''Grownups'' is a

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

written by Susan Nickson, who also created hit BBC Three sitcom '' Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps''. It follows the trials and tribulations of a group of twentysomething friends in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, facing the decision to either carry on partying or settle down. The first episode aired on 7 May 2006 on BBC Three and appeared at number eight on the

Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Barb Audiences Ltd (formerly Broadcasters Audience Research Board) is a British organisation that compiles audience measurement and television ratings in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1981 to replace two previous systems whereby ITV (T ...

(BARB) top ten of most watched BBC Three programmes for that week. The show made only one more entry on the chart for the rest of the first series, when it reached number nine, some two weeks later. A second series was produced, with studio recordings taking place between May and July 2007. The first two episodes aired back-to-back on BBC Three on Sunday 5 August. Unlike the first series, the second series displayed more adult humour, including more intense sexual references. The first episode of the second series appeared at number eight in the BARB weekly top ten for BBC Three, with the second episode which aired immediately afterward, at number nine. A third series was commissioned by the BBC and tickets to see live filming went on sale on the official BBC Tickets website in September 2008. The first episode of the third series aired 13 January 2009.

Characters

*Michelle Booth ( Sheridan Smith) is the central character of the show. She is a 27-year-old

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who lives in the trendy Northern Quarter of

. Despite her job, Michelle's life is a contradiction, because she is passionate about alcohol, squirty cream, and her favourite food, Flumps. *Claire Finnerty (2006–2007) (Fiona Wass) is Michelle's best mate – a

beautician Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such a ...

. She is very wild and loves biting men. From her behaviour towards both genders, she could be either

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

or she could be just a single young woman willing to experiment, flirt, and have fun with both genders before settling down. *Grant Grant ( Steven Meo) has fancied Michelle for years, and is always wondering why she has not gone for his Welsh charms. He is a solicitor, sensitive, smart, he has a large obsession with Judge John Deed. *Mike Booth (2006) ( Rob Rouse) is Michelle's brother, who lives with her after being kicked out of his parents' house in the first episode. He is a DJ and has a strange obsession with singing the song he wrote: "''DJ Mike, making love to you every night.''" *Dean Adewale (2006) ( O. T. Fagbenle) is the new man in Michelle's life, although he worries that Michelle is not into commitment. *Chris (2007–2009) ( Richard Mylan) replaced Mike as Michelle's flatmate. They know each other from university and he is studying for a PhD. Is apparently extremely well endowed, having compared his penis to a can of

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...

and his testicles to

Ribena Ribena ( ) is a brand of blackcurrant-based soft drink (both uncarbonated and carbonated), and Squash (drink), fruit drink concentrate designed to be mixed with water. It is available in bottles, cans and multi-packs. Originally of England, Engl ...

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone fruit, stone or pit (fruit), pit although many wikt:pip#Etymology 2, pips or seeds may be p ...

anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor (AR). Anabolism, Anaboli ...

s. *Rachel (2007) ( Naomi Bentley) is Michelle and Claire's boss. She is very rich and just as mental. Her dialogue (and very male growl) suggest that she could be a transsexual. *Alex Salade (2007–2009) ( Warren Brown) is a barman at Bar Salade where the cast often go out for social drinking. Alex removes his shirt at every given opportunity, going as far as creating reasons; for instance, deliberately spilling a drink and being "forced" to mop it up with his shirt. He has a huge ego (when Chris tried to fight with Alex, he replied: "I wouldn't do that. You see, I'm really, really, really, really, really hard ... and hot."). *Jenny (2009) ( Leah MacRae) is a barmaid who works alongside Alex in Bar Salade, described as Michelle's best friend. Alex fancies Jenny, but Jenny fancies Grant.

Critical reception

The

British Comedy Guide British Comedy Guide or BCG (formerly the British Sitcom Guide or BSG) is a Great Britain, British website covering British comedy, British comedies. BCG publishes guides to TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, va ...

gave the show a negative review, stating " ''Grownups'' is as far, far away from being able to be called a good sitcom as is possible" and criticised the show for having "wooden setups and weak jokes". rownups http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/grownups/ British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 26 April 2014.

Episodes

Series 1 (2006)

Series 2 (2007)

Series 3 (2009)

Two Pints: Comic Relief Special 2009

The cast of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Grownups, and

Coming of Age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

, starred in the first episode of the eighth series of Two Pints for

Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

. All of the regular cast from all three shows appeared. The episode was sub-titled " When Janet Met Michelle". Sheridan Smith (who played Michelle in Grownups and Janet in Two Pints of Lager) appeared in both roles, by use of camera tricks and a body double.

References

External links

*
''Grownups'' official BBC site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grownups (2006 Tv Series) 2006 British television series debuts 2009 British television series endings 2000s British teen sitcoms BBC television sitcoms BBC high definition shows Television shows set in Manchester British English-language television shows