The Change (TV series)

The Change is a 2023 British comedy drama series starring, written and created by Bridget Christie for Channel 4. Made by Expectation Entertainment and directed by Al Campbell, the six-part series is produced by Lisa Mitchell, and executive produced by Christie, Nerys Evans and Morwenna Gordon. Joining Christie in the cast are Liza Tarbuck, Omid Djalili, Paul Whitehouse, Monica Dolan and Jim Howick.

The Change
GenreDark comedy
Comedy-drama
Surreal humour
Created byBridget Christie
Written byBridget Christie
Directed byAl Campbell
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Bridget Christie
  • Nerys Evans
  • Morwenna Gordon
ProducerLisa Mitchell
Production company
Expectation Entertainment
Release
Original networkChannel 4
Original release21 June 2023 (2023-06-21) –
present

The show's end credits music is Hares on the Mountain performed by Shirley Collins and Ian Kearey.

Synopsis

Linda (Christie) has an existential crisis at age 50 after being informed she has started the menopause. She finds her old Triumph motorcycle and goes on a pilgrimage around her old haunts in Gloucestershire's Forest of Dean.[1]

Cast

Episodes
No.Title [2]Directed byWritten byOriginal air date [2]U.K. viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"Al CampbellBridget Christie21 June 2023 (2023-06-21)N/A
After being told she is going through the menopause, Linda heads to the Forest of Dean to find a time capsule she hid in a tree, trying to reconnect with the person she used to be.
2"Episode 2"Al CampbellBridget Christie21 June 2023 (2023-06-21)N/A
Trying to locate the time capsule, Linda runs into Pig Man, who maybe knows about her more than he lets on.
3"Episode 3"Al CampbellBridget Christie28 June 2023 (2023-06-28)N/A
Linda interrupts the town meeting after stumbling upon crucial information.
4"Episode 4"Al CampbellBridget Christie28 June 2023 (2023-06-28)N/A
Linda receives a visit from her sister Siobhain, who is very displeased with Linda's newfound community.
5"Episode 5"Al CampbellBridget Christie5 July 2023 (2023-07-05)N/A
Ahead of the town festival, Linda bonds with the Eel sisters and Joy.
6"Episode 6"Al CampbellBridget Christie5 July 2023 (2023-07-05)N/A
The transformed Eel Festival threatens to disrupt the delicate harmony in the village.

Production

The show was announced to have been commissioned in March 2022, produced by Lisa Mitchell, and executive produced by Bridget Christie, Nerys Evans and Morwenna Gordon.[3] In July 2022 it was revealed that the series has started filming and that Howick, Djalili, Whitehouse, Tarbuck and Dolan had joined the cast.[4] Later, Susan Lynch was revealed to have joined the cast as an Eel sister.[5] Filming took place on location in the Forest of Dean.[6] Christie was herself brought up in Gloucestershire near the Forest of Dean and had in 2021 suffered some of the symptoms explored in the series.[7][8][9]

Broadcast and reception

The series began airing on Channel 4 on 21 June 2023.[10]

The Evening Standard awarded the show four stars out of five, calling it "joyful" and observing that "[while] it is cutting both in its humour and its astute social commentary, it is also immensely warm, grounded in familial community and nostalgic in a way that is hard to define."[11] The Guardian also gave four stars out of five, declaring it "like nothing else on TV" and identifying Christie's protagonist as "the role model we’ve all been waiting for."[10]. Comedy website Chortle also gave it four stars, calling it 'sardonic yet surreal'[12]

The Guardian subsequently reviewed the final episode of the first series as "gorgeous", "life-affirming", and "the most profound finale of the year."[13]

References
  1. "The Change". Comedy.co.uk.
  2. "The Change on Channel 4". Channel 4. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  3. "Channel 4 announces new comedy series The Change". Royal Television Society. 15 March 2022.
  4. "Bridget Christie comedy reveals cast". Comedy.co.uk. 5 July 2022.
  5. "Dursley actor Susan Lynch set to star in Channel 4 comedy, The Change". Stroud Times. 8 December 2022.
  6. "Filming starts in the Forest of Dean for Bridget Christie's new Channel 4 comedy series". Gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 27 July 2022.
  7. "Gloucester comedienne Bridget Christie's new Channel 4 comedy show set in Forest of Dean". Gloucestershirelive.co.uk. 11 May 2022.
  8. "Comedian Bridget Christie: 'I see my flasher's penis all the time. But I can make horrible things amusing'". The Guardian.
  9. "Bridget Christie: Menopausal women are some of the coolest people on the planet". The Independent. 5 November 2021.
  10. Jones, Ellen E (21 June 2023). "The Change review – Bridget Christie's super-cool menopause comedy is like nothing else on TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  11. "The Change on Channel 4 review: come for the menopause, stay for the druids..." Evening Standard. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  12. "The Change - review of Bridget Christie's Channel 4 comedy". Chortle. 22 June 2023.
  13. Richardson, Hollie (6 July 2023). "The most profound finale of the year: why menopause comedy The Change is life-affirming TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
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