Bob Servant
| Bob Servant, Independent | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Neil Forsyth |
| Directed by |
Annie Griffin Simon Hynd |
| Starring |
Brian Cox Jonathan Watson Rufus Jones Pollyanna McIntosh |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Owen Bell |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | BBC Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Four |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 23 January 2013 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Bob Servant Independent, renamed Bob Servant, is a British television sitcom written and created by Neil Forsyth. The first series of six episodes was broadcast in 2013 on BBC4 and repeated on BBC2 Scotland, starring Brian Cox in the titular role and Jonathan Watson in the role of Frank. The show is set in Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee. The second series, renamed Bob Servant, was broadcast in 2014 on BBC1 Scotland and 2015 on BBC4.
When Broughty Ferry’s MP is decapitated in a car crash, the resulting by-election receives an unlikely candidate. Local cheeseburger tycoon Bob Servant (Brian Cox) launches an eccentric campaign, managed by hapless right-hand man Frank (Jonathan Watson). Over the series, Bob and Frank battle with slick English candidate Nick Edwards (Rufus Jones) and his wife (Pollyanna McIntosh) for the votes of a bewildered Broughty Ferry public. The series also sees appearances by Derek Riddell as a local minister, Greg McHugh as a radio DJ, Shirley Henderson as a failed love interest for Bob, Alex Norton as Bob’s childhood nemesis and Sanjeev Kohli as a leather jacket salesman.
The second series of the show revolves around Bob and Frank’s lives in Broughty Ferry post-election. They restart their historical burger van business only for a wedge to be driven between them when Frank starts a romantic relationship with his swimming instructor Dorothy (Anita Vettesse). Bob faces further struggles with his doomed romantic pursuit of Council official Megan (Daniela Nardini) and ongoing issues with nemesis Hendo (Alex Norton).
After the success of his Bob Servant books and BBC Radio series The Bob Servant Emails, Forsyth was asked by the BBC to adapt Bob Servant for television. He decided on the by-election premise as "a premise that gives Bob's pompous behaviour and endless need for self-promotion some sort of platform, yet I didn't want him to leave Broughty Ferry" Initially a BBC Scotland project, Bob Servant Independent became the first BBC Scotland sitcom to go straight to a network transmission for a number of years, an omission which had become a point of contention in the Scottish media. The show was filmed in Glasgow and Dundee in 2012. The second series was also filmed in Glasgow and Broughty Ferry, in 2014.
...
Wikipedia