''Making Out'' is a
British television
Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...
series, shown by the
BBC between 1989 and 1991.
The series, created by
Franc Roddam
Francis George "Franc" Roddam (born 29 April 1946) is an English film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher, best known as the creator of ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' and the director of ''Quadrophenia'' (1979). He i ...
, and written by
Debbie Horsfield, mixed comedy and drama in its portrayal of the women who worked on the factory floor at New Lyne Electronics in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
, tackling the personal lives of the characters as well as wider issues of recession, redundancy and
retrenchment as the factory goes through various crises and takeovers.
The music for the series was composed by
New Order (
The Other Two in final episodes). The main theme for the show is an adaptation of the song "Vanishing Point". There is a specific mix of this song called the Making Out Mix.
Cast
The girls
*Queenie (
Margi Clarke), the fiery
Scouse
Scouse (; formally known as Liverpool English or Merseyside English) is an accent and dialect of English associated with Liverpool and the surrounding county of Merseyside. The Scouse accent is highly distinctive; having been influenced h ...
ring-leader of the women.
*Pauline (
Rachel Davies), the union shop steward for the women.
*Jill (
Melanie Kilburn), a new girl at the factory who starts work in the first episode.
*Donna (Heather Tobias), a middle-class woman who is desperate for a baby with her husband.
*Ariadne, known as "Klepto" (
Moya Brady
Moya Brady (born 8 September 1962) is an English actress. Her roles include Breda McQueen on the Channel 4 soap opera '' Hollyoaks'' from 2018 to 2020.
Brady grew up in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. She has appeared in ...
), a young woman bullied by her Greek Orthodox family.
*Carol May (
Shirley Stelfox)
The factory
*Rex (
Keith Allen), a randy boss at the factory who is having an affair with Carol May.
*Norma (
Tracie Bennett), an ambitious, efficient company secretary.
*Bernie (
Alan David), a supervisor of the women on the shop floor.
*Simon (
Gary Beadle), the only man on the floor, romantically attached to "Klepto".
The blokes
*Chunky (
Brian Hibbard), Queenie's no-good petty criminal husband.
*Ray (
Tim Dantay), Jill's husband who eventually leaves her and their kids for another woman, a dimwitted hairdresser called Rosie (
Jane Hazlegrove).
*Frankie (
John Forgeham), Pauline's husband.
*Colin (
David Hargreaves), Carol May's husband.
*Gavin (
John Lynch), a footballer with whom Jill starts a relationship after her husband walks out on her.
*Gordon (Jonathan Barlow), Donna's bank manager husband.
Episodes
Series 1
Broadcast Friday evenings on BBC1 at 9:30pm
The series was repeated on BBC2 on Saturday evenings at 9:35pm from 6 January to 3 March 1990.
Series 2
Broadcast Tuesday evenings on BBC1 at 9:30pm
Series 3
Broadcast Tuesday evenings on BBC1 at 9:30pm
External links
*{{IMDb title, id=0096645, title=Making Out
BBC television dramas
Television shows set in Manchester
1989 British television series debuts
1991 British television series endings
1980s British comedy-drama television series
1990s British comedy-drama television series
English-language television shows