| Sensitive Skin | |
|---|---|
 Series title card | |
| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Created by | Hugo Blick |
| Written by | Hugo Blick |
| Directed by | Hugo Blick |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Hugo Blick |
| Editor | Graham Hodson |
| Running time | approx. 29 mins per episode |
| Production company | Baby Cow Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 10 November 2005 – 31 July 2007 |
Sensitive Skin is a BBC television comedy-drama series, produced by Baby Cow Productions for BBC Two. It stars Joanna Lumley and was first broadcast in 2005, with a second series following in 2007. Series 1 and 2 have aired on CBC Country Canada, while series 1 aired in Australia on ABC TV in 2007.
Plot summary
[edit]Series 1
[edit]The first series is about an affluent couple, Al and Davina Jackson, who live in metropolitan London. Along with their friends, Al and Davina struggle with sexual temptation and professional jealousy and try to cope with their fear of the future. Al is a pundit for a broadsheet newspaper and is paid to find imperfection in everything, while Davina works in an art gallery and is paid to make life more beautiful. But being 60 isn't simple: the couple's 30-year-old son, Orlando (James Lance), refuses to acknowledge adulthood, and Davina's sister, Veronica (Maggie Steed), and her husband, Roger (Nicholas Jones), intimidate the Jacksons with their confident and controlled grasp of life.
Series 2
[edit]The second series sees Davina attempt to start her life again, six months after Al's death. She embarks on a journey to rediscover personal happiness, however her efforts are hampered by the difficulties she faces in coping with grief alone and Veronica, who is still blaming her for everything she can.
Cast
[edit]- Joanna Lumley as Davina Jackson
- Denis Lawson as Al Jackson, Davina's husband (series 1)
- Maggie Steed as Veronica Dorkins, Davina's sister
- Nicholas Jones as Roger Dorkins, Veronica's husband
- Oliver Cotton as Sam, Davina's employer
- Jean Marsh as Lizzie Galbraith (series 2)
Recurring cast
[edit]- James Lance as Orlando Jackson, Davina and Al's son (series 1–2)
- Adam Rayner as Greg, Al's piano teacher (series 1–2)
- Freddie Davies as a manifestation of Davina's frustration (series 1)
- David Gillespie as Al's agent (series 1)
- Jonathan Miller as Dr. Cass, Al's dishonest GP (series 1)
- Tom Allen as Raphie (series 2)
- Patrick Barlow as Ed Hubler (series 2)
- Anthony Head as Tom Paine (series 2)
- Maureen Lipman as Sue Shortstop (series 2)
- Diana Quick as Cheryl, Orlando's girlfriend (series 2)
Notable guest cast
[edit]- Denise Black as Mike's wife
- Deddie Davies as Deddie
- Simon Day as Mike
- Frances de la Tour as Sarah Thorne, Al's ex-girlfriend
- Eileen Essell as Davina and Veronica's mother
- Toby Longworth as a guest
- Patrick Malahide as Leonard Richards
- Lucinda Raikes as Irina, a Chekhov character
- Nigel Terry as George Fitzgerald
- David Warner as Robert "Bob" Ringwald, a journalist
- Simon Williams as Matthew Clasper
- Sophie Wu as Lucy
Episodes
[edit]Series 1
[edit]| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | 10 November 2005 | |
|
Davina's frustration with her life mounts as she handles her cynical husband, her passive-aggressive son, and her arrogant sister and brother-in-law. | |||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | 17 November 2005 | |
|
Al reconnects with an ex-girlfriend and begins trying to emulate her aggressive communication style. | |||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | 24 November 2005 | |
|
Bob Ringwald, a respected journalist, recruits Al to join him on a book awards panel, while he tries to seduce a torn Davina. Meanwhile, Al and Bob's doctor scams them both by imagining potentially dangerous ailments to keep them making appointments. | |||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | 1 December 2005 | |
|
To prove a point to Veronica and Roger, Davina hires a piano teacher, Greg, but he turns out to be more interested in pursuing her than in teaching Al. | |||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | 8 December 2005 | |
|
Davina thinks Roger is trying to seduce her, while Al hires a rehabilitated ex-convict to remodel their cloakroom. | |||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | 15 December 2005 | |
|
Davina and Al separate when she has an affair with Greg. The series ends on a cliffhanger, as Al suffers a heart attack after they reconcile. | |||
Series 2
[edit]| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Wilderness" | 26 June 2007 |
| 2 | "Three Lost Loves" | 3 July 2007 |
| 3 | "The Signals" | 10 July 2007 |
| 4 | "Forever Jung" | 17 July 2007 |
| 5 | "Kiss of Life" | 24 July 2007 |
| 6 | "Here I Am" | 31 July 2007 |
Reception
[edit]The series garnered great critical reception, praising the performances and the melancholic style, which set it apart from the standard cringe-driven comedies that had been in wide circulation since The Office.[citation needed] Writing for the Sunday Times, Jasper Gerard called the series "one of the best pieces of television in years" and "one of the finest performances of Lumley’s 38-year career".[1]
Public reception was also positive, with people appreciating the return of Joanna Lumley and warming to the sparse comedic style.[2]
Home media
[edit]In the UK, BBC DVD released series 1 on region 2 and 4 DVD on 16 July 2007,[3] and series 2 on 12 May 2008.[4] In the USA, both series were released together on region 1 DVD on 5 August 2008.[5]
Canadian adaptation
[edit]A Canadian adaptation, starring Kim Cattrall, Don McKellar, Elliott Gould, and Colm Feore, premiered in fall 2014 on Movie Central and The Movie Network.[6] The 6-episode first season is written by Bob Martin and directed by Don McKellar.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Gerard, Jasper (30 October 2005). "Lumley, the grandmother of reinvention". Sunday Times.[dead link]
- ^ Turner, Georgina (11 November 2008). "Joy of Six: Joanna Lumley's TV career". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ "Sensitive Skin: Complete BBC Series 1" – via Amazon.co.uk.
- ^ "Sensitive Skin Series 2" – via Amazon.co.uk.
- ^ "Sensitive Skin - The Complete Seasons 1 and 2".
- ^ a b Vlessing, Etan (31 October 2013). "Kim Cattrall to play lead in Canadian Adaptation of BBC Dramedy 'Sensitive Skin'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
