''The Book Group'' is a 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 ...

that was broadcast on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

between 2002 and 2003 and ran for two seasons. It was written and directed by the American-born, Glasgow resident Annie Griffin, who also wrote and directed ''

Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

''. It was the winner of two

BAFTA 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 ...

Scotland awards. In January 2006, it was announced that screenwriter Andrew Davies would make a feature film adaptation of ''The Book Group'' for

Film 4 Film4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, dedicated to broadcasting films. The standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat ...

, but the project was never started.

Plot

''The Book Group'' revolved around the life of American Clare Pettengill (

Anne Dudek Anne Louise Dudek (born March 22, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Tiffany Wilson in the 2004 film ''White Chicks'', Danielle Brooks in the television series ''Covert Affairs'', Dr. Amber Volakis on the series ''House'', ...

) who at the start of the series had recently moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Glasgow, Scotland. She starts a book club to try find friends with similar interests. Those she encounters are not what she expected; a drug-addled, egotistical postgraduate student (and subsequently his neurotic and ever-worrying brother), an easy-going disabled man who aims to be a writer, three discontented footballers' wives, and a straggler who hides his homosexuality with an obsession for football. All of the members are brought together not so much by the books that they read (if they read them at all) but their own longings for companionship, and ambitions to better their lives. Some episodes are titled for the book that is discussed in the group.

Books

In each episode the club have a book that they are supposed to read and discuss.

Season one

# ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagoni ...

'',

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...

# ''

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Ben ...

'',

Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho de Souza ( , ; born 24 August 1947) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters since 2002. His 1988 novel '' The Alchemist'' became an international best-seller. Early life Paulo Coelho ...

# '' Love in the Time of Cholera'',

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...

# ''

The Little Engine That Could ''The Little Engine That Could'' is an American folktale existing in the form of several illustrated children's books and films. The story originated and evolved in the early 20th century, but became widely known in the United States after publi ...

'', Watty Piper # A fictional book: 'Dark Alley' by 'Martin Logan' # ''

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ''The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' (original French title: ''Le Scaphandre et le Papillon'') is a memoir by journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby. It describes his life before and after a massive stroke left him with locked-in syndrome. The French ...

'',

Jean-Dominique Bauby Jean-Dominique Bauby (; 23 April 1952 – 9 March 1997) was a French journalist, author and editor of the French fashion magazine ''Elle''. Early life and career Bauby was born in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, and grew up in the 1st arrondi ...

Season two

# ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'',

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

# ''

Hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In t ...

,''

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to conscio ...

# Collected poetry by

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an Idiosyncrasy, idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as ...

# ''Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia'', Chris Stewart # '' The Sexual Life of Catherine M.'',

Catherine Millet Catherine Millet (; born 1 April 1948) is a French writer, art critic, curator, and founder and editor of the magazine ''Art Press'', which focuses on modern art and contemporary art. Biography Born in Bois-Colombes, France, she is best known ...

# ''The Map of Love'', Ahdaf Soueif

Critical reception

Reviewing ''The Book Group'' for ''The Guardian'',

Gareth McLean Gareth McLean (born c.1975) is a Scottish journalist and screenwriter who has written for ''The Guardian'' newspaper and on soap operas for the ''Radio Times'' magazine. McLean graduated with an MA (Hons) in English from the University of Aberde ...

stated "the acting is as cracking as the script and the production values" and described the show as "a genuine ensemble drama in which everyone plays a vital part".

Cast

as Clare Pettengill *

Rory McCann Rory McCann (born 24 April 1969) is a Scottish actor, best known for portraying Sandor "The Hound" Clegane on the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', Michael "Lurch" Armstrong in Edgar Wright's crime-comedy ''Hot Fuzz'' (2007), Jurgen the Brutal i ...

as Kenny McLeod *

Derek Riddell Derek Riddell (born 11 January 1967) is a Scottish television and theatre actor. He is best known for the portrayal of Richard Cawood in the BBC One television series '' Happy Valley''. He is also known for '' Gentleman Jack'', '' Industry'' ...

as Rab * Michelle Gomez as Janice McCann * James Lance as Barney Glendenning/Lachlan Glendenning * Saskia Mulder as Fist de Grooke * Bonnie Engstrom as Dirka Nilssen * Gotti Sigurdarson as Lars Nilssen * Desmond Hamilton as Jackie McCann * Jack McElhone as Wee Jackie McCann *

Karen Kilgariff Karen Kilgariff (born May 11, 1970, in Petaluma, California) is an American writer, comedian, singer, author, actress, television producer, and podcast host. She began her career as a stand-up comedian in the early 1990s and later became a televi ...

as Jean Pettengill (Series 2) * Kerry McGregor as Carol Ann (Series 2) *

Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director best known as Desmond Hume in '' Lost'', for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He also starred as J ...

as Miles Longmuir (Series 2) *

Ben Miller Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English comedian, actor and author. He rose to fame as a member of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller, with Alexander Armstrong. He is known for roles as Angus Jeremy Bough in the '' Johnny Eng ...

as Martin (Series 1, 2 episodes) *Andoni Gracia as Anselmo (Series 2, 2 episodes)

Crew

*Writer: Annie Griffin *Director: Annie Griffin *Producers: Anita Overland (series one), Derrin Schlesinger (season two)

Episodes

Season one

On The Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagoni ...

" #"

" #"Magical Realism" #"Bedtime Stories" #"Dark Alley" #"A Little More Living"

Season two

#"Sueños" #"Hunger" #"You Must Change Your Life" #"Drowning" #"Research" #"A'salaam Insha'lah"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Book Group, The Channel 4 sitcoms 2000s British LGBTQ-related comedy television series 2002 British television series debuts 2003 British television series endings 2000s British comedy-drama television series British English-language television shows Television shows set in Glasgow