Warren (TV series)

Warren is a British sitcom, which aired on BBC One between February and April 2019. It features Martin Clunes, Lisa Millett, Tim Preston and Oscar Morgan in the main roles, and is written by Jimmy Donny Cosgrove and Paul McKenna. In May 2019, the BBC declined to make a second series.[1]

Warren
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna
Written by	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna
Directed by	Ben Gosling Fuller Adam Miller (first episode)
Starring	Martin Clunes Lisa Millett Tim Preston Oscar Morgan
Opening theme	"Warren Theme"
Ending theme	"Warren End Theme"
Composer(s)	Nina Humphreys
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Kate Daughton Jimmy Mulville Helen Williams
Producer(s)	Tom Jordan
Editor(s)	Robin Hill
Running time	28 minutes
Production company(s)	Hat Trick Productions
Release
Original network	BBC One
Original release	25 February (2019-02-25) – 1 April 2019 (2019-04-01)

Synopsis

The sitcom shows the life of the angry, impatient, selfish and abrasive driving instructor Warren Thompson (Martin Clunes), after moving in with his partner Anne Humphries (Lisa Millett) and her two teenage sons Charlie (Tim Preston) and Danny (Oscar Morgan) in Preston, after her father, Bill (David Hargreaves) falls ill.[2]

Cast

• Martin Clunes as Warren Thompson:
  An angry, impatient, selfish and abrasive driving instructor who is Anne's partner, Charlie and Danny's step-father and Ian and Paula's neighbour. He is loosely based on Cosgrove's father and also a character from one of his short films called "Warren Thompson Driving School" (which is also the name of the character's driving school).[3]
• Lisa Millett as Anne Humphries: Warren's partner who is Charlie and Danny's mother.
• Tim Preston as Charlie Humphries: Anne's eldest son and Danny's brother.
• Oscar Morgan as Danny Humphries: Anne's youngest son, Charlie's brother and Jenny's boyfriend.
• Neil Edmond as Ian: Paula's husband and Warren's next-door neighbour.
• Maya Sondhi as Paula: Ian's wife and Warren's next-door neighbour.
• Emily Coates as Jenny: Danny's girlfriend.
• David Hargreaves as Bill: Anne's father and Sheila's husband.
• Judith Barker as Sheila: Anne's mother and Bill's wife.[4]

Episodes

No.	Title [5]	Directed by [6]	Written by [6]	Original air date [7]	UK viewers (millions) [8]
1	"The Pond"	Ben Gosling Fuller Adam Miller	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna	25 February 2019 (2019-02-25)	5.93
In order to beat his neighbour Ian, Warren attempts to get Charlie a job at a Garden Centre in order to get gear for a pond for a discount. However, when he discovers that he cannot get a discount, he attempts a little heist.
2	"The Rival"	Ben Gosling Fuller	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna	4 March 2019 (2019-03-04)	2.39[9]
A new rival company, Daz's Drivers, has showed up and is taking Warren's customers, causing financial trouble. In order to regain customers, Warren asks Danny to create a Facebook page and must be a bit nicer to assure his customers will stick with him. But when rumours go around he ran over a cat, his public image worsens.
3	"The Tax Return"	Ben Gosling Fuller	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna	11 March 2019 (2019-03-11)	N/A (<4.59)[lower-alpha 1]
When Anne's brother-in-law Colin is conned out of all his money, he turns to Warren for advice. When the advice gets him kicked out, Warren gets Colin to do DIY around the house, while Anne takes her sister Liz on a spa break to clear her head. Meanwhile, Charlie's got a girlfriend named Priya, but unknowingly goes to the same place Anne and Liz are.
4	"The Father Figure"	Ben Gosling Fuller	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna	18 March 2019 (2019-03-18)	N/A (<4.37)[lower-alpha 1]
While Charlie is on holiday to Hawaii, Danny begins acting weird, so Anne asks Warren to talk to him. But when he discovers he Danny a crush on a girl named Jenny, Warren keeps it a secret from Anne and takes Danny to the local shop to talk to her. Meanwhile, Warren gets a new chicken named Maude and attempts to annoy Ian, who is scared of chickens.
5	"The Holiday"	Ben Gosling Fuller	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna	25 March 2019 (2019-03-25)	N/A (<4.40)[lower-alpha 1]
After Anne's father Bill is given the all clear on an unknown health problem, she and Warren join Bill and Sheila on a holiday to Sunny Groves in Morecambe. But when Warren discovers that they have a bronze-range caravan after a mix up, he attempts to gain the said golden deluxe caravan from fellow camper Matthew Thompson by saying that Bill has only a week to live. Back in Preston, Charlie throws a house party, but when Danny invites Ian and Paula, he jinxes it when only Ian, Paula and Jenny arrive.
6	"The Funeral"	Ben Gosling Fuller	Jimmy Donny Cosgrove Paul McKenna	1 April 2019 (2019-04-01)	1.84[9]
A funeral is being held for Bill's sister Faye. Warren is using the family's eight-seater to transport himself with the rest of the family: Anne, Charlie, Danny, Bill, Sheila, Liz and Colin. But when the van breaks down, the family are stuck on a motorway; to make matters worse: Bill has a urine infection and Warren's impatience cause the car mechanic to leave. Meanwhile, Danny is worried about his relationship with Jenny as she is not texting him.

Reception

Warren received mixed reviews, with some viewers calling it "uncomfortable",[10] while The Telegraph called it "the final nail in the coffin for British sitcom".[11]

Notes

1. Not reported in the weekly top 15 programmes for four-screen viewer ratings.

References

1. Seddon, Dan (21 May 2019). "Martin Clunes' BBC One sitcom Warren is cancelled after one series". Digital Spy. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
2. Guide, British Comedy. "Warren - BBC1 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
3. Jimmy Donny Cosgrove (15 April 2019). "Warren Thompson Driving School". Retrieved 31 May 2019 – via YouTube.
4. "Warren". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
5. "BBC One - Warren - Episode guide". BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
6. "BBC One - Warren - Episode guide". BBC. Choose appropriate episode. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
7. "BBC - Programme Information - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
8. "Four Screen Dashboard". BARB. See relevant channel and week(s). Retrieved 31 May 2019.
9. Guide, British Comedy (20 May 2019). "BBC decommissions Martin Clunes's Warren". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
10. McCreesh, Louise (26 February 2019). "BBC's new Martin Clunes sitcom Warren leaves viewers underwhelmed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
11. Rees, Jasper (25 February 2019). "Warren, episode 1, review: The final nail in the coffin for British sitcom". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 April 2019.

External links

• Warren at BBC Programmes
• Warren at British Comedy Guide
• Warren on IMDb