Boom Town (2013 TV series)

Boom Town is a structured-reality television and comedy sketch show series produced by independent company Knickerbockerglory for BBC.[1] It first aired on BBC Three[2] in August and September 2013. Directed by Hannah Springham and produced by Jonathan Stadlen, the series features a cast of eccentrics playing their own alter-egos, including their "own catchphrases, eccentricities and larger than life personalities".[3]

Boom Town
GenreStructured-reality television, comedy
Written byScenario producers:
Piers Torday
Christoper Davies
Ali Crockatt
David Scott
Directed byHannah Springham
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
ProducerJonathan Stadlen
CinematographyNick Martin
Camera setupAdrian Marciante
Running time30 minutes
Production companyKnickerbockerglory
Release
Original networkBBC Three
Original release14 August (2013-08-14) –
18 September 2013 (2013-09-18)

Concept

If all of Britain's most eccentric real-life people lived in the same place, then that town would be called "Boom Town". Everyone who appears in the show is completely real, featuring their real lives, passions and dialogue which are all their own.[2]

However, some of the scenes have been "enhanced" for viewers' entertainment, and the way that the scenes are cut together pushes strongly on the conventions of a comedy sketch show.[2]

Main stars
Cast Alter-Ego(s) Location
Alan J. Jones The Care Home Worker
Anthony Youel The Pub Landlord The Monkey, Thurgoland, South Yorkshire[4]
Cream (Kai Taylor) The Rapper, Multi Award Winning Hip Hop Artist Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire[5]
Dorota Lopatynska-de-Slepowron
Atonu Pal		 The Actress & Exclusive Lady
The Husband & Manager
Garth Delikan The Life Coach Chertsey, Surrey
Joel Hazeldene The Trainspotter Windsor, Berkshire
Jonny Na$h The Ladies' Man
Kevin Carlyon The White Witch St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex
Rebecca Wall
Roger Hayhurst
(Radio presenters)		 Knight Warriors
(The Superheroes)		 Salford, Greater Manchester
Louis Webb The Stripper Bexleyheath, South East London
Pablo Bubar (Actor) The Romantic
Stella Mushonga The Fashion Designer
Talina D'zyuban (Model, Actress) The Temptress

Production

The series is scheduled to comprise six 30-minute episodes, produced by Jonathan Stadlen for Knickerbockerglory. It was commissioned for BBC Three by Zai Bennett, Controller and Karl Warner, Executive Editor, Entertainment of BBC Three.[6] After commissioning a pilot in April 2012, Warer commented:[7]

Boom Town will be the first sketch show to make stars out of real people. Some of the characters we've already met are laugh-out-loud funny and would sit well in any scripted comedy. BBC Three is always keen to try trying new things and this feels like an original proposition.

Although the residents may come from distinct parts of the UK, most of the scenes for many of them were shot in studios or contracted outside set locations, mostly in Southwest London.[5] Outside the UK, Boom Town will be distributed by ITV Studios Global Entertainment, which showcased the series at MIPTV Media Market in Cannes, France, in April 2013.[8]

Reception

Critical reception

After commissioning a pilot in 2012, a year before its transmission, Paul Jensen, writing for Chortle, called Boom Town "the last straw" for his time of watching BBC Three.[9] In its own review of episode 1, Chortle compared the programme to Channel 4's failed similar comedy project Kookyville, which, after the pilot was slated by critics, was not commissioned for a full series.[10] Simon Horsford, writing for The Daily Telegraph, commented: "(it's) the kind of pointless series you might find on Channel 5 or E4 (in its bad days). Described as 'structured reality', Boom Town follows/mocks a collection of 'real-life' eccentrics."[11] Yolanda Zappaterra for Time Out commented: "If you liked Fonejacker and You've Been Framed! you may like this, in which some very strange people use their own scripted dialogue in 'enhanced' scenes to create set-ups that range between uncomfortable viewing and a smile."[12]

Ratings

Episode viewing figures from BARB.[13]

Episode no.DateTotal viewersBBC Three weekly ranking
114 August 2013Under 728,000Not in Top 10
221 August 2013Under 687,000Not in Top 10
328 August 2013Under 784,000Not in Top 10
44 September 2013Under 810,000Not in Top 10
511 September 2013UnderNot in Top 10
618 September 2013Not in Top 10

References
  1. "BBC – The BBC Story – John Reith". BBC Online. BBC. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  2. "Boom Town". BBC Three. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  3. John Plunkett (13 April 2012). "BBC3 sketch show Boom Town follows in The Only Way is Essex's footsteps". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  4. Ed Elliot (22 March 2013). "Pub landlord to star in sketch show". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  5. Rebecca Cain (13 August 2013). "Beaconsfield rapper to star in new BBC series". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  6. "BBC Three's new structured reality show Boom Town to air in August". BBC Media Centre. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  7. Daniel Sperling (16 April 2012). "BBC Three commissions "radical" reality sketch show". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  8. Balihar Khalsa (5 March 2013). "ITVS GE to distribute BBC3's Boom Town". Broadcast. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  9. "BBC Three's beyond a joke". Chortle. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  10. "Now BBC does 'sketch show with real people' Boom Town to launch in August". Chortle. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  11. Simon Horsford (9 August 2013). "Today's TV highlights". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 July 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  12. Yolanda Zappaterra (7 August 2013). "Boom Town". Time Out. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  13. "Weekly Top 10 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 18 July 2014.
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