My Hero (UK TV series)

Main characters

The series follows a wide range of main characters, who make appearances throughout all six series. Ardal O'Hanlon plays the main role of Thermoman for the first five series, before being replaced by James Dreyfus, who played the role in the final series. The series follows Thermoman's closest family, including his wife, Janet, played by Emily Joyce; his daughter, Cassie, played by Madeline Mortimer; and his son, Ollie, played by Finlay Stroud. Other characters who make regular appearances include Dr Piers Crispin, played by Hugh Dennis; Mrs Raven, played by Geraldine McNulty; Thermoman's cousin, Arnie, played by Lou Hirsch; the Sundays' next-door neighbour, Tyler, played by Philip Whitchurch; and Janet's mother and father, Ella and Stanley Dawkins, played by Lill Roughley and Tim Wylton.

Plot outline

Thermoman is a multiple-powered superhero who originates from the planet Ultron. In an attempt to do his best to fit in with life on earth, he creates the human alias of George Sunday.

However, due to his unfamiliarity with human life, his antics usually lead to many misunderstandings. Although Thermoman is intrinsically very intelligent, his problem understanding earthly customs makes him look like an idiot to people who don't know who he really is. At the start of the first series, he saves wife-to-be Janet Dawkins from danger, and after falling in love, the pair later have two children, Ollie and Cassie, who also possess superpowers.

Episodes

Six series of the programme were broadcast, with the first beginning in February 2000, and the last concluding in September 2006. Over all six series, 51 episodes were broadcast. The show was written by a team of writers, a trait that is typical of most American sitcoms - British sitcoms are traditionally written by its creators alone, with the assistance of a script editor. The main team of writers used for the series include head writer and creator Paul Mendelson, alongside Paul Mayhew-Archer, Paul Alexander, James Cary, Simon Braithwaite, Gary Lawson, John Phelps, Ian Brown and James Hendrie. All 51 episodes were filmed at Teddington Studios in London, in front of a live studio audience. However, as several segments of the show were created with CGI effects, not all of the footage required for each episode was filmed this way. Footage shot on-location was regularly recorded in Pinner, London. Some of the episode titles take a pun on other titles - for example, How Green Was My Ollie is a pun on the novel How Green Was My Valley, and The First Husbands Club is a pun on the movie The First Wives Club.

Cancellation

Throughout the first five series, when Ardal O'Hanlon played the main role, ratings were consistent enough for further series to be commissioned by the BBC, with some episodes reaching 6-8 million viewers. However, when O'Hanlon announced he was to leave the part, he was replaced by James Dreyfus, in a storyline in which George loses his human identity in a game of poker. The Doctor Who-esque change of main actor proved unpopular with viewers, with ratings falling to 3-4 million according to Broadcast Magazine on a prime time Friday night and 2 million in a tea time slot on Sundays for the last few episodes. The show was later cancelled in September 2006.