Takin' Over the Asylum (1994– )

A salesman starts to run a hospital radio station inside a facility for people with mental heath needs.

Stars:

Ken Stott, Katy Murphy, David Tennant

4 wins.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Ken Stott	...	Eddie (6 episodes, 1994)
Katy Murphy	...	Francine (6 episodes, 1994)
David Tennant	...	Campbell (6 episodes, 1994)
Ruth McCabe	...	Rosalie (6 episodes, 1994)
Elizabeth Spriggs	...	Grandma (6 episodes, 1994)
Angela Bruce	...	Isabel (6 episodes, 1994)
Kenneth Bryans	...	Stuart (6 episodes, 1994)
Matt Costello	...	Alastair (6 episodes, 1994)
Derek Anders	...	Billy (6 episodes, 1994)
Gavin Mitchell	...	Hector (6 episodes, 1994)
Molly Innes	...	Margaret (6 episodes, 1994)
Roy Hanlon	...	Griffin (6 episodes, 1994)
Nell Brennan	...	Sheila (6 episodes, 1994)
Neil McKinven	...	MacAteer (5 episodes, 1994)
Caroline Paterson	...	Jane (5 episodes, 1994)
Angus Macfadyen	...	Fergus (4 episodes, 1994)
Sandra Voe	...	Evelyn (4 episodes, 1994)
Ronnie McCann	...	Lavery (4 episodes, 1994)
Arabella Weir	...	Paula (3 episodes, 1994)
Paul Blair	...	Webster (3 episodes, 1994)

Storyline

A salesman starts to run a hospital radio station inside a facility for people with mental heath needs.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (6 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Every episode is named after a song. During each episode, you'll be able to hear the song that it's named after.

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Quotes

Campbell: We are loonies, and we are proud!

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Connections

Featured in Watching Ourselves: 60 Years of Television in Scotland: Characters (2012)

User Reviews

Few TV miniseries are as good as this one.....

Although this series was seen (and then soon after repeated) on Australian TV back in '94 or '95, it's brilliance still resonates. From the pen of Donna Franceschild, and directed by David Blair, it tells the story of a handful of 'loonies' - patients in a Glasgow mental facility. As in 'Girl, Interrupted', one is led to pondering the question: 'who are the real loonies?' Heavily laced with humour and poignancy, we - the 'normal' ones - are led into the lives of these people through the eyes of Eddie McKenna (Ken Stott), an alcoholic loser-type, whose desire is to be a radio disc-jockey, but who spends his days selling windows for the manager-from-hell. In my opinion, the salespeople at the windows company deserve to be behind locked doors far more than those in the institution. But I feel that this is the exact conclusion the writer wishes us to make. This series launched the extremely talented Ken Stott into regular TV appearances, such as 'Messiah' and 'The Vice'. It also features outstanding performances from David Tennant, Ruth McCabe, Angus McFadyen, and my favourite female actor, Katy Murphy. Ms Murphy seems to have a special knack for portraying wounded women. If you get a chance to see it, do.