Review: Dappers - BBC Three
Dappers is a one-off 30-minute comedy drama for BBC Three and has been written by Catherine Johnson (Mamma Mia!). I was lucky enough to receive a preview copy from Mammoth Screen Productions.
Faye (Ty Glaser - Bones, The IT Crowd) and Ashley (Leonora Crichlow - Being Human, Sugar Rush) are two young, single mums and are best friends ("dappers"), living in housing association flats in Clifton - a well-to-do area of Bristol. They struggle along trying to find ways to supplement their benefit money whilst staying fiercely protective of their daughters and in constant doubt about the men in their lives.
The pilot episode is quite clichéd with quite a lot crammed into the thirty minutes - indluding the disapproving 'posh' couple from next door and the odd couple (played by Eddie Large and Gwen Taylor) from the downstairs flat - although I can see how their own stories could be woven into the series. This episode raised a few smiles and, by the end, I wanted to know where the girls were going with their friendship (after both agreed with their respective partners to keep a secret) and their relationships and I sort of started caring about them.
Dappers is a drama pilot and is to be shown on BBC Three on Thursday 10th June at 9.30pm but can be previewed on the BBC Three website a week earlier - 3rd June 2010.