Genre Comedy-drama Directed by Simon Delaney Initial release 30 June 2010 Screenplay Mike Bullen | Written by Mike Bullen Composer(s) Mark Russell Director Simon Delaney Music director Mark Russell | |
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Created by Mike Bullen
David Maher
David Taylor Starring Zoe Tapper
Joseph Millson
Emma Stansfield
Ed Byrne
Navin Chowdhry
Jemima Rooper
Michelle Terry
Sarah-Jane Potts
Ella Choudhury
Yasmine Hulf Story by Mike Bullen, David Taylor, David Maher Cast Ed Byrne, Joseph Millson, Emma Stansfield, Zoe Tapper, Jemima Rooper Similar Dog Eat Dog, Frequently Asked Question, Alex & Emma, The Flying Scotsman, Agatha Christie's Marple | ||
Raf pilot reunited with the spitfire
Reunited is a British television pilot written by Mike Bullen and directed by Simon Delaney. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2010.
Contents
Plot
Eight years after sharing a flat together while students at university, six friends reunite.
Production
Reunited is the first screenplay written by Mike Bullen for the BBC since his comedy-drama Sunburn (1999–2000). The idea came to him after an Australian friend of his met up with a group of people with whom he had shared a house. Although Bullen had emigrated to Australia in 2002, he returned to the UK for the five months Reunited was in production, as he had only faxed in the scripts for his last British series, All About George. Reunited was filmed on location in London in March 2010. Some scenes were filmed at Sam's Bar & Brasserie in Chiswick, London.
Ed Byrne's character was originally called "Ed" but was changed to "Rob" after Byrne was concerned that viewers would attribute "Ed"'s negative characteristics to him in real life.
Reception
Reunited was first broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2010. Overnight ratings data gave an average of 3.3 million viewers, with a 15.3% audience share during its timeslot; it was beaten by a repeat of Midsomer Murders on ITV.
The programme was selected as "Pick of the Day" in The Sunday Times, where critic John Dugdale wrote, "There's been so much bittersweet fiction since [Mike Bullen's Cold Feet debuted in 1997], and as this is about pals in their thirties, novelty is impossible and clichés inevitable. This opener has the familiar genre failing, too, of being neither comic nor involvingly dramatic — it is hard to care who Hannah ends up with, and a glimpse of Byrne's chest provides the funniest moment. Still, the cast is terrific, and Bullen hasn't lost his gift for memorable individual scenes." The Liverpool Echo also selected as a highlight for Wednesday evening. The Daily Mail's Nigel Andrew selected it as a "pick of the day", but rated it only two out of five star; he wrote, "A familiar scenario [...] and it isn't half as smart or funny as it thinks it is. A series looks doubtful." In a positive preview, The Guardian's John Robinson compared it to the This Life reunion episode This Life +10. The Daily Telegraph's Ceri Radford called it "a grown-up Coupling" and concluded her preview by writing, "It's a funny, touching portrayal of a group of friends who are old enough to be disappointed with life but young enough to try fixing things with tequila slammers and casual sex."
The BBC did not commission a series, though Ed Byrne has discussed other projects with Mike Bullen.
This has not been released on DVD yet.