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Staged

{{Short description|UK television comedy series}}

{{EngvarB|date= June 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

{{Infobox television

| image = Staged.jpg

| genre = Sitcom

| creator = {{Plainlist|

  • Simon Evans
  • Phin Glynn{{cite web |title=Viacom International Studios Signs First-Look Deal With Infinity Hill (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/viacom-international-studios-infinity-hill-first-look-deal-1280104 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=1 April 2021 |language=en |date=20 February 2020}}

}}

| writer = Simon Evans

| director = Simon Evans

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| composer = Alex Baranowski

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| num_series = 3

| num_episodes = 21

| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|

  • Michael Sheen
  • David Tennant
  • Axel Kuschevatzky
  • Cindy Teperman
  • Geoff Iles

}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| editor = Dan Gage

| runtime = 15–20 minutes

| company = Infinity Hill – GCB Films

| network = BBC One

| first_aired = {{Start date|2020|6|10|df=y}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2021|1|26|df=y}}

| network2 = Britbox

| first_aired2 = {{Start date|2021|12|31|df=y}}

| last_aired2 = {{End date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

}}

Staged is a British television comedy series. Set and filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, primarily using video-conferencing technology, the series stars actors Michael Sheen and David Tennant as fictionalised versions of themselves. Simon Evans, Georgia Tennant, Anna Lundberg, and Lucy Eaton also star. The first series premiered 10 June 2020 on BBC One, and the second series premiered 4 January 2021 on BBC One. A Comic Relief New Year Special was uploaded to the BritBox YouTube page on 31 December 2021. A third series, BackStaged, premiered on 24 November 2022 on BritBox.

Premise

In the first series, Michael Sheen and David Tennant play fictionalised versions of themselves, trying to rehearse a performance of Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author during lockdown via videoconference,{{cite magazine|title=When is Staged on TV? Everything you need to know about David Tennant and Michael Sheen's lockdown comedy|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-05-28/staged-release-date-comedy/|magazine=Radio Times|author= Bley Griffiths, Eleanor|date= 28 May 2020|access-date = 21 June 2020}} while the underconfident director, Simon, struggles to keep control of the production.

The second series follows the "real" Michael and David following the success of the first series of Staged. Simon begins work on an American remake of the first series but Michael and David are not asked to reprise their roles.

The third series starts with Simon trying to get Michael and David to agree to a Christmas staged version of Six Characters in Search of an Author, and later A Christmas Carol, before becoming a metafictional behind the scenes documentary of the show entitled Backstaged.

Cast

=Main=

=Co-starring=

  • Georgia Tennant, David's wife
  • Anna Lundberg, Michael's girlfriend
  • Lucy Eaton, Simon's sister
  • Simon Evans, the director of the play and of Staged. Evans' acting role in the series is uncredited.

=Guest=

Guest stars play themselves unless otherwise noted.

== Series 1 ==

== Series 2 ==

== Series 3: ''BackStaged'' ==

Episodes

{{Series overview

| color1 = #334067

| link1 = #Series 1 (2020)

| episodes1 = 6

| start1 = {{Start date|2020|6|10|df=y}}

| end1 = {{End date|2020|6|24|df=y}}

| network1 = BBC One

| color2 = #B69237

| link2 = #Series 2 (2021)

| episodes2 = 8

| start2 = {{Start date|2021|1|4|df=y}}

| end2 = {{End date|2021|1|26|df=y}}

| color2S = #884316

| link2S = #Special (2021)

| linkT2S = Special

| start2S = {{Start date|2021|12|31|df=y}}

| network2S = Britbox

| color3 = #4D1A1F

| link3 = #Series 3: BackStaged (2022)

| episodes3 = 6

| released3 = {{Start date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

}}

= Series 1 (2020) =

{{Episode table |background=#334067 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=38 |director=18 |writer=15 |airdate=19 |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 1

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Cachu Hwch

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|6|10|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 2

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Up To No Good

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|6|10|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 3

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = Who The F#!k is Michael Sheen?

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|6|17|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 4

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Bara Brith

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|6|17|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 5

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Ulysses

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|6|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 6

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = The Cookie Jar

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|6|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

}}

= Series 2 (2021) =

{{Episode table |background=#B69237 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=38 |director=18 |writer=15 |airdate=19 |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 7

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Saddle Up Sheen

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|4|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 8

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Long Time, No See

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|5|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 9

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = The Dirty Mochyns

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|11|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 10

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Woofty Doofty, David

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|12|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 11

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = The Warthog and the Mongoose, Part 1

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|18|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 12

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = The Warthog and the Mongoose, Part 2

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|19|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 13

| EpisodeNumber2 = 7

| Title = The Loo Recluse

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|25|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 14

| EpisodeNumber2 = 8

| Title = Until They Get Home

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|1|26|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 334067

}}

}}

= Special (2021) =

{{Episode table |background=#884316 |overall=5 |forceoverall=y |title=43 |director=18 |writer=15 |airdate=19 |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 15

| Title = Happy New Year from David Tennant & Michael Sheen

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2021|12|31|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 884316

}}

}}

= Series 3: ''BackStaged'' (2022) =

{{Episode table |background=#4D1A1F|overall=5 |series=5 |title=38 |director=18 |writer=15 |airdate=19 |episodes=

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 16

| EpisodeNumber2 = 1

| Title = Is There a Version?

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 4D1A1F

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 17

| EpisodeNumber2 = 2

| Title = Who's Playing Who?

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 4D1A1F

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 18

| EpisodeNumber2 = 3

| Title = Past

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 4D1A1F

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 19

| EpisodeNumber2 = 4

| Title = Present

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 4D1A1F

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 20

| EpisodeNumber2 = 5

| Title = Future

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 4D1A1F

}}

{{Episode list

| EpisodeNumber = 21

| EpisodeNumber2 = 6

| Title = Knock, Knock

| DirectedBy = Simon Evans

| WrittenBy = Simon Evans

| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|11|24|df=y}}

| ShortSummary =

| LineColor = 4D1A1F

}}

}}

Release

The series premiered on 10 June 2020 on BBC One.{{Cite news |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/staged-cast-david-tennant-michael-sheen-simon-evenas-bbc-one-comedy-series-episodes-443489|last=Finnis |first=Alex |date=11 June 2020 |title=Staged cast: who stars with David Tennant and Michael Sheen in Simon Evans' comedy series, and when it's on BBC One |work=i |access-date=22 June 2020}} On 22 October 2020, it was announced that a second series had been commissioned.{{Cite web|last=Kanter|first=Jake|date=22 October 2020|title='Staged': BBC Renews David Tennant & Michael Sheen Lockdown Comedy; Ben Schwartz Joins Cast|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/staged-bbc-renews-david-tennant-ben-schwartz-joins-cast-1234601724/|access-date=6 December 2020|website=Deadline}} The second series premiered on 4 January 2021 on BBC One, and all eight episodes were added to BBC iPlayer on the same day.{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/staged-teaser-david-tennant-michael-sheen-season-2/ |title=Staged teaser sees Michael Sheen planning "slow and decisive revenge" as season 2 release date confirmed |work=RadioTimes |first=Minnie |last=Wright |date=10 December 2020 |accessdate=4 January 2022}} A New Year Special was uploaded to BritBox YouTube page on 31 December 2021, with Michael, David, Simon, Georgia, Anna & Lucy all reprising their roles.{{Citation|title=Happy New Year from David Tennant & Michael Sheen {{!}} Staged| date=31 December 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqXoGgP2l3U|language=en|access-date=2022-01-03}}

The first series was released in the U.S. via streaming service Hulu on 16 September 2020.{{cite web|title=STAGED (HULU)|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/staged/|work=The Futon Critic|access-date=31 October 2020}}

A third series of six episodes premiered on 24 November 2022 on BritBox UK.{{Cite web |title=David Tennant and Michael Sheen to return for Staged season 3 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/staged-season-3-britbox-tennant-sheen-newsupdate/ |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=Radio Times |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-11-16 |title=David Tennant and Michael Sheen's Staged reveals season 3 return date |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a41977672/staged-season-3-return-date/ |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=Digital Spy |language=en-GB}}

Reception

The first series was well received by critics. Louis Chilton, in a four-starred review for The Independent, described Staged as "a welcome distraction, an eminently watchable portrait of two artists as petulant, egotistical children".{{Cite news |last=Chilton |first=Louis |date=10 June 2020 |title=Staged, review: BBC One's thespian comedy nails the quirks of life under lockdown |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/staged-bbc1-david-tennant-michael-sheen-review-a9557211.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/staged-bbc1-david-tennant-michael-sheen-review-a9557211.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=21 June 2020}} Anna Leszkiewicz, for the New Statesman, said it was "charming: absurdly silly in a quiet, understated way".{{Cite news |last=Leszkiewicz |first=Anna |date=17 June 2020 |title=The charming silliness of lockdown comedy Staged |work=New Statesman |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/staged-review-michael-sheen-david-tennant-bbc-one |access-date=21 June 2020}} Rupert Hawksley, in the i, described it as "compelling 'lockdown' television".{{Cite news |last=Hawksley |first=Rupert |date=10 June 2020 |title=Staged, BBC One, review: David Tennant and Michael Sheen's Zoom comedy is better than The Trip |work=i |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/staged-bbc-one-review-david-tennant-michael-sheen-442985 |access-date=21 June 2020}} Gabriel Tate, reviewing Staged for Metro, said "Sheen and Tennant shared a warmth and willingness to take the mickey out of each other that felt entirely unforced."{{Cite news |last=Tate |first=Gabriel |date=10 June 2020 |title=Review: Staged |work=Metro |url=https://www.metro.news/tv-review-staged/2040841/ |access-date=21 June 2020}} Fergus Morgan, writing in The Stage, gave the production five stars and said: "Tennant and Sheen are excellent, perennially, even when performing as themselves to their own laptops. Here, joined by Evans and by their real-life spouses – the actors Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg – they are on top form, crackling with snide chemistry. The whole thing is a treat."{{Cite news |last=Morgan |first=Fergus |date=11 June 2020 |title=Staged |work=The Stage |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/staged |access-date=21 June 2020}}

The second series received more mixed reviews. Rupert Hawksley of The Independent called the first episode "stale and indulgent [...] Perhaps Staged was always this smug and we just didn’t notice, so grateful were we to have something new to watch, but the tone is now horribly out of step with the national mood." Writing for The Telegraph, Anita Singh criticised the meta aspects of the second series, saying "Staged is at its best when the duo are being funny, rather than debating whether or not they’re funny."

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{BBC programme}}
  • {{IMDb title|12369754}}
  • {{British Comedy Guide|tv|staged}}
  • {{Epguides|Staged}}

{{Six Characters in Search of an Author}}

{{COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories}}

Category:2020 British television series debuts

Category:2020s British comedy television series

Category:2020s British sitcoms

Category:2022 British television series endings

Category:BBC television comedy

Category:BBC television sitcoms

Category:British English-language television shows

Category:Media depictions of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

Category:Metafictional television series

Category:Self-reflexive television

Category:Television shows about the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Works based on Six Characters in Search of an Author