Hunderby
{{Short description|British black comedy TV series}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| genre = {{flatlist|
- Black comedy{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-01-26/sky-atlantic-commissions-new-julia-davis-comedy-hunderby |title=Sky Atlantic Commissions New Julia Davis Comedy Hunderby
| Radio Times |date=January 26, 2012 |website=Radio Times |access-date=May 3, 2016}}{{cite web |url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/19900/julia-davis-and-rufus-jones-on-the-return-of-hunderby/ |title=Julia Davis and Rufus Jones on the Return of Hunderby – Gay Times |last=Megarry |first=Daniel |date=December 10, 2015 |website=Gay Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829084128/https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/19900/julia-davis-and-rufus-jones-on-the-return-of-hunderby/ |access-date=May 3, 2016|archive-date=29 August 2018 }}
}}
| camera = Film, single camera
| runtime = 8×30 mins (S1) 2×60 mins (S2)
| creator = Julia Davis
| writer = Julia Davis
Barunka O'Shaughnessy
| starring = Alexandra Roach
Julia Davis
Alex Macqueen
Rufus Jones
Julian Barratt
| executive_producer = Julia Davis
Lindsay Hughes
Armando Iannucci
Lucy Lumsden
Henry Normal
| producer = John Rushton
| director = Tony Dow
| opentheme =
| country = England
| language = English
| company = Baby Cow Productions
| network = Sky Atlantic
| first_aired = {{start date|2012|8|27|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{end date|2015|12|17|df=y}}
| related =
| num_series = 2
| num_episodes = 10
| list_episodes =
}}
Hunderby is a British black comedy television series produced by Sky and written by Julia Davis.{{Cite web | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9502116/Julia-Davis-on-Hunderby-Sky-Atlantic-My-horror-of-cruelty-is-why-I-write-about-it..html |website=The Daily Telegraph |title = Julia Davis on Hunderby, Sky Atlantic: "My horror of cruelty is why I write about it." | access-date = 12 December 2012 | date = 27 August 2012 | first = Chris | last = Harvey}} It was first broadcast on Sky Atlantic in 2012. The series won two awards at the British Comedy Awards in 2012; it also won Davis a BAFTA TV Award for best comedy writing. Hunderby returned in December 2015 for a second series consisting of two one-hour specials.
Plot
In the 1830s, a woman named Helene is washed ashore after her ship is wrecked off the English coast. There, she is courted by Edmund, a local pastor, and they soon get married under the understanding that Helene is still pure. However, she has a dark past that she must hide from him.
When Helene moves into Edmund's home, she falls under the watchful eye of housekeeper Dorothy, who is more than a little involved in her master's life and quite obsessed with his dead first wife, Arabelle, to whom, in her opinion, Helene simply does not compare. While Helene battles to keep her past a secret, she must navigate Dorothy's devious scheming, her husband's harsh critique and a potential new love interest in the form of Dr. Foggerty.
Cast
=Main characters=
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
- Julia Davis as Dorothy
- Alexandra Roach as Helene
- Alex Macqueen as Edmund
- Rufus Jones as Dr. Foggerty
- Julian Barratt as Narrator
}}
=Supporting roles=
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
- Rebekah Staton as Annie
- Daniel Lawrence Taylor as Geoff
- Rosie Cavaliero as Hester
- Ben Bishop as Tom
- James Greene as Old Ian
- Jane Stanness as Biddy Ritherfoot
- Rosalind Knight as Mother Mathilde
- Alexander Armstrong as Brother Joseph
- Kevin Eldon as John Whiffin
}}
Reception
Sam Wollaston, television critic for The Guardian, was enthusiastic about the programme.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/dec/11/hunderby-julia-davis-woodland-sex-review |title=Hunderby review: 'Woodland sex before the opening credits – oh it's good to have Julia Davis back' |last=Wollaston |first=Sam |date=11 December 2015 |website=The Guardian |access-date=2016-04-01}} He concludes: "Hunderby is filth... the filthiest filth, but also top quality filth, and you can get away with a lot by being very good, and very funny, which it is."
=Ratings=
Hunderby debuted on Sky Atlantic in August 2012 with 246,000 viewers, the channel's second highest rated show of the week, after The Borgias.{{cite web|url=http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-10? |title=Top 10 Programmes - BARB |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718204656/http://www.barb.co.uk/whats-new/weekly-top-10 |archive-date=18 July 2014 |df=dmy-all }} In subsequent weeks ratings remained high for Sky Atlantic, with figures all above 100,000. The series had 211,000 viewers.
=Awards=
In 2012, Hunderby won a British Comedy Award for "Best Sitcom,” and another for "Best New Comedy Programme". For "Best Sitcom,” its competition was Rev, The Thick of It, and Twenty Twelve; for "Best New Comedy Programme,” it competed with Cardinal Burns, Moone Boy, and Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life.{{cite web |url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/winners-2012.aspx |title=Winners 2012 |website=British Comedy Awards}}
In 2013, Hunderby won Julia Davis a BAFTA Craft award for "Best Comedy Writing;” Davis was also nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in the category "Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme.” Hunderby itself was nominated for a BAFTA in the "Situation Comedy" category.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=2375858|title=Hunderby}}
- {{British Comedy Guide|tv|hunderby|Hunderby}}
{{Sky Atlantic}}
Category:2010s British black comedy television series
Category:2012 British television series debuts
Category:2015 British television series endings
Category:British English-language television shows
Category:Sky Atlantic original programming