''Sensitive Skin'' is a BBC television

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series, produced by

Baby Cow Productions Baby Cow Productions Ltd is a British comedy television production company based in London and Manchester, founded by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. Since its establishment it has diversified into radio, animation and film. According to thei ...

for

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

. It stars

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

and was first broadcast in 2005, with a second series following in 2007. Series 1 and 2 have aired on CBC Country Canada. Series 1 aired in Australia on ABC TV in mid-2007 (repeated 2009). On 5 August 2008, BBC Video announced a DVD release. ''Sensitive Skin – The Complete Seasons 1 and 2'' – a 2-disc set including all 12 original episodes from the First and Second Seasons.

Plot summary

Series 1

The first series is about an affluent couple, Al and Davina Jackson (Lumley), who live in metropolitan

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 ...

. Along with their friends, Al and Davina struggle with sexual temptation and professional jealousy and try to cope with their fear of the future. Al is a pundit for a broadsheet newspaper and is paid to find imperfection in everything, while Davina works in an art gallery and is paid to make life more beautiful. But being 60 isn't simple – the couple's 30-year-old son, Orlando (

James Lance James Frederick Grenville Lance (born 29 September 1974) is an English actor, best known for his appearances in a number of British comedy series and the British-American comedy series '' Ted Lasso'' for which he was nominated for a Primetime ...

), refuses to acknowledge adulthood, and Davina's sister, Veronica (

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), Aust ...

), and her husband, Roger, intimidate the Jacksons with their confident and controlled grasp of life.

Series 2

The second series sees Davina attempt to start her life again, six months after the death of Al. She embarks on a journey to rediscover personal happiness, however her efforts are hampered by the difficulties she faces in coping with grief alone and Veronica, who is still blaming her for everything she can.

Episode titles

Unlike the first season, season 2 featured individual episode titles *Episode 1: The Wilderness *Episode 2: Three Lost Loves *Episode 3: The Signals *Episode 4: Forever Jung *Episode 5: Kiss of Life *Episode 6: Here I Am

Main Cast: Season 2

as Davina Jackson (Episodes 1 to 6) * Nicholas Jones as Roger Dorkins (Episodes 1, 3, 5 and 6) *

as Veronica Dorkins (Episodes 1, 3 and 5) * Jean Marsh as Lizzie Galbraith (Episodes 2, 3, 4 and 6) *

Oliver Cotton Oliver Charles Cotton (born 20 June 1944) is an English actor, comedian and playwright, known for his prolific work on stage, TV and film. He remains best known for his role as Cesare Borgia in the BBC's 1981 drama series '' The Borgias''. Early ...

as Sam (Episodes 1, 3, 4 and 6)

Recurring Cast

Patrick Barlow Evan George Patrick Barlow (born 18 March 1947) is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, ''Desmond Olivier Dingle'', is the founder, artistic director and chief executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, whic ...

as Ed Hubler (Episodes 2 and 6) * Maureen Lipman as Sue Shortstop (Episodes 2 and 6) *

Anthony Head Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, w ...

as Tom (Episodes 3 and 6) *

as Orlando Jackson (Episodes 4 and 6) *

Diana Quick Diana Marilyn Quick (born 23 November 1946) is an English actress. Early life and family background Quick was born on 23 November 1946 in London, England. She grew up in Dartford, Kent, the third of four children. Her father was Leonard Q ...

as Cheryl Jackson (Episodes 4 and 6) * Tom Allen as Raphie (Episodes 4 and 6)

Minor Cast

Simon Day Simon William Day (born 7 June 1962) is an English comedian and actor known for his roles in the sketch show '' The Fast Show'' and the sitcom ''Grass''. Career Day was born in Blackheath, London, and rose to fame as a stand-up comic, winning ...

as Mike (Episode 1) * Denise Black as Mike's wife (Episode 1) *

Adam Rayner Adam Chance Abbs Rayner (born 28 August 1977) is an English actor. He is known for television roles including: Dominic Montgomery in '' Mistresses'', Dr. Steve Shaw in '' Hawthorne'', Aidan Marsh in '' Hunted'', Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed in ''Tyr ...

as Greg (Episode 1) *Lucinder Millward as Estate Agent (Episode 1) *

Patrick Malahide Patrick Gerald Duggan (born 24 March 1945), known professionally as Patrick Malahide, is a veteran British film, television and theatre actor, author and producer, known, amongst other things, for his roles as Inspector Alleyn in ''The Inspect ...

as Leonard Richards (Episode 5) * Simon Williams (actor) as Matthew Clasper (Episode 5) *

Deddie Davies Deddie Davies (born Gillian Nancy Davies, 2 March 1938 – 21 December 2016) was a Welsh character actress. Biography Davies was born in Bridgend, Wales. She trained at RADA and is most familiar to television viewers for comedy roles in a hos ...

as Deddie (Episode 2) *Blanche Williams as Blanche (Episode 2) *Sheila Collings as Sheila (Episode 2) *Dinah Nicholson as Woman 1 (Episode 2) *Marina Morgan as Woman 2 (Episode 2) *Keeley Dellar as Woman 3 (Episode 2) *Cate MacKenzie as Woman 4 (Episode 2) *

Sophie Wu Sophie Wu (born 23 December 1983) is a British actress, known for her roles in films such as '' Kick-Ass'' and TV series such as ''The Fades'' as Jay, ''The Midnight Beast'' as Zoe, plus the second and third series of '' Fresh Meat'' as Heather. ...

as Lucy (Episode 2) *

Eileen Essell Eileen Essell (8 October 1922 – 15 February 2015) was an English actress, noted in part for not beginning her screen acting career until the age of 79. She retired from stage acting in 1958 following her marriage to playwright and actor Gera ...

as Davina and Veronica's mother (Episode 3) * Nigel Terry as George Laughton Quentin Evelyn Henry Fitzgerald, a.k.a. Al (Episode 6) *

Toby Longworth Toby Longworth is a British actor who has appeared on film, radio and television. He is originally from Somerset, where he attended King Edward's School, Bath. He has worked most often as a voice actor, however, notably in several science-ficti ...

as Guest (Episode 6)

Reception

The series garnered great critical reception, praising the performances and the melancholic style, which set it apart from the standard cringe-driven comedies that had been in wide circulation since ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original ser ...

''. Public reception was also good, with people appreciating the return of Joanna Lumley and warming to the sparse comedic style. "One of the best pieces of television in years... Sensitive Skin, a portrait of a disturbingly disconnected ageing beauty whose marriage gradually disintegrates, is part comedy, part poignant drama, and is one of the finest performances of Lumley’s 38-year career" Jasper Gerard,

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

Lumley, the grandmother of reinvention
Sunday Times. 30 October 2005

DVD release

''Sensitive Skin – The Complete Seasons 1 and 2'' was released on Region 1 DVD on 5 August 2008. The two-disc collection includes all 12 episodes from the first and second seasons.

Canadian adaptation

A Canadian adaptation, starring

Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British-Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Awa ...

Don McKellar Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963) is a Canadian actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. He is known for directing and writing th ...

Elliott Gould Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s. Elliott's breakthrough role was in the '' Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination ...

, and

Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of Gl ...

, premiered in fall 2014 on

Movie Central Movie Central (occasionally abbreviated as "MC", mostly in program guides) was a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. Movie Central was designated to opera ...

and

The Movie Network Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. Launched in 1983 as the national service First Choice, early difficulties and a subsequent ...

. The 6-episode first season is written by Bob Martin and directed by Don McKellar.

References

External links

*
''Sensitive Skin''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* *{{IMDb title, id=0476940, title=Sensitive Skin 2005 British television series debuts 2007 British television series endings 2000s British comedy-drama television series BBC high definition shows British comedy-drama television shows Television shows set in London BBC television comedy English-language television shows