Series 4, Episode 8 (Cold Feet)
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Series 4, Episode 8 is the final episode of the fourth series of the British
comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
television series ''
Cold Feet ''Cold Feet'' is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his 1997 Comedy Premieres, Comedy ...
''. It was written by
Mike Bullen Michael J. Bullen (born 13 January 1960) is an English screenwriter best known for creating the Granada Television series ''Cold Feet'', which won him the Writer of the Year award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards. He wrote two more series for ...
, directed by Ciaran Donnelly, and was first broadcast on the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
network on 10 December 2001. The plot follows on directly from the previous episode, as Adam and Rachel (
James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994). ...
and
Helen Baxendale Helen Victoria Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English actress of stage and television. She is known for her roles as Rachel Bradley in the British comedy drama ''Cold Feet'' (1997–2003) and Emily Waltham in the American sitcom ''Friends'' ...
), and Karen and David (
Hermione Norris Hermione Norris is an English actress. She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s, before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her breakout role of Karen Marsden in the comedy dr ...
and
Robert Bathurst Robert Guy Bathurst (born 22 February 1957) is a British actor. Bathurst was born in The Gold Coast (British colony), The Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. In 1959, his family moved to Ball ...
) travel to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia for Pete and Jo's ( John Thomson and
Kimberley Joseph Kimberley Joseph (born August 30, 1973) is a Canadian Australian actress who is based in the United States. Joseph was born in Canada, brought up on the Gold Coast in Australia and educated in Switzerland. After returning to Australia, she beg ...
) impromptu wedding. Adam is sceptical that Pete is truly in love with Jo, and Jo's rich father Rod (
Gary Sweet Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in ''Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), ''Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody (TV series), Cody'' (as Cody), ''Big Sky (Australian ...
) suspects that Pete is only marrying her to get access to his money. Under pressure from Rod, Pete gets
cold feet ''Cold Feet'' is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his 1997 Comedy Premieres, Comedy ...
and he and Jo call off the wedding. The couple soon reconcile and marry with Rod's blessing. Meanwhile, David discovers that Karen has been having an affair with her colleague Mark (
Sean Pertwee Sean Carl Roland Pertwee (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer. His credits include ''Chancer'' (1990), '' Leon the Pig Farmer'' (1992), '' Cadfael'' (1994), ''Bodyguards'' (1997), ''Event Horizon'' (1997), '' Stiff Upp ...
) and ends their marriage, and Rachel gives birth prematurely in a Sydney hospital. The episode was conceived by Mike Bullen and ''Cold Feet''s executive producer
Andy Harries Andrew Harries''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''. Volume 15, page 1493, reg # 792. (born 7 April 1954) is chief executive and co-founder of Left Bank Pictures, a UK based production company formed in 2007. ...
in 2000. Both attended a television conference in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
and decided to contrive the main plot of the fourth series so the characters would end up in Australia. Helen Baxendale was pregnant and could not fly to Australia, so all scenes featuring Rachel were filmed 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 ...
and
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
, England. After
location scouting Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work ...
and casting around the Sydney area in May and July, production in Australia ran for 18 days in October 2001. Locations used included a heritage home in
Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.
for the wedding scenes, Palm Beach for a beach barbecue scene, and outside the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
. The episode was watched by nearly nine million people on its original UK broadcast and received a mixed reaction from newspaper critics; some believed the trip to Sydney was an unnecessary jaunt for the cast and crew, others selected the episode as a "pick of the day". It also received mixed reviews in Australia and New Zealand. Kimberley Joseph's performance was praised, as was Gary Sweet's guest role. The episode represented the series when it won the award for Best Drama Series at the
British Academy Television Awards 2002 The 2002 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 21 April 2002. The ceremony was hosted by the television presenter Chris Tarrant and broadcast on ITV the following day. Winners * Best Actor **Winner: Michael Gambon – '' Perfe ...
.


Plot

Adam and Rachel (
James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994). ...
and
Helen Baxendale Helen Victoria Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English actress of stage and television. She is known for her roles as Rachel Bradley in the British comedy drama ''Cold Feet'' (1997–2003) and Emily Waltham in the American sitcom ''Friends'' ...
), and Karen and David (
Hermione Norris Hermione Norris is an English actress. She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s, before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her breakout role of Karen Marsden in the comedy dr ...
and
Robert Bathurst Robert Guy Bathurst (born 22 February 1957) is a British actor. Bathurst was born in The Gold Coast (British colony), The Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. In 1959, his family moved to Ball ...
) arrive in Sydney, Australia for Pete and Jo's ( John Thomson and
Kimberley Joseph Kimberley Joseph (born August 30, 1973) is a Canadian Australian actress who is based in the United States. Joseph was born in Canada, brought up on the Gold Coast in Australia and educated in Switzerland. After returning to Australia, she beg ...
) hastily arranged wedding. Jo's father Rod Ellison (
Gary Sweet Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in ''Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), ''Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody (TV series), Cody'' (as Cody), ''Big Sky (Australian ...
) is surprised to learn that his daughter is marrying a man he suspects is only after his money. After speaking to Rod, Adam tells Pete that he thinks the wedding is going ahead for the wrong reasons. Pete reacts angrily and tells Adam to forget being his best man. The following morning, Rod tries to bribe Pete to call off the wedding, but Pete declines. He later overhears Rod forbidding Jo to marry him and tells her they ought to postpone the wedding. Jo is devastated at his decision, and tells him to get out of her house. She confides her sorrow in her ex-fiancé Shawn (
Sandy Winton Alexander Gordon WintonNewington College Register of Past Students 1863–1998 (Syd, 1999) pp 218 (born 18 December 1970) is an Australian actor. From 2010 to 2012, he portrayed Michael Williams in the soap opera ''Neighbours''. Career Winton ...
), who unsuccessfully tries to restart their relationship by proposing to her. Rachel, who is spending most of her time in her hotel room on account of her pregnancy, receives a visit from her expatriated lesbian sister Lucy (
Susannah Doyle Susannah Doyle (born 5 July 1966) is an English actress, notable for her roles as Joy Merryweather in ''Drop The Dead Donkey'' (1991–1998), and as Avril Burke in ''Ballykissangel'' (2001). Her other credits include ''Scandal (1989 film), Scan ...
). Lucy tells Rachel that she has been sleeping around with men in order to have a child. When Adam learns of this, he suggests to Lucy that she use some of his banked sperm. They broach the idea to Rachel, who is disgusted at the thought of her husband having a baby with her sister and forbids it from going ahead. Meanwhile, Karen finally assures David that the animosity between them caused by his extramarital affair is in the past. She emails Mark Cubitt (
Sean Pertwee Sean Carl Roland Pertwee (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer. His credits include ''Chancer'' (1990), '' Leon the Pig Farmer'' (1992), '' Cadfael'' (1994), ''Bodyguards'' (1997), ''Event Horizon'' (1997), '' Stiff Upp ...
), a man ''she'' has been having an affair with in England, to tell him their fling is over. Mark arrives at her apartment the next morning and spends the day with her after David cancels a visit to an art gallery with her. He convinces her that David is still the same insensitive man that he has always been. The next day, Karen tells Rachel that she will leave David to be with Mark. Pete and Adam make up after their row and Adam goes to Jo's to collect Pete's clothes. Her regret over her breakup with Pete leads Adam to convince Rod that he should give the wedding his blessing. He follows David to a business meeting with Rod, which David has arranged as a prelude to emigrating his family to Sydney, and with David's help changes Rod's mind about Pete. Rod later meets Jo and Pete to give them his blessing, and they reconcile. On the day of the wedding, David finally reveals his plans for the family to Karen, unaware that Mark is in the apartment. Karen is surprised that David has made the plans, including finding a house for them to live in. Mark is irritated by David's attitude and reveals the affair to him. Enraged, David lashes out at Mark and the two fight. Karen angrily tells Mark to leave. Outside the hotel, Rachel goes into premature labour. Adam rushes her to hospital, where she is taken into surgery. At the wedding venue, Pete asks David to take Adam's place as best man. As Adam has the rings, David volunteers his own wedding band to Pete, and Karen does the same for Jo. Pete and Jo exchange their wedding vows and are pronounced husband and wife. After the wedding, Karen tries to approach David but he just walks away, telling her "no more". Later, Pete, Jo and Karen join Adam and Rachel at the hospital, where they are introduced to the baby, Matthew Sydney Williams. David flies home alone in tears.


Production


Writing

The episode was devised following a lecture given by writer
Mike Bullen Michael J. Bullen (born 13 January 1960) is an English screenwriter best known for creating the Granada Television series ''Cold Feet'', which won him the Writer of the Year award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards. He wrote two more series for ...
and executive producer
Andy Harries Andrew Harries''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''. Volume 15, page 1493, reg # 792. (born 7 April 1954) is chief executive and co-founder of Left Bank Pictures, a UK based production company formed in 2007. ...
at the
Screen Producers Association of Australia Screen Producers Australia (SPA), formerly the Screen Producers' Association of Australia (SPAA) and earlier names, is a national organisation representing film production businesses, emerging producers, service providers and screen industry supp ...
conference in November 2000.de Lisle, Rosanna (11 December 2000).
Manchester six go walkabout
. ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'' (Fairfax Media): p. 4 (''The Guide'' section).
Harries, Andy. (2003). ''Interview on bonus disc of "Cold Feet: The Complete Story" DVD'' VD Video Collection International. Bullen and Harries already knew that actress
Fay Ripley Fay Ripley (born 26 February 1966)Ripley, Fay (25 February 2011).Don't tell me you are going to get my followers up to 5,000 for my birthday tomorrow...I say my birthday tomorrow. Twitter. Retrieved 26 February 2011. is an English actress, telev ...
did not want to renew her contract to play Jenny Gifford for the whole fourth series, so developed a storyline where Jenny's ex-husband Pete would meet and fall in love with an Australian woman after his divorce. The storyline would culminate in an episode set in Australia, which Harries wanted "for no desperately good reason except that it's a nice place to go". The storyline was plotted and Kimberley Joseph was cast as Jo Ellison, who makes her first appearance in Series 4, Episode 1. As originally planned, the fourth series would have depicted all of the main characters permanently emigrating to Australia; Bullen said, "One of them
he characters He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter call ...
whose relationship is no more, meets an Australian in England and he comes out here, and the notion is that the others follow. Then one of the others would have a reason for wanting to walk away from his life so he comes out here too. That's really an excuse to bring everyone out, and the final episode would be a 90-minute special looking back on their lives up to that point; because it would be the last episode with these characters." Having the characters permanently based in Australia opened up the possibility of spin-off series set in the country. The direction of the fourth series, and thus the finale, changed significantly when Helen Baxendale announced that she was pregnant. Bullen wanted the episode to be an ordinary episode of ''Cold Feet'' that just happened to be set in Australia. The original script included stereotypical references to Australian culture, such as " prawns on the barbie", but these were cut to avoid turning the episode into a travelogue. Bullen told the ''
Sun Herald The ''Sun Herald'' is a U.S. newspaper based in Biloxi, Mississippi, that serves readers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The paper's current executive editor and general manager is Blake Kaplan, and its headquarters is in the city of Gulfpo ...
'', "I really wanted to go beyond '
no worries ''No worries'' is an expression in English language, English meaning "do not worry about that", "that's all right", "forget about it" or "sure thing". It is similar to the American English "''no problem''". It is widely used in Australian and N ...
' and ' she'll be right mate'. We've asked most of the local actors to improvise with their own sayings, to make sure we get it right." In 2003, Bullen recalled this episode's script as the most difficult he had ever written.Bullen, Mike (22 February 2003). "And they all lived happily ever after...". ''Western Mail'' (Western Mail & Echo): p. 4. The collapse of Karen and David's marriage was a controversial issue among the writer and producers; two characters had already divorced and Harries wanted to avoid all three of the main relationships failing. After enjoying the quality of the Australian guest stars, Bullen joked to the ''Sun Herald'' that he would write a spin-off series featuring Gary Sweet.Sams, Christine (7 October 2001).
TV's coolest Brits warm their feet in Aussie sand
. ''
Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a Conservatism, conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Rupert Murdoch, Murd ...
'' (The Herald and Weekly Times): p. 45.
Eventually, no spin-off series were created. This episode was produced as the final episode of ''Cold Feet''; Mike Bullen did not believe he could continue writing another series and cast members were eager to take other roles. During production in Australia, Bullen's interest in the series was renewed, and he decided he would like to write a final run of episodes.


Filming

The episode was directed by Ciaran Donnelly, who also directed the previous episode. Mike Bullen visited Sydney in March 2001 to scout for locations. He was followed in May by producer
Spencer Campbell Spencer Campbell (born 1953) is an English television producer and director. He is perhaps best known for producing the television series ''Cold Feet'' and ''4 O'Clock Club'', the former of which earned him a BAFTA TV Award in 2002. Career C ...
and production designer Chris Truelove, who made preliminary casting decisions and scouted more locations. They finalised the arrangements in July. Unusually, the production schedule was drawn up without a final script in place.Miller, Kylie (23 May 2002).
Travelling south
''The Age'' (Fairfax Media): p. 8 (''Green Guide'' section).
This caused complications as Campbell allocated too much time for filming in Sydney and not enough in Manchester. As a result, some scenes set in Sydney were filmed in Manchester; the scene where the characters arrive at
Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport — colloquially Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney Airport or Mascot Airport — is an international airport serving Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district, in the subu ...
was filmed in a hall at the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
. Campbell rationalised that viewers who had never been to Sydney would not be able to tell the difference.Campbell, Spencer. (2003). ''Interview on bonus disc of "Cold Feet: The Complete Story" DVD'' VD Video Collection International. Helen Baxendale was nearing the end of her pregnancy, so could not join the rest of the cast abroad, thus all of her scenes were filmed in Manchester and Salford. The scenes in Rachel and Adam's hotel room were shot at the Lowry Hotel in Salford and exterior scenes of the hotel were filmed at the GMEX Centre. The taxi that takes Rachel and Adam to the hospital was a
Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...
car imported to Britain from Australia and altered to look like a taxi. The final scene of the episode was filmed on an aeroplane set constructed in a studio. Robert Bathurst said, "We shot the scene in the studio because we weren't allowed to film on a real aircraft. So we had to get sections of a plane's interior and stick them all together. The bits were flapping all over the place whenever anyone moved. I had to look out the porthole and have a weep. As I was doing that, I looked out and there through the window, standing where the wing should be, was the show's carpenter trying to hold the set together." Production in Sydney commenced the week beginning 1 October and lasted for 18 days. The main cast and Sean Pertwee were flown out along with a skeleton crew. Additional staff were drawn from those already working for Granada Australia, the Australian production arm of
Granada Productions ITV Studios Limited is a British multinational television media company owned by British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadcasters, and is bas ...
, as flying a complete British crew overseas would have been prohibitively expensive. Filming locations included Hyde Park,
Kirribilli Kirribilli is a Suburb (Australia), suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the Local governm ...
,
Double Bay Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality o ...
and the
Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the ...
. The scenes of Shawn's barbecue were filmed in Palm Beach and the facade of a terraced house in
Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...
was used for an establishing scene of Lucy's apartment. The wedding scenes were set in the grounds of Strickland House,
Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.
. Another scene was filmed on location outside the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
. While preparing for the scene, Hermione Norris and Robert Bathurst were distracted by a group of British tourists yelling that Karen should leave David after David's affair in Series 3. The group remained quiet when the scene was being shot. Karen and David's apartment was filmed at a building near
Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...
in
Milsons Point Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney. Milsons Point is also the geo ...
. A stunt team co-ordinated the fight scene between Mark and David but could not convincingly choreograph a headbutt between Mark and David. The stunt co-ordinator and Pertwee, who was already experienced in stunt fighting, agreed Pertwee would get a better reaction from Bathurst by almost headbutting his face for real, instead of "hitting air". Initially startled by the move, Bathurst conceded that it was better for him to be surprised as he might have flinched if he had known what Pertwee was about to do. Hermione Norris found the scene upsetting insofar as it was unusual to see Robert Bathurst playing David in such an emotional state.Norris, Hermione (2002). ''"Cold Feet Backstage" featurette on "Cold Feet: The Complete 4th Series" DVD''. VD Granada Interactive.


Reception

The episode was originally broadcast in an extended 90-minute commercial timeslot on 10 December 2001 on the ITV network in the United Kingdom (
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...
, STV and UTV) and on
TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...
in Ireland. Unofficial overnight ratings recorded an average of 8.5 million viewers and a 37% audience share for the episode in the UK.Deans, Jason (11 December 2001).
Sydney sunshine warms Cold Feet
. mediaguardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). Retrieved on 14 July 2009
archived
by WebCite on 1 June 2011).
Final ratings, accounting for PVR viewings, rose to 8.95 million (38% share), making it the twenty-first most-watched show of the week. The fourth series had been broadcast on ITV on consecutive Sunday and Monday nights, and the Monday ratings had been considerably lower. Episode 8 marked the peak of the Monday night ratings. The episode received mixed reaction from newspaper critics. In the ''
Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...
'', Rachael Tinniswood wrote that the episode "was a fantastic display of everything that has made ''Cold Feet'' such a popular drama over the past few years" and that Kimberley Joseph had proved to be "a more than adequate replacement" for Fay Ripley over the course of the fourth series. Tony Purnell wrote in the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' that "The fact that the gang ended up in Australia showed just how much the series had lost its way." Graham Young in the ''
Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country and ''Birmingham Live'' online) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England, but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts ...
'' wrote that the excursion to Sydney "smacks more of giving the cast a treat after four years, rather than any real necessity of the script". The '' Daily Record''s critic wrote "if this is the last-ever episode, we should make the most of what has been a relatively disappointing series". In a column about ''
Chewin' the Fat ''Chewin' the Fat'' is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show among other actors such as Tom Urie. ''Chewin' the Fat'' ...
'', ''
Scotsman Scottish people or Scots (; ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland (o ...
'' critic Aidan Smith accused the episode—"which somehow managed to squeeze the Harbour Bridge into every shot"—of being the point the series
jumped the shark The idiom "jumping the shark", or "shark jumping", or to "jump the shark"; means that a creative work or entity has evolved and reached a point in which it has exhausted its core intent and is introducing new ideas that are discordant with or ...
. ''
Times Time is the continued sequence of existence and events, and a fundamental quantity of measuring systems. Time or times may also refer to: Temporal measurement * Time in physics, defined by its measurement * Time standard, civil time specificat ...
'' columnist
Caitlin Moran Catherine Elizabeth Moran ( ; born 5 April 1975) is an English journalist, broadcaster, and author at ''The Times'', where she writes two columns a week: one for the Saturday Magazine, and the satirical Friday column "Celebrity Watch". Moran w ...
described it as "both draining and tensifying". Moran went on to say that Adam and Rachel had become poorly characterised and suggested that Mike Bullen had come to loathe the characters. The episode was selected as a "pick of the day" in ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday 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 N ...
''. Writing in the ''Journal of British Cinema and Television'' in 2006, Greg M. Smith analysed the development of the David character over the course of Series 4, including the fantasy scene in this episode where David imagines living with Karen in Australia, and the scene where David and Karen take off their wedding rings: "Old, exhausted love is traded for new, vibrant love in this single gesture. Karen pursues David as he storms off after the ceremony, shouting his name, undoubtedly ready to alternate once more between pain and partial forgiveness, as they have done throughout their marriage. David turns and says: 'No, Karen. No more'."
archived
on author's website).
Smith also compared the scene to the wedding scene in the film ''
The Best Years of Our Lives ''The Best Years of Our Lives'' (also known as ''Glory for Me'' and ''Home Again'') is a 1946 American drama film directed by William Wyler and starring Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo and Harold Ru ...
'' (
William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous awards and accolades, including three Aca ...
, 1946). ITV submitted the episode to the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
(BAFTA) to represent the series in the Best Drama Series category at the
British Academy Television Awards 2002 The 2002 British Academy Television Awards were held on Sunday 21 April 2002. The ceremony was hosted by the television presenter Chris Tarrant and broadcast on ITV the following day. Winners * Best Actor **Winner: Michael Gambon – '' Perfe ...
. The series won, and the award was collected by Mike Bullen, Andy Harries and Spencer Campbell at the BAFTA ceremony in April 2002.Smith (2003), p. 214. The scene in which Pete meets Rod for the first time was voted "Best Dramatic Moment" at the BBC's annual ''TV Moments'' broadcast in 2002. The episode was first broadcast in Australia on the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
on 6 June 2002. Robin Oliver for the ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'' wrote "Unlike any of the other seemingly compulsory Oz adventures to which British TV panders, this one presents a superior storyline while soaking up the views." Oliver complimented the performances of Gary Sweet and Kimberley Joseph, and Ciaran Donnelly's direction. ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
''s Debi Enker was critical, decrying the plot as "fairly creaky" and the locations as "a very glossy ad for the sights of Sydney". She also thought Gary Sweet and James Nesbitt looked bored in their roles.Enker, Debi (30 May 2002).
Turn On, Turn Off
. ''The Age'' (Fairfax Media): p. 28 (''Green Guide'' section).
In New Zealand, the episode was broadcast on TV ONE on 17 September 2002. The ''
New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand ...
''s reviewer Michele Hewitson was critical of the clichés in the script, particularly the stereotypical characterisation of Rod Ellison, who she described as "a bit of a bastard". Hewitson was also critical of Karen's reaction to David's attempts to repair their relationship, and concluded by writing, "God only knows why they had to drag the entire cast all the way to Australia. You can take this lot out of Manchester but they'll still be moaning, angst-ridden and selfish."


Home video

The episode was first released as part of the ''Cold Feet: The Complete 4th Series'' DVD and VHS. The set was released in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2002 and in Australia on 3 April 2007. It was also released on a single disc DVD in 2003 as a promotional venture between the ''
Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marked ...
'' and Woolworths.Staff (23 February 2003). "Free Cold Feet DVD". ''Sunday Mirror'' (MGN): p. 28.
archived
at findarticles.com).


Notes


References

Bibliography *Smith, Rupert (2003). ''Cold Feet: The Complete Companion''. (London: Granada Media). . {{Good article 2001 British television episodes Television episodes written by Mike Bullen Cold Feet