Coupling
Coupling intertitle (series 1 – 3)
Format	Comedy / Sitcom British comedy British sitcom
Created by	Steven Moffat
Starring	Jack Davenport Gina Bellman Sarah Alexander Kate Isitt Ben Miles Richard Coyle Richard Mylan
Opening theme	Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Vocals by Mari Wilson)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. Comedy (from the Greek κωμωδίαkomodia has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse especially in Television, Film, and British Comedy, in Film, Radio and Television, is known for its consistently quirky characters plots and settings and has produced some of the most A British sitcom is a Situation comedy (sitcom produced in the United Kingdom. Steven Moffat (born 1961 in Paisley, Scotland) is a Scottish Comedy / Drama writer who has contributed to Television series Jack Davenport (born March 1[[ 973]] is a British film and television Actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This Gina Bellman (born 10 July 1966 is an English actress. Bellman was born in New Zealand to Jewish parents of Russian and Sarah Alexander ( née Smith, born 3 January 1971) is an English actress, known for her roles in various British comedy Kate Isitt is an English actress who is best known for her role as beauty therapist Sally Harper in the BBC television situation comedy Coupling. Ben Miles (born 1967 Wimbledon London) is an English Actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the British TV Comedy Richard Coyle (b 27 February 1972 in Sheffield, England) is an English Actor. Richard Mylan (born in Swansea) in 1973 is a Welsh actor He is best known as Oliver in the Sitcom Coupling (2004 and Joe Andrews Quizás Quizás Quizás (also known as Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps in English a popular song by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farrés Mari Wilson (born Mari MacMillan Ramsey Wilson, 29 September 1957, in London) is an English Singer, best known for her The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States of series	4
No.  of episodes	28 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Beryl Vertue (series 1 – 3) Geoffrey Perkins (series 1 – 2) Sophie Clarke-Jervoise (series 3 – 4)
Producer(s)	Sue Vertue
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC Two (Series 1 – 3) BBC Three (Series 4)
Original run	12 May 2000 – 14 June 2004
Chronology
Related shows	Joking Apart
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Coupling is a British television sitcom written by Steven Moffat that aired on BBC2 from May 2000 to 2004. Coupling is a British Television Sitcom written by Steven Moffat that aired on BBC2 from May 2000 to 2004 Geoffrey Howard Perkins ( 22 February 1953 - 29 August 2008) was a Comedy producer writer and performer and a central figure in BBC Three is a television channel from the BBC broadcasting via Digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Steven Moffat (born 1961 in Paisley, Scotland) is a Scottish Comedy / Drama writer who has contributed to Television series Produced by Hartswood Films for the BBC, the show centres on the dating and sexual adventures and mishaps of six friends in their thirties, often depicting the three women and the three men each talking amongst themselves about the same events, but in entirely different terms. Hartswood Films is a British television production company founded and run by producer Beryl Vertue. Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more beings

The series was inspired by the relationship between writer Steven Moffat and producer Sue Vertue to the extent that they lend their names to two of the characters.

The show debuted to unimpressive ratings, but its popularity soon increased and by the end of the third series the show had achieved decent ratings in the UK. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The series began airing on PBS stations and on BBC America in the United States in late 2002 and quickly gained a devoted fanbase there as well. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the BBC America is an American Television network owned and operated by BBC Worldwide Americas, and available on both cable and satellite The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The show is syndicated around the world. An American adaptation of the sitcom was briefly produced in 2003. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Coupling is a 2003 American remake of the British television Sitcom of the same title.

Contents 1 Inception 2 Main cast 3 Characters 4 Other characters 5 Episodes 6 Reception 7 Notes 8 External links

Inception

Moffat had used the breakdown of his first marriage as inspiration for his 1990s sitcom Joking Apart. Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship ^[1][2] Retaining this semi-autobiographical trend, Coupling was based on him meeting his wife, Sue Vertue, and on the issues that arise in new relationships. He met Vertue, a television producer who had worked on Mr. Bean, at the Edinburgh Television Festival in 1996. The Edinburgh International Television Festival, founded in 1976 is held annually over the British August bank holiday weekend at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre ^[3] When she eventually asked him for a sitcom, he decided to base it around the evolution of their own relationship. Drunk one evening, he went into her office, wrote the word "Coupling" on a sheet of paper and told her to ask him about it later. ^[3]

The couple formed the basis for the main characters Steve and Susan. The four other characters are prior relationships and the best friends of Steve and Susan; they represent the extremes of confidence and paranoia between the sexes when it comes to relationships. The two main characters are left to negotiate their own relationship as illuminated by these extremes. "Inferno" was written shortly after Vertue had found a similar tape in the VCR, although Moffat added the 'spanking' element as he "didn't think the real tape was quite pervy enough. Spanking is a form of Corporal punishment that generally consists of striking the Buttocks of a Child or Teenager, usually by the parents '"^[4]

The series has made use of techniques that are unconventional in sitcoms, such as split screen and non-linear narratives. The style of the programme is sometimes farce, but by using non-linear narratives it is farce in a way not achievable on the stage. A farce is a Comedy written for the stage or film which aims to Entertain the audience by means of unlikely extravagant and improbable situations disguise and mistaken

Main cast

• Steve Taylor – played by Jack Davenport
• Jane Christie – played by Gina Bellman
• Susan Walker – played by Sarah Alexander
• Sally Harper – played by Kate Isitt
• Patrick Maitland – played by Ben Miles
• Jeff Murdock – played by Richard Coyle (Series 1 – 3)
• Oliver Morris – played by Richard Mylan (Series 4)

Characters

Coupling is almost entirely based around the antics of the six main characters. Jack Davenport (born March 1[[ 973]] is a British film and television Actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This Gina Bellman (born 10 July 1966 is an English actress. Bellman was born in New Zealand to Jewish parents of Russian and Sarah Alexander ( née Smith, born 3 January 1971) is an English actress, known for her roles in various British comedy Kate Isitt is an English actress who is best known for her role as beauty therapist Sally Harper in the BBC television situation comedy Coupling. Ben Miles (born 1967 Wimbledon London) is an English Actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the British TV Comedy Jeffrey 'Jeff' Murdock is a character in the TV series Coupling. Richard Coyle (b 27 February 1972 in Sheffield, England) is an English Actor. Richard Mylan (born in Swansea) in 1973 is a Welsh actor He is best known as Oliver in the Sitcom Coupling (2004 and Joe Andrews Coupling features no recurring characters that last beyond a few episodes. In the series, "the women are mainly confident and sexually quite voracious, whilst the blokes are completely useless, riddled with self doubt and awkwardness. "^[5]

Steve Taylor - Best friend to Jeff, boyfriend/fiancé of Susan and ex-long-term partner of Jane, Steve is skilled at saying the exact wrong thing at the wrong time. (While dating Susan, an attractive woman asked him if he had a girlfriend and he said 'no' -- "I meant to say 'yes,' I just missed by one word. ") His inability to handle pressure often leads to humorous and hugely inappropriate responses. Despite this, Steve has some common sense and often refutes the seemingly ridiculous things Jeff and Patrick come up with. Despite his flaws, he means well but always seems to lose control of the situation. No reference is made to Steve's job during the series, but in a DVD commentary, Moffat mentions that Steve is, like him, a writer. At least once per series, Steve goes off on a long rant explaining a difference of perspective between the sexes. In series 4, he has a baby boy with Susan.

The name "Steve Taylor" is very similar to "Steven Taylor", a 1960s regular character from Doctor Who, a series Moffat was a fan of and would later go on to write for. Steven Taylor is a fictional character played by Peter Purves in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Moffat explained that although he was aware of the Doctor Who connection, the "Steve" was chosen because the character was based upon himself, and the "Taylor" to suggest a thematic link to the character of Mark Taylor in his earlier sitcom Joking Apart. Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship

Susan Walker - Best friend to Sally, girlfriend/fiancée to Steve and ex-girlfriend of Patrick, Susan is one of Jeff's co-workers. Susan is usually very sensible and organised, a fact often resented by her friends Sally and Jane. Susan can be very insecure and often takes this out on Steve. Whilst cross she will generally say "apparently," a habit first noted in the first series episode "Inferno," and henceforth mentioned throughout the rest of the series by other characters. Steve and Susan's various arguments and differences of opinion make up a majority of the comic exchanges between them. Susan is a successful career woman, speaks French fluently, and takes her work life very seriously. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Whilst Susan's job is never directly referred to, she works alongside Jeff, an accountant, and she reveals she has a degree in Economics. In series 4, she has a baby boy with Steve.

Jeff Murdock (Series 1 to 3) - Best friend to Steve and co-worker to Susan, whom he has dated once. Jeffrey 'Jeff' Murdock is a character in the TV series Coupling. Jeff's constant sexual frustration, ridiculous stories and fantasies about women and sex make up a major part of the comedy. Jeff is terrible at talking to women, often stumbling and unintentionally making up lie upon lie in an attempt to avoid looking stupid. These always backfire on him. He is known for a fondness for the word "breasts", often muttering it during conversations. From titbits he occasionally lets slip, it appears that his problems can largely be traced back to his eccentric and domineering mother (who appears in 2. 8, "Naked", played by Anwen Williams). Jeff works as an accountant in an office with Susan, and it is through him that Steve and Susan initially meet. An accountant is a practitioner of Accountancy, which is the measurement disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers investors

Sally Harper - Best friend to Susan (and girlfriend to Patrick by series 4), Sally is obsessed with her own appearance and constantly worries about the effects of aging and life in general on her looks. Her worst fear seems to be of dying alone, but she seems totally inept at relationships due to her frequent paranoia which tends to make her out as a very mean spirited woman. Sally runs her own beauty parlour and is a successful businesswoman, but out of the entire group, she is the most insecure and resentful. A Labour supporter, she finds it difficult to reconcile this with her attraction to Patrick, a Tory. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom.

Patrick Maitland - Ex-boyfriend to Susan (and Sally's boyfriend by series 4), Patrick has a one-track mind: sex. This gives him a very narrow view of women, but he is great at courting them. Frequent references are made to his rather large penis; Susan nicknames him "donkey" and "tripod," sparking much of Sally's initial interest in him despite her other objections. He is very good at getting women to bed, and cannot comprehend meeting a woman and not screwing her. It is revealed in the fourth season that he generally leaves in middle of the night. In one episode it's revealed that unbeknownst to him, a woman from his past made a vibrator from a plaster cast of Patrick's erect penis and marketed as the Junior Patrick; the box clearly has a 10-inch measurement on the side when seen later in the episode. Patrick's love of the ladies often backfires, and the series frequently features story lines about his possessive lovers and ex-lovers. Patrick is a successful businessman and is very competitive with others in the same business, but he does have a vague sense of loyalty to his friends. He collects videos of nights with his girlfriends in his rather large "cupboard of love. " Despite his Tory political leanings, the character is not to be confused with the real-life Patrick Maitland, the 17th Earl of Lauderdale, who served as a Conservative MP between 1951 and 1959. In the political tradition of some English-speaking countries, the term Tory has referred to a variety of political parties and Creeds since it was Patrick Francis Maitland 17th Earl of Lauderdale (born March 17, 1911) is a British Conservative politician The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament.

Jane Christie - Ex-long-time partner of Steve, Jane is very possessive, and despite breaking up with Steve in the first episode, she never truly seems to let go. Jane has a problem talking to men, often coming on much too strong and appearing desperate or rude to others in her pursuit of a man. Her character also seems to not be too bright, and perhaps even disturbed. In the fourth season, everyone starts referring to her as being "mad. " Jane claims to be bisexual, although we have never actually seen her date a woman. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Susan time and again expresses skepticism, so this claim may be a ploy to entice men. However, Susan (for her own reasons) makes out with Jane in the fourth series and Jane seems to be overwhelmed but enjoys it. However, her claim is also successfully challenged by Oliver Morris in the fourth series, where he points out that she is indeed not bisexual. Jane works in a local radio station as a traffic reporter, and is popular mainly due to her flirty nature and sexually explicit reports. This article is about radio broadcasting for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. She was once briefly fired for telling all the drivers to close their eyes to centre themselves and changing the names of streets for her own amusement, among other things, but was re-hired due to her popularity.

Oliver Morris (Series 4) - Oliver is introduced in the fourth series and eventually becomes involved with Jane. He runs a local science fiction media store called "Hellmouths" and has been out of a relationship for several months. Oliver often has a very cynical outlook, but is prone to accidents, often making a fool of himself in the process. He is sometimes shown gearing himself up to meet women and have sex by thinking to himself, which we can hear. The geekiness of his job is also used for comic effect. Oliver also seems to have inherited Jeff's inability to talk to women, however, unlike Jeff he believes himself to be a ladies man, or in his thoughts word's "a woman-killer, I mean lady-killer. . . "

Other characters

Julia Davis - Julia (Lou Gish), appears in five episodes spanning over series 2 and 3. Lou Gish ( 27 May 1967 &ndash 20 February 2006) was an English stage, Film and Television She first appears in Naked, as the new head of department in the office where Jeff and Susan work. Julia and Jeff soon fall for each other due to their shared inability to hold a reasonable conversation with a member of the opposite sex. Despite overcoming the inevitable troubles with each other, their relationship ends when Julia's ex, Joe, a soldier returns from the front line believing Julia to still be his girlfriend. After finding Julia chained to the bed in her room dressed in bondage gear, Joe attacks Jeff. In the context of BDSM, bondage involves people being tied up or otherwise restrained for pleasure In the final episode of series 3, Jeff explains that Julia and Joe have left together to discover their feelings for each other, in Bolton. Bolton ( is a large town in Greater Manchester, in the North West region of England.

Tamsin - Tamsin (Olivia Caffrey) is Oliver's Irish ex-girlfriend, who left him for unknown reasons around six months prior to the beginning of the fourth series, and has since become pregnant by another man, with whom she has now split. She befriends Susan at an antenatal class. Obstetrics (from the Latin obstare, "to stand by" is the surgical speciality dealing with the care of a woman and her offspring during Pregnancy Tamsin and Oliver seem to have a sour relationship with each other, as is shown over the three episodes in which she features.

James - James (Lloyd Owen) appears in three episodes of series three. Lloyd Owen (born 14 April 1966 is a British actor of Welsh descent He hosts the religious programme at the radio station where Jane works, and Jane pretends to have an interest in religion in order to become his girlfriend. Jane is devastated to find he does not believe in sex before marriage, and even more so to find that he had a fervent sex life before finding God, which included a night with Susan. He leaves on a trip to Germany at the end of The Freckle, the Key, and the Couple who Weren't, and returns in Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps, just as Jane is expressing her amazement that the many sexual encounters she has had while he was away have not made her pregnant ("I have shagged and shagged and shagged and all the little bastards missed!") At this point Jane decides she is better off without him. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Episodes

Main article: List of Coupling episodes

Reception

The sitcom has often been criticised as being a 'British version of Friends. Coupling is a British Television Sitcom written by Steven Moffat that aired on BBC2 from May 2000 to 2004 Friends was an ' However, in interviews Steven Moffat has cited Seinfeld as being more of an inspiration and this can be seen in some aspects of unusual plotting and character interaction. Seinfeld is an American Situation comedy, or sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5 1989 to May 14 1998 lasting nine seasons

Four series of Coupling were produced for the BBC. The programme was thought to have ended when the American network NBC began work on an American adaptation, which NBC was reportedly hoping to position as a replacement for Friends. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Unlike most American adaptations, this show was intended to be a word-for-word duplicate of the British version, except that it was shortened to allow for the shorter running time of North American 'half hour' shows. The programme was attacked in the press long before the first episode aired, because it was more sexually explicit than typical American television. ^[4] The US version was cancelled after airing just four episodes. It starred Rena Sofer and Sonya Walger, among others. Rena Sherel Sofer (born December 2, 1968 in Arcadia, California) is an American Actress. Sonya Walger (born June 6, 1974) is a British actress, perhaps best known for her revealing role in the controversial HBO series Gina Bellman, who plays Jane in the British series, made a cameo appearance in the first episode of the American adaptation of Coupling.

In 2004, the fourth series started screening on BBC Three, and on BBC2 a few months later. BBC Three is a television channel from the BBC broadcasting via Digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms Richard Coyle (who played Jeff) did not appear in the fourth series, and was replaced by Richard Mylan as a new character called Oliver. Richard Coyle (b 27 February 1972 in Sheffield, England) is an English Actor. Richard Mylan (born in Swansea) in 1973 is a Welsh actor He is best known as Oliver in the Sitcom Coupling (2004 and Joe Andrews Richard Coyle did not want to continue in the role and therefore quit. Richard Coyle (b 27 February 1972 in Sheffield, England) is an English Actor. ^[6] The BBC approached Moffat about writing a fifth series, but other commitments made it impossible to gather the cast. Moffat moved on to write acclaimed episodes for the revived science fiction series Doctor Who. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Many fans of the series were angered that Jeff was no longer in the fourth series, and Richard Mylan has said in interview that it took a long time for people to accept his character. ^[7]

Some fans of the programme were disappointed that the eventual fates of the characters was never made clear, and Steven Moffat provided some short storyline "conclusions" on the website Outpost Gallifrey. Outpost Gallifrey was a popular fan Website for the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ^[8]

The DVD releases of all four series are currently available in the UK, US, Israel, Canada, Australia, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and Turkey.

Notes

External links

• Coupling at bbc.co.uk
• Coupling at the Internet Movie Database
• Coupling at British Sitcom Guide
• Coupling at Phill. co. uk Comedy Guide
• Extensive quotes especially from Jeff's monologues

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