Media: TV show (but also in a sense recordings of theatre plays)
Approx. length: 2 seasons with 6 half-hour episodes each, totalling 6 hours. There are also two longer plays in the same universe that would amount to 2h more, and a 2h radio segment, for supplemental watching/listening (more on that later).
Where to find it: BBC iPlayer has both seasons (and also the two supplemental plays), I believe you can also get the show on DVD, the radio segment is a bit harder to find. Please feel free to contact me on Tumblr (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/wyvernquill) if you need help with any of it!
What is it, in summary?: This show follows the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society (fictional, portrayed by the Mischief Theatre group) and showcases their brave attempts to put on even a single successful play - all of which inevitably go wrong because they’re all rubbish at acting, and even beyond that the universe quite plainly conspires against them. Each week, the Drama Society puts on a different play, and each week, it goes catastrophically and *hilariously* wrong - but, well, the show must go on, and maybe there’s at least some Family to be Found in this never-ending stage purgatory. It’s very much an ensemble cast show, and each episode puts different characters to the foreground. Here’s a quick round-up of them, which may be helpful for a first watch, since all of them are constantly ‘in-character’ (or trying to be) as their roles in any given play, and therefore rarely get addressed with their actual names: - Chris Bean, the director, a perfectionist with a short temper who gets increasingly desperate the more things go wrong - Robert Grove, the lead actor (he insists), who has a weird obsession with Chris and tries to steal every scene by being the loudest in it - Sandra Wilkinson, the lead actress (genuinely), who is dating Max and tries to steal every scene by being the hottest in it - Max Bennet, dating Sandra, nepobaby who got them this broadcast because his aunt runs the BBC, eternally smiling, just *so* happy to be here, easily drops out of character - Dennis Tyde, really bad at remembering his lines, just generally really bad at everything, usually has to play animals and inanimate objects - Annie Twilloil, down for anything, throws herself into every role body and soul and easily overdoes it, lots of fun costumes and quite a bit of crossdressing - Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway, intense anxiety, really bad at improv, gets lost every time someone else derails the play - Jonathan Harris, never manages to enter a scene - Trevor Watson, stage manager, should not be made to act, always there to fix whatever has gone wrong with the props or set *now*, though half the time it’s probably his own fault
What do you love about it?: frankly, it’s just really, *really* funny. I love the humour of it, all the various minor and major disasters the cast has to fight their way through, and how each play eventually descends into chaos - but at the same time, I also love how they’re all in this together, and those moments of camaraderie and joy when they’ve *somehow* managed to make their way through a difficult scene. It’s messy student theatre at its finest, and while the slapstick humour is of course in the foreground of it all, I also really like the more implicit characterisation of the whole cast and their individual dynamics with each other, how they’re all flawed people in their own right, and only get worse when put together… but also, there’s clearly a lot of fondness between them all, or they wouldn’t keep acting in this group. I particularly like Chris, whose actor (also one of the writers) once said about him “I always imagine that he must be having a very painful personal life”, which offers a lot of subtle emotional hurt/comfort potential, but also somehow explains a lot about why he is the way he is, and tries so desperately to rule the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society with an iron fist… also, his dynamic with Robert, who is an utterly fascinating (derogatory) character himself, is just delightful. There’s something there, and that “something” might just be petty rivalry, or might be something more - in either case, I think it might help if they angrily made out over it.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I really enjoy the antagonistic rivalry-obsession between Chris and Robert, so probably ship content for them, though I also love the whole cast and the general humour of a play going wrong, so some ensemble cast gen or focus on one or more of the other characters would be great, too! Sometimes I also wonder about what their lives would be like ‘post-canon’…
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: For ensemble cast purposes, the final two episodes of s2, The Cornley Drama Festival Part 1 and 2, are probably ideal for highlighting each individual cast member, their personal interests, and why they’re so horribly bad at acting. Each member of the troupe gets to put on their own play/acting masterclass/improv workshop/etc., and we get a great deal more of them being ‘out of character’, i.e. being themselves instead of playing a role in a play. For a spotlight on Robert, and his dynamic with Chris, the s2 episode “Summer Once Again” is probably ideal. If you are willing to dip into the supplemental material, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (the two longer plays) both showcase a lot of ‘behind-the-scenes’ relationship drama among the whole cast, and Christmas Carol in particular strongly highlights Chris and his personality/motivations. The radio segment, The Christmas That Goes Wrong, is great once more for Chris/Robert purposes, but also for them (and Dennis, and Jonathan) individually.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): various depictions of injuries on stage, on occasion some blood, though as a rule the characters are always fine in the end. If you are very sensitive to second-hand embarrassment this might not be the show for you, though ymmv - I tend to get uncomfortable quickly, but was perfectly fine watching this series.
The Goes Wrong Show
Media: TV show (but also in a sense recordings of theatre plays)
Approx. length: 2 seasons with 6 half-hour episodes each, totalling 6 hours.
There are also two longer plays in the same universe that would amount to 2h more, and a 2h radio segment, for supplemental watching/listening (more on that later).
Where to find it: BBC iPlayer has both seasons (and also the two supplemental plays), I believe you can also get the show on DVD, the radio segment is a bit harder to find. Please feel free to contact me on Tumblr (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/wyvernquill) if you need help with any of it!
What is it, in summary?: This show follows the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society (fictional, portrayed by the Mischief Theatre group) and showcases their brave attempts to put on even a single successful play - all of which inevitably go wrong because they’re all rubbish at acting, and even beyond that the universe quite plainly conspires against them. Each week, the Drama Society puts on a different play, and each week, it goes catastrophically and *hilariously* wrong - but, well, the show must go on, and maybe there’s at least some Family to be Found in this never-ending stage purgatory.
It’s very much an ensemble cast show, and each episode puts different characters to the foreground. Here’s a quick round-up of them, which may be helpful for a first watch, since all of them are constantly ‘in-character’ (or trying to be) as their roles in any given play, and therefore rarely get addressed with their actual names:
- Chris Bean, the director, a perfectionist with a short temper who gets increasingly desperate the more things go wrong
- Robert Grove, the lead actor (he insists), who has a weird obsession with Chris and tries to steal every scene by being the loudest in it
- Sandra Wilkinson, the lead actress (genuinely), who is dating Max and tries to steal every scene by being the hottest in it
- Max Bennet, dating Sandra, nepobaby who got them this broadcast because his aunt runs the BBC, eternally smiling, just *so* happy to be here, easily drops out of character
- Dennis Tyde, really bad at remembering his lines, just generally really bad at everything, usually has to play animals and inanimate objects
- Annie Twilloil, down for anything, throws herself into every role body and soul and easily overdoes it, lots of fun costumes and quite a bit of crossdressing
- Vanessa Wilcock-Wynn-Carroway, intense anxiety, really bad at improv, gets lost every time someone else derails the play
- Jonathan Harris, never manages to enter a scene
- Trevor Watson, stage manager, should not be made to act, always there to fix whatever has gone wrong with the props or set *now*, though half the time it’s probably his own fault
What do you love about it?: frankly, it’s just really, *really* funny. I love the humour of it, all the various minor and major disasters the cast has to fight their way through, and how each play eventually descends into chaos - but at the same time, I also love how they’re all in this together, and those moments of camaraderie and joy when they’ve *somehow* managed to make their way through a difficult scene. It’s messy student theatre at its finest, and while the slapstick humour is of course in the foreground of it all, I also really like the more implicit characterisation of the whole cast and their individual dynamics with each other, how they’re all flawed people in their own right, and only get worse when put together… but also, there’s clearly a lot of fondness between them all, or they wouldn’t keep acting in this group.
I particularly like Chris, whose actor (also one of the writers) once said about him “I always imagine that he must be having a very painful personal life”, which offers a lot of subtle emotional hurt/comfort potential, but also somehow explains a lot about why he is the way he is, and tries so desperately to rule the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society with an iron fist… also, his dynamic with Robert, who is an utterly fascinating (derogatory) character himself, is just delightful. There’s something there, and that “something” might just be petty rivalry, or might be something more - in either case, I think it might help if they angrily made out over it.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I really enjoy the antagonistic rivalry-obsession between Chris and Robert, so probably ship content for them, though I also love the whole cast and the general humour of a play going wrong, so some ensemble cast gen or focus on one or more of the other characters would be great, too! Sometimes I also wonder about what their lives would be like ‘post-canon’…
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: For ensemble cast purposes, the final two episodes of s2, The Cornley Drama Festival Part 1 and 2, are probably ideal for highlighting each individual cast member, their personal interests, and why they’re so horribly bad at acting. Each member of the troupe gets to put on their own play/acting masterclass/improv workshop/etc., and we get a great deal more of them being ‘out of character’, i.e. being themselves instead of playing a role in a play.
For a spotlight on Robert, and his dynamic with Chris, the s2 episode “Summer Once Again” is probably ideal.
If you are willing to dip into the supplemental material, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (the two longer plays) both showcase a lot of ‘behind-the-scenes’ relationship drama among the whole cast, and Christmas Carol in particular strongly highlights Chris and his personality/motivations. The radio segment, The Christmas That Goes Wrong, is great once more for Chris/Robert purposes, but also for them (and Dennis, and Jonathan) individually.
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): various depictions of injuries on stage, on occasion some blood, though as a rule the characters are always fine in the end. If you are very sensitive to second-hand embarrassment this might not be the show for you, though ymmv - I tend to get uncomfortable quickly, but was perfectly fine watching this series.