The Perfect Match
Encyclopedia
The Perfect Match is a British comedy-drama
television film written by Mike Bullen
and directed by Nick Hurran
. It stars Saskia Reeves
and Con O'Neill
as Bridget and Phil, a couple whose marriage proposal is broadcast to football fans. It was first broadcast on the ITV
network on 6 September 1995. The programme was not well-received by critics but it was enough of a success for producers Granada Television
to ask Bullen for further ideas, leading to the commissioning of the long-running television series Cold Feet
.
supporter Phil (Con O'Neill
) proposes to his girlfriend Bridget (Saskia Reeves
) on the big screen at Wembley during the FA Cup Final
. They soon become minor national celebrities, attracting the attention of the tabloid newspaper The Sun and television presenter Keith Chegwin
. The public frenzy leads Bridget to decide not to marry Phil. The two eventually reconcile and marry out of the public eye.
wrote the script for The Perfect Match. He secured an agent, who managed to sell the script on spec
to Andy Harries
, controller of comedy at Granada Television
. Harries described the writing as "impressive—cleverly constructed dialogue, very funny, well observed" and commissioned it as part of his drive to move away from making traditional-style sitcoms. Bullen described the moment he walked onto the set of The Perfect Match as "gobsmacking […] wandering around a room which had previously only existed in my head".
Filming took place at Wembley Stadium during the 1995 FA Cup Final between Everton and Manchester United.
Jaci Stephen in the Daily Mirror wrote "The Perfect Match didn't quite come off. The idea was good enough, but the writing was too cliche-ridden to do justice to it. The interfering mother is a well-known comic figure, and Mike Bullen's script added nothing to the caricature to make a unique character. The tabloid journalist was also a cliche […] The romantic lines could have come straight out of Mills And Boon […] It was watchable enough, and there were lovely performances from the central characters. Tighter script editing, however, could have turned a good drama into an outstanding one." The Daily Mail
s critic Peter Paterson was more dismissive than Stephen; he accused the programme of having a "marzipan sentimentality".
The Perfect Match also screened at the 1995 Cologne Film Festival, where it was a prizewinner.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
television film written by Mike Bullen
Mike Bullen
Mike Bullen is an English-born screenwriter. Bullen grew up in the West Midlands of England, attending the Solihull School and later Magdalene College, Cambridge. He left with a degree in history of art and became a radio producer for the BBC World Service...
and directed by Nick Hurran
Nick Hurran
Nick Hurran is a British film and television director.Hurran is married to the television producer Michele Buck, with whom he has two children.- Film :* Remember Me? * Girls' Night * Virtual Sexuality...
. It stars Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves is a British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the films Close My Eyes and ID , and the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune....
and Con O'Neill
Con O'Neill (actor)
Robert "Con" O'Neill is a British actor. He began his acting career at Liverpool's Everyman Youth Theatre....
as Bridget and Phil, a couple whose marriage proposal is broadcast to football fans. It was first broadcast on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network on 6 September 1995. The programme was not well-received by critics but it was enough of a success for producers Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
to ask Bullen for further ideas, leading to the commissioning of the long-running television series Cold Feet
Cold Feet
Cold Feet is a British comedy-drama television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network. The series was created and principally written by Mike Bullen as a follow-up to his award-winning 1997 Comedy Premiere of the same name. The storyline follows three couples experiencing the...
.
Plot
Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
supporter Phil (Con O'Neill
Con O'Neill (actor)
Robert "Con" O'Neill is a British actor. He began his acting career at Liverpool's Everyman Youth Theatre....
) proposes to his girlfriend Bridget (Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves is a British actress perhaps best known for her roles in the films Close My Eyes and ID , and the 2000 miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune....
) on the big screen at Wembley during the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
. They soon become minor national celebrities, attracting the attention of the tabloid newspaper The Sun and television presenter Keith Chegwin
Keith Chegwin
Keith Chegwin is an English television presenter, former child actor and singer.-Early career:Chegwin's early roles were in works of the Children's Film Foundation, appearing as Egghead Wentworth in The Troublesome Double Egghead's Robot . He also appeared as a stowaway in Doomwatch episode...
. The public frenzy leads Bridget to decide not to marry Phil. The two eventually reconcile and marry out of the public eye.
Production
Believing that there was nothing on British television for people in his age group that was not a soap opera or a costume drama, screenwriter Mike BullenMike Bullen
Mike Bullen is an English-born screenwriter. Bullen grew up in the West Midlands of England, attending the Solihull School and later Magdalene College, Cambridge. He left with a degree in history of art and became a radio producer for the BBC World Service...
wrote the script for The Perfect Match. He secured an agent, who managed to sell the script on spec
Spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
to Andy Harries
Andy Harries
Andrew D. M. Harries is a British television and film producer. After graduating from Hull University in the 1970s, Harries began his television career on the Granada Television current affairs series World in Action, before moving on to freelance work...
, controller of comedy at Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
. Harries described the writing as "impressive—cleverly constructed dialogue, very funny, well observed" and commissioned it as part of his drive to move away from making traditional-style sitcoms. Bullen described the moment he walked onto the set of The Perfect Match as "gobsmacking […] wandering around a room which had previously only existed in my head".
Filming took place at Wembley Stadium during the 1995 FA Cup Final between Everton and Manchester United.
Reception
The Perfect Match was broadcast on the ITV network on 6 September 1995.Jaci Stephen in the Daily Mirror wrote "The Perfect Match didn't quite come off. The idea was good enough, but the writing was too cliche-ridden to do justice to it. The interfering mother is a well-known comic figure, and Mike Bullen's script added nothing to the caricature to make a unique character. The tabloid journalist was also a cliche […] The romantic lines could have come straight out of Mills And Boon […] It was watchable enough, and there were lovely performances from the central characters. Tighter script editing, however, could have turned a good drama into an outstanding one." The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
s critic Peter Paterson was more dismissive than Stephen; he accused the programme of having a "marzipan sentimentality".
The Perfect Match also screened at the 1995 Cologne Film Festival, where it was a prizewinner.