Marriage (TV series)
{{Short description|British television series}}
{{for|other TV series|Marriage (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox television
| genre = Drama
| creator = Stefan Golaszewski
| writer = Stefan Golaszewski
| director = Stefan Golaszewski
| starring = {{Plainlist|
| music =
| cinematography = Ali Asad
| editor = Simon Reglar
| location =
| company = {{Plainlist|
- All3Media
- The Forge
- The Money Men}}
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
- Stefan Golaszewski
- Tommy Bulfin
- George Faber
- Richard Laxton
- Beth Willis}}
| producer = Lyndsay Robinson
| network = BBC One
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 4
| list_episodes =
| first_aired = {{Start date|2022|08|14|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2022|08|22|df=y}}
}}
Marriage is a 2022 British television drama series, starring Nicola Walker and Sean Bean as a married couple in a long term domestic relationship.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/marriage-sean-bean-nicola-walker-bbc-b2145117.html|title=Marriage is largely tedious – Sean Bean's new TV series finally gets it|website=The Independent|last=Sturges|first=Fiona|date=14 August 2022|access-date=14 August 2022}} It was created, written and directed by Stefan Golaszewski.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2021/marriage-casting-sean-bean-nicola-walker|title=Sean Bean and Nicola Walker to star in new Stefan Golaszewski drama, Marriage, for BBC One|website=BBC|date=24 September 2021|access-date=15 January 2022}} The four-part series opened on 14 August 2022 on BBC One. It was simultaneously made available in full to stream, on BBC iPlayer.
Cast
- Sean Bean as Ian, Emma's husband who has recently been made redundant
- Nicola Walker as Emma, Ian's wife who is a solicitor
- Chantelle Alle as Jessica, Ian and Emma's adoptive daughter and a singer
- Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Jamie, Emma's boss
- Jack Holden as Adam, Jessica's abusive boyfriend and a record producer
- James Bolam as Gerry, Emma's father
- Makir Ahmed as Mike, Emma's colleague
- Kath Hughes as Claire, Emma's colleague
- Ella Augustin as Maxine, an employee at the local leisure centre
- Hector Hewer as Kieran, an employee at the local leisure centre
- Shona McHugh as Emily, an employee at Jamie's company who is on work experience
- Kemal Sylvester as Paul, Emma's brother
- Miles Barrow as Mark, a restaurant employee who befriends Jessica
Production
In September 2021, it was announced that the BBC had commissioned Golaszewski's new drama, starring Walker and Bean. It was a co-production between The Forge and The Money Men, in association with All3Media International.{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/nicola-walker-sean-bean-marriage-bbc-newsupdate/|title=Nicola Walker and Sean Bean to lead BBC relationship drama Marriage|website=Radio Times|last=Julian|first=Joe|date=24 September 2021|access-date=15 January 2022}}
The theme tune is "Partita for 8 Voices: No 1, Allemande", an a cappella work by the American composer Caroline Shaw.{{cite web |last1=Doherty |first1=Réiltín |title=Marriage theme tune is annoying the hell out of viewers - what is it? |url=https://www.entertainmentdaily.co.uk/tv/marriage-bbc-theme-tune-theme-song-reaction/ |website=Entertainment Daily |access-date=22 August 2022 |date=21 August 2022}}
Episode list
{{Episode table |background=#75111D |overall= |title= |titleR= |director= |directorR= |writer= |writerR= |airdate= |airdateR= |viewers= |country=U.K. |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = 1.1
|DirectedBy=Stefan Golaszewski
|WrittenBy= Stefan Golaszewski
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|08|14|df=y}}
|Viewers = 5.44
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = 1.2
|DirectedBy=Stefan Golaszewski
|WrittenBy= Stefan Golaszewski
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|08|15|df=y}}
|Viewers =3.32
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = 1.3
|DirectedBy=Stefan Golaszewski
|WrittenBy= Stefan Golaszewski
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|08|21|df=y}}
|Viewers =2.93
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 4
|Title = 1.4
|DirectedBy=Stefan Golaszewski
|WrittenBy= Stefan Golaszewski
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2022|08|22|df=y}}
|Viewers =<(2.32)
|ShortSummary =
|LineColor = 000
}}
}}
Reception
The series received mostly very good reviews from critics, and mixed reviews from viewers.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sean-bean-marriage-bbc-reactions-b2145134.html|title=Marriage: BBC viewers divided over slow, realist Sean Bean drama|website=The Independent|last=Harrison|first=Ellie|date=14 August 2022|access-date=14 August 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/aug/14/tv-tonight-sean-bean-and-nicola-walker-marriage-bbc-one|title=TV tonight: Sean Bean and Nicola Walker argue over a jacket potato|website=The Guardian|date=14 August 2022|access-date=14 August 2022}} The Telegraph praised the first episode and gave it five out of five stars.{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/marriage-review-sean-bean-nicola-walker-will-shake-complacency/ | title=Marriage, review: Sean Bean and Nicola Walker will shake you out of complacency | newspaper=The Telegraph | date=14 August 2022 | last1=Rees | first1=Jasper }} Ben East of Metro, similarly, praised the first episode and gave it four stars.{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/14/marriage-on-bbc-review-sean-bean-is-soulful-in-acting-masterclass-17179465/|title=Marriage on BBC review: Sean Bean and Nicola Walker deliver acting masterclass in authentic relationship study|website=Metro|last=East|first=Ben|date=14 August 2022|access-date=14 August 2022}} Rebecca Nicholson for The Guardian gave the first episode four out of five stars, remarking, 'There is a pitch-perfect realism to the way these characters talk without really saying anything, then put across what they really mean while saying nothing at all. It’s so cleverly done.'{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/aug/14/marriage-review-sean-bean-and-nicola-walker-are-pitch-perfect | title=Marriage review – Sean Bean and Nicola Walker are pitch perfect | website=TheGuardian.com | date=14 August 2022 }}
By contrast, Nick Hilton, writing for The Independent, gave Marriage two out of five stars, adding that the show would "bore you to tears".{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/marriage-bbc-tv-review-sean-bean-b2143905.html|title=Marriage review: Sean Bean and Nicola Walker's marital non-drama will bore you to tears|website=The Independent|last=Hilton|first=Nick|date=14 August 2022|access-date=14 August 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}