Green Wing Special
Encyclopedia
The Green Wing Special is the final episode of the British sitcom Green Wing
. It was first broadcast in Australia and Belgium
on 29 December 2006. It was aired on 4 January 2007 in the United Kingdom. The episode is sometimes billed as a Christmas special, although the episode contains nothing Christmas related. The special is 90 minutes long, around twice the length of a normal episode.
The special continues the plot from the end of the second series
of Green Wing, which ended with Caroline Todd (played by Tamsin Greig
) becoming engaged
to Guy Secretan
(Stephen Mangan
), "Mac" Macartney
(Julian Rhind-Tutt
) learning that he was going to die, Alan Statham
(Mark Heap
) and Joanna Clore
(Pippa Haywood
) fleeing from the police after they murdered Joanna's cousin, and Karen Ball (Lucinda Raikes
) having a dramatic change of personality after she fell out of a window. While this was the final episode of Green Wing, an alternative ending was produced in case a third series was written. There was an argument between the cast and the writers about which ending should have been used. The special received mixed views from both critics and fans.
(Oliver Chris
), Martin Dear
(Karl Theobald
) and Sue White
(Michelle Gomez
). References made in the episode lead the viewer to first believe that it is Mac's funeral, but then a giant picture of Angela Hunter
(Sarah Alexander
) appears, who left the hospital in series two. The cause of her death is not fully explained, although comments made by the characters indicate she died in a hunting accident with a moose. The plot then splits between three groups of characters.
Later, Alan and Joanna are stopped by a policeman on suspicion of stealing the campervan. Joanna gets her peanut-butter sandwich and smears it in the policeman's face. Alan and Joanna have an argument about the minute odds of the policeman having a peanut allergy and going into a fit, while in the background this is actually happening. They then carry the body of the policeman into the van. Soon, having run out of food and petrol, Alan changes the engine to run on alcohol and fermented excrement. The plan is of no use however, as the van explodes. They soon reach the beach and Joanna gives Alan three options: Give themselves up, swim the Channel
to Spain or commit suicide. As Alan is not keen on the Spanish, they choose the third option and they are last seen walking naked into the sea, presumably to their deaths - although the alternate ending shows them hanging on to a buoy sometime later.
" situation. They soon begin to argue and Harriet Schulenburg
(Olivia Colman
) decides to become the new Joanna. Martin is captured by Naughty Rachel (Katie Lyons
), Kim Alabaster (Sally Bretton
) and Karen, chanting "Kill the doctor" at him. Martin calls for his mummy (Joanna), but when Harriet comes out into the office she proclaims she is the "new mummy in town", and he is dragged into the office. However, Martin somehow manages to escape by means unknown.
in Middlesex
and the North Hampshire Hospital
in Basingstoke
). The script was written by the usual eight-person team led by Victoria Pile
, and produced and directed by the same people who recorded all the previous episodes. The special was recorded at the same time as the second series. The exterior scenes were harder to shoot. In the beginning funeral scene, one of the mourners is Alan Yentob
, who had been filming an episode of the BBC One
documentary series Imagine
. Stephen Mangan said that Martin's mime during the funeral was one of his favourite moments in Green Wing. The opening titles of the episode differ from the others as it does not use the normal theme tune, "Last Week", (as it is named in the original television soundtrack
) and instead uses the track, "Camel".
There were some improvised scenes. These included a scene in the beginning of the episode where Alan and Joanna are in a middle of a field and the scene begins with a low-angle shot
. Later, when Alan is "humping" Joanna, the scene suddenly becomes a crane shot
. This is because the crew at the time had a crane camera after they had finished filming the final scenes in series 2 where Alan, Joanna and Martin are teetering over the edge of a cliff in the stolen camper van. The camper van scenes were the hardest to shoot, especially the scene where the van explodes, as this had to be done in one take. Another problem was the smell of the van, which Pippa Haywood said, "smelt of old dogs." The van also suffered other problems such as bits of the steering wheel and gear stick coming off. Julian Rhind-Tutt
commented that the scene where Alan and Boyce talk together for the last time was one of the most moving scenes in the whole of Green Wing. The wedding was shot at Hall of Bayham Abbey in Kent
, where the crew had difficulty filming due to bad weather. The show also features a guest appearance from Jeremy Sheffield near the end of the episode as Sue's new boyfriend.
The DVD of the special was released on 8 January, four days after its premiere in the UK. Features include the alternate ending, a "Behind the Scenes" featurette, 20 minutes of deleted scenes and commentary from many of the main cast, which includes commentary from some foreign relatives of Michelle Gomez
who had not seen the show before. Three extra deleted scenes from the special were later released in "The Definitive Collection" DVD boxset.
was made for the special which was never broadcast, but was put as an extra on the DVD. In this version of the ending, when Mac sees Caroline floating away, he runs down the stairs and out of the castle to save her. Caroline begins to descend, and both Mac and Guy grab hold of one her legs to bring her down, but instead they are lifted into the air with her. While the three fly away Caroline exclaims "We're all going to die!", to which Mac quite sternly says "Caroline, there's something I've been meaning to tell you", opening the possibility that Mac is not going to die. Meanwhile, Alan and Joanna, after walking into the sea, are last seen hanging onto a buoy
waiting to drown. They are still talking and waiting for the ocean to drown them.
This ending was the favourite amongst the actors. Mangan said that the alternative ending was the best moment in the whole of Green Wing. However, the alternative ending was rejected and the writers favoured the ending that was eventually broadcast. It is believed that the alternative ending would have been broadcast if a third series was being made, as that ending was much more ambiguous, since Alan and Joanna are still seen alive and Mac tells Caroline that he still has something to say.
shown the previous night attracted 2.8 million viewers. Responses from critics were mixed. Matt Baylis said, "Like a homegrown ER
on laughing gas, this show will be sorely missed," and Ian Johns said, "It was like a Richard Curtis
romcom, albeit one force-fed magic mushrooms." Sam Wollaston in The Guardian
wrote that it was one of the funniest shows on British television, alongside the satirical sitcom The Thick of It
, saying, "The Thick of It is clever-funny, Green Wing is mad-funny." Wollaston said that while the dramatic element of the show, such as Mac's death, were good, it was Alan and Joanna's storyline that was most entertaining. "Mark Heap and Pippa Haywood, who play them, have been the shining lights in an already glittering show. They, and it, will be sorely missed," he said. David Butcher in the Radio Times
said that, "Green Wing's sublime comic acting and a vein of shrieking madness in the writing make it very hard to beat."
Paul Whitelaw however attacked both the series and the special saying, "This final installment was typically awful, more so considering its length." Fans of the show thought that while the special was good, it was not the greatest episode of Green Wing made. Some thought the special concentrated too much on the drama instead of the comedy. Some were confused by the final ending and others complained about the lack of appearances made by Sue White.
Green Wing
Green Wing is a British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
. It was first broadcast in Australia and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
on 29 December 2006. It was aired on 4 January 2007 in the United Kingdom. The episode is sometimes billed as a Christmas special, although the episode contains nothing Christmas related. The special is 90 minutes long, around twice the length of a normal episode.
The special continues the plot from the end of the second series
Green Wing (series 2)
The following is a list of episodes from the second series of Green Wing. Green Wing is a surreal sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital, starring Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt...
of Green Wing, which ended with Caroline Todd (played by Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig
Tamsin Greig is an English actress principally known for two Channel 4 television comedy parts: Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books and Dr. Caroline Todd in Green Wing...
) becoming engaged
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
to Guy Secretan
Guy Secretan
Guy Secretan is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Stephen Mangan. In Channel 4's The World's Greatest Comedy Characters, Guy was voted 34th.- History :...
(Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan
Stephen Mangan is an English actor, best known for his roles as Guy Secretan in the television series Green Wing, Dan Moody in I'm Alan Partridge and as Holistic Detective Dirk Gently in the 2010 BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams' book Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, as well as Sean Lincoln...
), "Mac" Macartney
Mac (Green Wing)
Dr Macartney or Dr Mac is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Julian Rhind-Tutt.- History :Often simply referred to as "Mac", Dr Macartney is a surgeon working in the fictional East Hampton Hospital...
(Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt is an English actor. He is best known for his starring role as "Mac" McCartney in the comedy television series Green Wing, the second series of which finished on Channel 4 in May 2006...
) learning that he was going to die, Alan Statham
Alan Statham
Alan Statham is a fictional character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Mark Heap.- History :Alan is the consultant radiologist at East Hampton Hospital....
(Mark Heap
Mark Heap
Mark Heap is an English actor. He began his acting career in the 1980s as a member of the Medieval Players, a touring company performing medieval and early modern theatre, and featuring stilt-walking, juggling and puppetry...
) and Joanna Clore
Joanna Clore
Joanna Clore is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Pippa Haywood.- History :Joanna Clore is the director of human resources at East Hampton Hospital. She is 48 years old, has had two unsuccessful marriages, has two sons who both work at the hospital Dr. Guy Secretan and Dr....
(Pippa Haywood
Pippa Haywood
Philippa Haywood is an English actress who trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.Famous for playing the much-put-upon Helen Brittas in the BBC One comedy series The Brittas Empire, Haywood has an extensive television career which includes Julie Chadwick in the BBC Two comedy Fear, Stress &...
) fleeing from the police after they murdered Joanna's cousin, and Karen Ball (Lucinda Raikes
Lucinda Raikes
Lucinda Raikes is a British actress, most noted for playing Karen Ball in the sitcom Green Wing and Angela Heaney in The Thick of It and its spin off film In the Loop. She has also appeared in Sensitive Skin, Extras, Casanova and 15 Storeys High. She regularly appears in theatrical...
) having a dramatic change of personality after she fell out of a window. While this was the final episode of Green Wing, an alternative ending was produced in case a third series was written. There was an argument between the cast and the writers about which ending should have been used. The special received mixed views from both critics and fans.
Plot
The episode begins at a funeral, attended by Guy, Caroline, BoyceBoyce (Green Wing)
Boyce is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Oliver Chris.- History :Boyce is a medical student at East Hampton Hospital. He is currently being trained as a doctor by the more senior members, including Dr...
(Oliver Chris
Oliver Chris
Oliver Chris is an English actor from Tunbridge Wells.-Early life:He passed his Eleven plus exam and attended Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys before moving to the Michael Hall Steiner School in his fourth year. He later attended the Central School of Speech and Drama...
), Martin Dear
Martin Dear
Martin Dear is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Karl Theobald.- History :Martin is a house officer at East Hampton Hospital. His mother is human resources director Joanna Clore and his half-brother is Dr. Guy Secretan....
(Karl Theobald
Karl Theobald
Karl Theobald is an English comedian and actor, best known as Dr. Martin Dear in Channel 4 sitcom Green Wing, and for his physical comedy style....
) and Sue White
Sue White
Susan 'Sue' White is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Michelle Gomez.-Overview:Sue White is the hospital's staff liaison officer, who describes her role as being "to soothe, to bathe, to listen to the worker's woes"...
(Michelle Gomez
Michelle Gomez
Michelle Gomez is a Scottish actress best known for her comedy roles in Green Wing and The Book Group.-Early life:Her father, originally from Montserrat, was a photographer, while her mother ran a modeling agency...
). References made in the episode lead the viewer to first believe that it is Mac's funeral, but then a giant picture of Angela Hunter
Angela Hunter
Angela Hunter is a character in the British sitcom Green Wing played by Sarah Alexander.- History :Angela was the senior registrar in paediatrics at East Hampton Hospital Trust....
(Sarah Alexander
Sarah Alexander
Sarah Alexander is an English actress, known for her roles in various British comedy series such as Armstrong and Miller, Smack the Pony, Coupling, The Worst Week of My Life and Green Wing....
) appears, who left the hospital in series two. The cause of her death is not fully explained, although comments made by the characters indicate she died in a hunting accident with a moose. The plot then splits between three groups of characters.
Caroline, Guy and Mac
Mac returns to work after a month's leave. When Caroline meets him she implies that she is engaged to Guy. Mac and Guy are then drunk in a bar, where Mac tells Guy he is going to die in a couple of weeks and makes Guy promise he will not tell Caroline. However, Guy tells Martin, who then complains to him about his selfishness. However, Caroline walks in and overhears the argument. Meanwhile, Mac suggests to Sue that she finds someone else to love. Caroline confronts Mac about marrying her. Mac defends himself by saying it would be better for her to marry Guy because he will live longer. Guy later decides to do the right thing, and tells Mac to propose to Caroline because they love each other. Caroline and Mac therefore become engaged and later marry. After the wedding, Sue is seen with a new boyfriend. The special ends with Caroline floating away into the sky holding a mass of helium balloons.Alan and Joanna
After being rescued by Martin while they were teetering over the edge of a cliff in a stolen campervan, Alan and Joanna are on the run, believing the police are after them for the murder of Joanna's cousin. They go to a garage to get the van checked for faults, but as they leave, Joanna accidentally runs over the mechanic by putting the van in the wrong gear and reversing into him. They then try to rob a corner shop and Joanna tells Alan to sit on the shopkeeper to restrain her, but this causes Alan to accidentally suffocate her. Back at the hospital, Boyce begins to miss Alan after discovering his replacement is worse than him. Boyce's plotline with Alan is concluded when Alan telephones him to say goodbye, almost confirming the strange love they have for each other, but instead telling him (in code) that he is "Flying west".Later, Alan and Joanna are stopped by a policeman on suspicion of stealing the campervan. Joanna gets her peanut-butter sandwich and smears it in the policeman's face. Alan and Joanna have an argument about the minute odds of the policeman having a peanut allergy and going into a fit, while in the background this is actually happening. They then carry the body of the policeman into the van. Soon, having run out of food and petrol, Alan changes the engine to run on alcohol and fermented excrement. The plan is of no use however, as the van explodes. They soon reach the beach and Joanna gives Alan three options: Give themselves up, swim the Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
to Spain or commit suicide. As Alan is not keen on the Spanish, they choose the third option and they are last seen walking naked into the sea, presumably to their deaths - although the alternate ending shows them hanging on to a buoy sometime later.
Admin girls
Having fallen out of a window, Karen walks into the office dressed smartly and feistier. However, she has lost a hand and her nose whistles when she has an orgasm. When the girls realise that Joanna is not there to control them they start going wild. They start off by doing mild things such as swapping desks and tipping up litter, then become wilder by interviewing people and asking people to pull their trousers down. Slowly, the scene turns into a "Lord of the FliesLord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results...
" situation. They soon begin to argue and Harriet Schulenburg
Harriet Schulenburg
Harriet Schulenburg is a fictional character in the British sitcom Green Wing, played by Olivia Colman.- History :Harriet works in the human resources department of East Hampton Hospital. She is married to Ian , and has four children, Oscar, Jamie , Robbie and Stuart...
(Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman is an English actress, best known for her supporting roles in various comedy shows, such as Sophie Chapman in Peep Show and Harriet Schulenburg in Green Wing. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and has appeared in radio, television and theatre.-Personal life:Colman...
) decides to become the new Joanna. Martin is captured by Naughty Rachel (Katie Lyons
Katie Lyons
Katie Lyons is a British actress, most noted for her performance as Naughty Rachel in the Channel 4 sitcom Green Wing...
), Kim Alabaster (Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton
Sally Bretton is an English actress best known for appearing in television sitcoms including the BBC's Absolute Power, Channel 4's Green Wing, the BBC's The Office, and, most recently, the BBC's Not Going Out....
) and Karen, chanting "Kill the doctor" at him. Martin calls for his mummy (Joanna), but when Harriet comes out into the office she proclaims she is the "new mummy in town", and he is dragged into the office. However, Martin somehow manages to escape by means unknown.
Production
The production on the special was similar to that of the other episodes, with the hospital scenes being shot in the usual locations (the Northwick Park HospitalNorthwick Park Hospital
Northwick Park Hospital is a large hospital in the northwest corner of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England.-Hospital role:...
in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
and the North Hampshire Hospital
North Hampshire Hospital
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital was granted Foundation Trust status in December 2006. Now called Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust , it has previously been known as The North Hampshire Hospital, and Basingstoke District Hospital.BNHFT is a 450 bed National Health Service...
in Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
). The script was written by the usual eight-person team led by Victoria Pile
Victoria Pile
Victoria Pile, also known as Vicky Pile, is a British comedy writer, director and producer, most noted as the creator of two Channel 4 comedy programmes, the sketch show Smack the Pony and the sitcom Green Wing.- Writer :...
, and produced and directed by the same people who recorded all the previous episodes. The special was recorded at the same time as the second series. The exterior scenes were harder to shoot. In the beginning funeral scene, one of the mourners is Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob
Alan Yentob is a British television executive and presenter who has worked throughout his career at the BBC.-Early life:...
, who had been filming an episode of the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
documentary series Imagine
Imagine (TV series)
Imagine is a wide ranging arts series first broadcast on BBC One in 2003, hosted and executive produced by Alan Yentob. Each series usually consists of 4 to 7 episodes, each on a different topic...
. Stephen Mangan said that Martin's mime during the funeral was one of his favourite moments in Green Wing. The opening titles of the episode differ from the others as it does not use the normal theme tune, "Last Week", (as it is named in the original television soundtrack
Green Wing: Original Television Soundtrack
Green Wing: Original Television Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the British sitcom Green Wing by Jonathan Whitehead, under the name "Trellis". The album contains 23 tracks originally recorded for the series, but no soundtracks recorded by other artists...
) and instead uses the track, "Camel".
There were some improvised scenes. These included a scene in the beginning of the episode where Alan and Joanna are in a middle of a field and the scene begins with a low-angle shot
Low-angle shot
In cinematography, a low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eyeline, looking up.-Famous examples:...
. Later, when Alan is "humping" Joanna, the scene suddenly becomes a crane shot
Crane shot
In filmmaking and video production a crane shot is a shot taken by a camera on a crane. The most obvious uses are to view the actors from above or to move up and away from them, a common way of ending a movie. Some filmmakers like to have the camera on a boom arm just to make it easier to move...
. This is because the crew at the time had a crane camera after they had finished filming the final scenes in series 2 where Alan, Joanna and Martin are teetering over the edge of a cliff in the stolen camper van. The camper van scenes were the hardest to shoot, especially the scene where the van explodes, as this had to be done in one take. Another problem was the smell of the van, which Pippa Haywood said, "smelt of old dogs." The van also suffered other problems such as bits of the steering wheel and gear stick coming off. Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt is an English actor. He is best known for his starring role as "Mac" McCartney in the comedy television series Green Wing, the second series of which finished on Channel 4 in May 2006...
commented that the scene where Alan and Boyce talk together for the last time was one of the most moving scenes in the whole of Green Wing. The wedding was shot at Hall of Bayham Abbey in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, where the crew had difficulty filming due to bad weather. The show also features a guest appearance from Jeremy Sheffield near the end of the episode as Sue's new boyfriend.
The DVD of the special was released on 8 January, four days after its premiere in the UK. Features include the alternate ending, a "Behind the Scenes" featurette, 20 minutes of deleted scenes and commentary from many of the main cast, which includes commentary from some foreign relatives of Michelle Gomez
Michelle Gomez
Michelle Gomez is a Scottish actress best known for her comedy roles in Green Wing and The Book Group.-Early life:Her father, originally from Montserrat, was a photographer, while her mother ran a modeling agency...
who had not seen the show before. Three extra deleted scenes from the special were later released in "The Definitive Collection" DVD boxset.
Alternative ending
An alternative endingAlternate ending
Alternate ending is a term used to describe the ending of a story that was planned or debated but ultimately unused in favor of the actual ending. Generally, alternate endings are considered to have no bearing on the canonical narrative...
was made for the special which was never broadcast, but was put as an extra on the DVD. In this version of the ending, when Mac sees Caroline floating away, he runs down the stairs and out of the castle to save her. Caroline begins to descend, and both Mac and Guy grab hold of one her legs to bring her down, but instead they are lifted into the air with her. While the three fly away Caroline exclaims "We're all going to die!", to which Mac quite sternly says "Caroline, there's something I've been meaning to tell you", opening the possibility that Mac is not going to die. Meanwhile, Alan and Joanna, after walking into the sea, are last seen hanging onto a buoy
Buoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
waiting to drown. They are still talking and waiting for the ocean to drown them.
This ending was the favourite amongst the actors. Mangan said that the alternative ending was the best moment in the whole of Green Wing. However, the alternative ending was rejected and the writers favoured the ending that was eventually broadcast. It is believed that the alternative ending would have been broadcast if a third series was being made, as that ending was much more ambiguous, since Alan and Joanna are still seen alive and Mac tells Caroline that he still has something to say.
Reception
When the special was first broadcast, it was watched by 1.7 million viewers, 11% of the total audience. However, these ratings are poor compared to other programmes. For example, an episode of Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
shown the previous night attracted 2.8 million viewers. Responses from critics were mixed. Matt Baylis said, "Like a homegrown ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
on laughing gas, this show will be sorely missed," and Ian Johns said, "It was like a Richard Curtis
Richard Curtis
Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis, CBE is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director, known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually and The Girl in the Café, as well as the hit...
romcom, albeit one force-fed magic mushrooms." Sam Wollaston in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote that it was one of the funniest shows on British television, alongside the satirical sitcom The Thick of It
The Thick of It
The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
, saying, "The Thick of It is clever-funny, Green Wing is mad-funny." Wollaston said that while the dramatic element of the show, such as Mac's death, were good, it was Alan and Joanna's storyline that was most entertaining. "Mark Heap and Pippa Haywood, who play them, have been the shining lights in an already glittering show. They, and it, will be sorely missed," he said. David Butcher in the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
said that, "Green Wing's sublime comic acting and a vein of shrieking madness in the writing make it very hard to beat."
Paul Whitelaw however attacked both the series and the special saying, "This final installment was typically awful, more so considering its length." Fans of the show thought that while the special was good, it was not the greatest episode of Green Wing made. Some thought the special concentrated too much on the drama instead of the comedy. Some were confused by the final ending and others complained about the lack of appearances made by Sue White.
External links
- Green Wing Special at Channel 4.comChannel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
- Green Wing Special at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Green Wing Special at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...