Girlfriends - ITV, Wed 3rd Jan

[southeastdweller]

It's the latest six-part Kay Mellor drama. It's about three women, Linda, Sue and Gail, as they - according to the official blurb - struggle with the changes and responsibilities that come with being a modern woman of a certain age. Phyllis Logan, Miranda Richardson and Zoë Wanamaker lead the cast.

Trailer here -

Anyone else going to be watching?

What's the odds that man overboard will resurface at some stage?

I like some of Kay Mellor's stuff so watched this but I wasn't overly impressed. I'll keep watching it but it annoyed me - over acting, too many clichés (guessed the son was gay as soon as the mum started talking about the girlfriend) and it was all a bit slapstick which I hate.

I actually expected the knock at the door at the end to be the husband but the storyline that Paula Wilcox started is just as ridiculous.

I think MR and ZW have both had too much surgery (I might be wrong). MR's face was fairly smooth and her mouth hardly moved but her neck gave it away.

What on earth is Phyllis Logan doing with all that hair? Ridiculous. I think her and Zoe Wanamaker's characters were going for the au natural look weren't they
PL looking like Auntie Val from The League of Gentlemen there.

I had such high hopes for this. I love all three actors especially ZW but it was borderline ok. I haven’t really watched any of Kay Mellors stuff before so had no expectations on that score but it wasn’t as clever as I hoped it would be.

Gail (ZW) and her mum look roughly the same age - terrible casting.

Linda seemed oddly serene for someone whose husband is suspected to have fell from a ship.

I think MR is over-acting as her way of taking the piss of the script. She's way too good an actress to be in something low-rent like this but I guess she's got bills to pay like everyone.

It's all a load of nonsense but highly watchable.

I got the impression that they are going to start a rival bridal magazine for second time around brides. Or am I reading too much into the repeated mentioning of the article that MR's character did and that ZW's character "didn't know what to wear" for her second wedding....

I agree, it is daft, but easily watchable. I will be watching the rest!

Gail (ZW) and her mum look roughly the same age - terrible casting. 10 yrs age difference in RL.

I though that re age difference. When she said ‘mum’ I was like wtf!

1. MR's character was ott.
2. Guessed the gay son.
3. Does PL's character really not have a spare room??
4. MR's mum's house looked so lovely!
5. Enjoyable hokum.

with Wendy Craig, Butterflies

Good cast, poor writing. I want to like Kay Mellor but it’s so OTT and cliched.

As if someone who had been successful at work for many years would behave like that in front of colleagues. Or be having an open affair for 30 years yet be able to maintain professional credibility.

The young woman messed around by Neville Longbottom could do with MN!

MR reminds me of Hermione Norris

I want shocked how poor this was. Great cast but the script let his down massively.

I was *

Totally cliched. But easy mid week winter viewing.

ZW is 68

I found it utterly depressing, and I doubt I'll watch it again.

Three great actresses. This could have been so sharp and funny instead of appalling. I hate it when a character behaves so far outside what they would do in real life

I could not get passed how insulting it was to older women regarding the clothes and hair.

Disappointed with this, I read it was supposed to be about the ‘under represented group’ of older women, but it did nothing to represent them in a particularly favourable way. Full of boring stereotypes and cliched complaining about loss of looks, not recognising oneself in the mirror etc. One of them had just lost her husband, one her career and the other had a son return home from prison. Surely their looks would have been last on the list of things to be talking about. It really didn’t need shoe horning in and just played up to the cliched ideas as to why this group is under represented. As if all these women spend their days mourning the loss of their youth.

Fair enough I’m not part of that age group but I quite often watch things that don’t represent me in any way and get totally immersed in them. I found this programme pretty insulting.

Yes, the negative references to looks and weight were annoying, especially when they all look great! Dodgy curls / hair mascara aside!

I’ve always watched Kay Mellor’s stuff just because it’s her but I think she’s lost her touch with her last couple of series’.

Didn't realise Anthony Head and his daughter were both in it, till I saw it on Twitter

isnt one of his daughters in Emmerdale too

crumbsinthecutlerydrawer
I agree with you here. It's farcical. I know it's not meant to be serious but all I could think was it's infantile at best. Just like Love, Lies and Records, it's so chaotic which makes me uncomfortable with the characters, especially the blonde business woman.
Who on earth would go blustering into a memorial service like that? I'll watch one more episode and if it's no better I'll give up on it.

I liked it. It was entertaining.
The stereotypes were a bit OTT but you can equate those characters to people in real life.

Yes and as well as barging in late to the church she then left the food/drink at the house to go to the bar and throw drinks around, then went back to moan on about her affair/work problems. On the eve of her friend’s husband’s memorial! And her friends, rather than telling her to stop being a self absorbed dick, were cool with it!

It also seems unlikely that a magazine features editor would act in ways that would make her DS so reluctant to tell her about being gay.