Tv Series) 2010s British LGBT-related comedy television series 2010s British sex comedy television series 2010s British sitcoms 2015 British television series debuts 2017 British television series endings Black British sitcoms E4 sitcoms English-language television shows Incest in television Television series about dysfunctional families Television series based on plays Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom Television shows set in London Virginity in television