King Gary
GenreSitcom
Created byTom Davis
James De Frond
Written byTom Davis
James De Frond
Directed byJames De Frond
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes13 + pilot
Production
Executive producers
  • Andrew Brereton
  • Tom Davis
  • James De Fond
  • Alex Moody (season 1)
  • Ben Caudell (season 2)
ProducersRupert Majendie (season 1)
Richard Webb (season 2)
Production companyShiny Button Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release23 December 2018 (2018-12-23) 
3 September 2021 (2021-09-03)

King Gary is a British television comedy series made for the BBC co-created and written by Tom Davis and James De Frond. Davis also stars as the eponymous lead character, Gary King, while De Frond directs.[1]

The pilot episode was shown on BBC One in the UK in December 2018.[2] The show was commissioned for a full series which was aired in January 2020, with a Christmas special shown on 23 December 2020 on BBC One.[3] A second series was commissioned in February 2020.[4] The BBC have revealed there are no plans for another series.

Plot

Set amongst a competitive working class crescent in the outer London suburbs, Gary King is a family man who has taken over his dad’s building firm.[5]

Cast

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
Pilot23 December 2018 (2018-12-23)
1610 January 2020 (2020-01-10)14 February 2020 (2020-02-14)
Christmas Special23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)
2630 July 2021 (2021-07-30)3 September 2021 (2021-09-03)

Pilot (2018)

TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.K viewers
(millions)
"Pilot"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond23 December 2018 (2018-12-23)N/A

Series 1 (2020)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.K viewers
(millions)
11"Episode 1"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond10 January 2020 (2020-01-10)N/A
22"Episode 2"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond17 January 2020 (2020-01-17)N/A
33"Episode 3"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond24 January 2020 (2020-01-24)N/A
44"Episode 4"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond31 January 2020 (2020-01-31)N/A
55"Episode 5"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond7 February 2020 (2020-02-07)N/A
66"Episode 6"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond14 February 2020 (2020-02-14)N/A

Christmas Special (2020)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.K viewers
(millions)
7"Christmas Special 2020"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond23 December 2020 (2020-12-23)N/A

Series 2 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date[7]U.K viewers
(millions)
81"Episode 1"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond30 July 2021 (2021-07-30)N/A
92"Episode 2"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond6 August 2021 (2021-08-06)N/A
103"Episode 3"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond13 August 2021 (2021-08-13)N/A
114"Episode 4"James De FrondSteve Stamp20 August 2021 (2021-08-20)N/A
125"Episode 5"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)N/A
136"Episode 6"James De FrondTom Davis & James De Frond3 September 2021 (2021-09-03)N/A

Production

Davis and De Frond had known each other from school and previously worked together on Murder in Successville. They tried to ensure all cast members were personally familiar with the suburban area on the outer London boroughs where the series is set, with Butterchurn Crescent’s location being Oak Lodge Avenue in Chigwell.[8]

Reception

Shane Allen, director of BBC Comedy said “With King Gary we also get a big daft southern comedy voice in Tom Davis at the centre of a very exciting cast.”[9] The Daily Telegraph praised how “Davis and James De Frond have written about the working class world they know...Everything from the decor to the language feels right. They throw in a few good lines, too” but overall felt it compares less well with previous BBC sitcoms such as Gavin and Stacey that covered some of the same cultural ground.[10] The Independent praised “a decent supply of zingers” in the script.[11] The Times suspected the viewer would “either love or hate King Gary. It offers unsubtle Essex geezerish humour and barbecue was pronounced “BBQ” to an irritating degree. But I am quite unsubtle and have a puerile sense of humour and it made me smile, especially when I saw that Romesh Ranganathan was in it... Yes, it’s a bit crude and one-note and could wear thin after 30 minutes, but it was cheerful nonsense and we need more of that.”[12]

References

  1. "Interview: Tom Davis On his New BBC Sitcom King Gary". Beyond The Joke. 28 December 2019.
  2. "King Gary, review: a soufflé-light suburban sitcom". www.telegraph.co.uk.
  3. "Tom Davis on King Gary: 'This is how the people of Croydon really are'". inews.co.uk. 10 January 2020.
  4. Guide, British Comedy (10 February 2020). "King Gary to return for Series 2 - News". British Comedy Guide.
  5. "Tom Davis: 'I was on the building site in the week, and in a dress at weekends'". The Guardian. 7 January 2020.
  6. "Meet the cast of King Gary on BBC1". Radio Times.
  7. "King Gary – Listings". BBC One. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  8. "When is King Gary Christmas special release date? Cast, plot and trailer". Radio Times.
  9. "Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content announces two new comedies for BBC One". www.bbc.co.uk. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  10. "King Gary Christmas Special, review: a sitcom that struggles to keep up with its Essex neighbours". www.telegraph.co.uk.
  11. "King Gary: Every Essex stereotype in the book, but a few laughs too". inews.co.uk. 23 December 2018.
  12. Midgley, Carol (20 October 2023). "TV review: Watership Down; King Gary" via www.thetimes.co.uk.
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