''Get Real!'' is a 1998 British

sitcom A sitcom, a 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 troupe may use ...

. It starred

Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards (for ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and ''Private Lives'') and a Tony Award (for ''Private Lives''). She has starred in several plays by Ha ...

, Simon Godley,

Lloyd Owen Richard Marcus Lloyd Owen (born 14 April 1966) is an English actor. Trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, he is known for portraying Indiana Jones's father Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. in ...

and

Lesley Vickerage Lesley Francesca Vickerage is an English actress best known for her roles as WPC Jenny Dean in the television series '' Between the Lines'', as Lieutenant (later Captain) Kate Butler in ''Soldier Soldier'', as Helen Lynley in the television serie ...

. It was made by Tandem Television and

Carlton Television Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Tele ...

(developed in association with Red Rooster Film & Television Entertainment) for the ITV network.

Plot

Louise (Duncan), Adam (Owen), Lestor (Godley) and Francine (Vickerage) are four

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

ers in their late 20s or early 30s (although Duncan was 48 at the time of filming), all living in

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also a name given to ...

. They are constantly meeting up in each other's flats or in a nearby coffee bar to drink and discuss life, love and sex (possibly due to some of the subject matter being dealt with, the series was broadcast in a post-'' News at Ten'' slot). Adam was the smart, cool one; Louise his glamorous friend and landlady; Lestor, his

nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly tec ...

ish best friend; and Francine his latest girlfriend, a newcomer to the bunch who – lacking confidence with new people – was finding it hard to fit in. Furthermore, Adam and Louise had enjoyed a brief fling in the past and there was still an attraction between them. Due to the status of the characters as young, metropolitan singles, as well as the nature of the characters themselves and the contemporary urban setting in which they are set, the show could be seen as an attempt to be a British equivalent to the more famous American sitcoms from around the same time that followed this trend, such as ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

'' or ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...

''. Unfortunately, one of the reasons that it was not deemed a big success was that many television critics who watched it could not help comparing them with the like of ''Friends'', ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'' or ''Seinfeld'', particularly in the first few episodes. They condemned it as a poor attempt to imitate that type of American sitcom, and hence ITV cancelled it after its only series of seven episodes. However, according to

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

in the ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'':

Episodes

*1. Part of the Furniture (6 July 1998) *2. Secrets (13 July 1998) *3. Patches (20 July 1998) *4. Parking (27 July 1998) *5. Funny Guy (3 August 1998) *6. Leg (10 August 1998) *7. Hero (17 August 1998)

References

, ''BBC Online Comedy Guide''/''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy''. *British TV Online Resources.

External links

Real!'' at the British TV Online Resources.
* {{IMDb title, 0166433, Get Real! 1998 British television series debuts 1998 British television series endings 1990s British sitcoms ITV sitcoms Television series by ITV Studios Carlton Television Television series by All3Media English-language television shows