Chalk (TV series)
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| Chalk | |
|---|---|
 Opening title |
|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Written by | Steven Moffat |
| Directed by | Juliet May |
| Starring | David Bamber, Nicola Walker |
| Theme music composer | Howard Goodall |
| Country of origin | UK |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Kevin Lygo |
| Producer(s) | Andre Ptaszynski |
| Editor(s) | Richard Halladay |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC One |
| Original run | 20 February 1997 – 22 October 1997 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Chalk is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat set in the fictional comprehensive school Galfast High. Two series were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997. Like Moffat's earlier sitcom Joking Apart, Chalk was produced by Andre Ptaszynski for Pola Jones.
The farcical stories were stylistically very similar to Fawlty Towers. It was a satire of school targets and league tables, incorporating satirical politically incorrect jokes.
Because of the very good reaction of the studio audience, a second season was commissioned before the first had aired. However, critics mauled the show, and the second season did not receive a stable broadcast slot.
Contents |
[edit] History
Moffat had written two series of the BAFTA-award winning show Press Gang. However, its high cost and changes in the executive structure at Central meant that the show might not be recommissioned.[1] As the writer wondered what to do next and was worried about future employment, Bob Spiers, Press Gang's primary director, suggested that he meet with producer Andre Ptaszynski to discuss writing a sitcom.[2]
Inspired by his experience in education (he was an English teacher before writing Press Gang, and his father was a headteacher), Moffat's initial proposal was similar to what would become Chalk. However, Ptaszynski realised that Moffat was talking more passionately at the meeting at the Groucho Club about his impending divorce and suggested that he write about that instead.[3] That idea became Joking Apart, which received low audience figures but a high rating on the Appreciation Index.[4]
After the second series of Joking Apart had been transmitted, the idea was resurrected. Like Joking Apart, Ptaszynski produced the show for independent production company Pola Jones. The positive reaction of the studio audience during recording of the first series in 1996 propelled executives to commission a second set of six episodes before the first batch had aired.
[edit] Plot
The sitcom is based at the fictional comprehensive school Galfast High. It begins with the arrival of the young new English teacher Suzie Travis (Nicola Walker). She immediately encounters the chaos of the school, a chaos enhanced by the manic Deputy Head Eric Slatt (David Bamber).
[edit] Continuity
The show made many references to Moffat's Press Gang, including:[5]
- The neighbouring school is Norbridge High, run by Mr Sullivan.
- There is a student called David Jefford (the suicide victim in "Monday-Tuesday"/"There Are Crocodiles") whom Slatt accuses of masturbating in Series 1 Episode 6.
- A student called Donald Cooper (the clown in "The Last Word")
- 'Wellside School (from Wellside Leisure Centre' from "The Big Hello")
- Surname of a character: Talwinning (name of streets in "A Quarter to Midnight" and also in Joking Apart)
- Dr Clipstone ("UnXpected")
- The scene where Slatt is being given instructions by wire is taken from the unfilmed PG movie "Dead Line."
- Jason Wood, the pop star played in Press Gang by Madness frontman Suggs, is mentioned by name but does not appear.
Additionally, the fictional pornographic video Lesbian Spank Inferno, owned by Dan McGill in the final episode, is later referenced in the Coupling episode "Inferno".
[edit] Main cast
- Eric Slatt − David Bamber
- Janet Slatt − Geraldine Fitzgerald
- Suzie Travis − Nicola Walker
- Amanda Trippley − Amanda Boxer
- Dan McGill − Martin Ball
- Richard Nixon − John Wells (season 1)
- J.F. Kennedy − Duncan Preston (season 2)
- Jason Cockfoster − Damien Matthews (series 2)
- Mr Carkdale − John Grillo
[edit] Episodes
The episodes did not have on screen titles, but these are the working titles.
[edit] Series 1
| Episode | Original airdate | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| "Suzy Arrives" | 20 February 1997 | The first episode involves the more relaxed Headteacher (John Wells) locking himself in a cupboard, and the previous English teacher dying whilst teaching a class. Similar to the Fawlty Towers episode "The Kipper and the Corpse", Slatt attempts to remove the corpse without upsetting any of the pupils. |
| "The Interviews" | 27 February 1997 | |
| "The Staff Meeting" | 6 March 1997 | |
| "Both Called Eric" | 13 March 1997 | Star pupil Helen gives birth to twins and, as a result of her infatuation with the deputy head, decides to name them both "Eric". |
| "The Inspection" | 20 March 1997 | Amanda decides to expel all of the students, just before three inspectors arrive. Slatt and colleagues attempt to disguise the fact that the school has no pupils. |
| "Mother" | 27 March 1997 | Suzy finds a vase with a dedication to Eric's apparently dead mother. Assuming it's an urn, Suzy is surprised when his mother turns up at the school, and is the spitting image of his wife. |
[edit] Series 2
| Episode | Original airdate | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| "New Student" | 17 September 1997 | |
| "Amanda" | 24 September 1997 | |
| "Bungee" | 1 October 1997 | |
| "Dream" | 8 October 1997 | |
| "Exam" | 15 October 1997 | |
| "Party" | 22 October 1997 |
[edit] Reception
Due to the positive reaction of the studio audience during recordings, a second series was commissioned before the first had aired. However, the show was received quite poorly by the critics, who identified some similarities to Fawlty Towers. Due to poor ratings, the second series received an unstable timeslot, being replaced in its more mainstream slot by Men Behaving Badly.[6]
In an interview in the early 2000s, Moffat refuses to even name the show, joking that he might get attacked in the street.[7] The first three episodes were released on video, but Moffat claims that "no-one bought it", including him.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, "The Big Finish?" Press Gang: Series 2 DVD audio commentary
- ^ Kibble-White, Graham (May 2006). "FOOL IF YOU THINK IT'S OVER". Off the Telly. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
- ^ Andre Ptaszynski and Steven Moffat, Joking Apart, Series 2, Episode 1 DVD audio commentary
- ^ Jarvis, Shane. "Farce that rose from the grave", The Telegraph, 2006-05-08. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ Newton, Matthew. Press Gang Additional Information. Newton's Laws of TV. Retrieved on 2006-12-19.
- ^ Morris, Robert M.J.. Chalking up another failure. theshitefantastic.net. Retrieved on 2007-05-11.
- ^ Coupling: Behind the Scenes, featurette (2002, prod./dir. Sarah Barnett & Christine Wilson) Couping Season 1 DVD (Region 1), BBC Video, ISBN 0790773392
- ^ Steven Moffat & Jack Davenport, Coupling, "The Freckle, the Key, and the Couple who Weren't", Series 3 DVD audio commentary
[edit] External links
- Chalk at the Internet Movie Database
- "Chalk it all up to experience", The Independent
- BBC Comedy Guide entry (courtesy of the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
