Stella

Stella is a brilliant new comedy drama written by and starring Ruth Jones. Jones’ character is a single mother trying to work hard to provide for herself and her children in spite of the issues life throws in her way.

Ok, if you have been waiting on this review to decide whether to watch this series or not, you will be disappointed to have missed the first few episodes! Not to worry, though, I am sure they will be repeated at some point and one of the joys of this show is that you really can just step in anywhere so no need for an extensive catch-up session; there are no complexities in the plot, no twists or surprises - it really is quite a simple story of one woman struggling to do her best by her family against all the normal stresses of modern life.

This show is equally hilarious and poignant, giving me personally many a teary moment of empathy towards our eponymous heroine, played brilliantly by Ruth Jones. It is always a tricky act to follow a hugely successful project such as Gavin and Stacey but Jones has managed it perfectly with this offering, being both beautifully written and really well executed.

I personally love the backdrop, too, as we see the amazing Welsh scenery – and I know, you will think I am biased, but honestly I do believe that it further adds to the dichotomy of the show in that we see this almost idyllic scene in spite of which there are people really struggling to get by. It yells to me of a deeper message about taking note of our surroundings and being grateful for what we have rather than lamenting what we don’t… but this may just be incidental! It has often been said though that I think too deeply about things which really do not matter!

The cast are all fantastic, playing their characters wonderfully to the point where even exaggerated traits seem perfectly normal.

I really struggle to find a weak point in this series at all, so watch and enjoy!

You can watch videos of the show here: Sky One.com Stella Videos and new episodes air on Fridays at 9pm.

The Café: Sky One

Sky One have really stepped up their output lately. Here at Camp FE, we very much enjoyed the recent new comedy ‘Trollied’ which I had intended to talk about on this blog at various points, until it became too far into the series for anyone to catch up, and now we have a new offering in the form of The Cafe.

The café in question is Cyril’s, named after the late husband of the show’s matriarchal figure Mary. The café is owned by Mary’s daughter, Carol whose own daughter, Sarah helps out whilst awaiting the publication of her books for children. So far, episodes have based off-season, so things are quiet giving us the chance to get to know the characters and I would like to see it stay that way, if I am truly honest.

I have to say I absolutely love this show! That said, I do wonder how much of the appeal for me lies in the familiarity of having lived in a tourist region and worked in plenty of cafés such as this one; I have to ponder a little over whether there is as much interest from those who have never known the drear of an off-season seaside town, the tight-knit community feeling that comes of being stuck in a place that dies once autumn hits or the impossibility of a group of people tucking into a cream tea without the inevitable creamfirst/jamfirst row*.

The show is written by and stars Ralf Little and Michelle Terry and is scripted in such a beautifully understated way. There are no big gags around the corner, no moments of slapstick or cheap jokes, no drawn-out setup for an obvious ending; simply the observations of the quirks and idiosyncrasies we see as we go about life. It is a peculiarity to me that even those characters for whom we are supposed to feel little respect have such a level of realism and humility that we are just drawn completely into their world, understanding them to such a huge extent.

This series could be based in pretty much any café in any seaside town; the characters and conversations will always be the same and it is that tone of reality that makes it a truly special comedy.

You can watch the trailer for the series here and find links to watch episodes you have missed.

In terms of adding media, I would love to link directly to the show’s theme, “Beyond the Sea” sung by the brilliant Kathryn Williams but in my hours of searching I can find only one version which has really poor sound quality, so instead I am linking to another song by the same singer. She has a truly beautiful, haunting voice and I hope having her song used for this show brings her the renown she deserves.




*Whilst being a long-standing argument, I have to state that it is actually born of pure logic that cream being the more resilient substance should come first: FACT. The pressure required to remove proper quality clotted cream from the knife would always force the jam from the scone. It’s a matter of physics… I am sure if you asked a scientist, they would give you the name for the process too. And since I am on the subject… should you be lucky enough to get the crystally bits from the top of the cream – do not send it back declaring it is ‘off’, be sodding grateful… that’s the best bit! Damned grocks!