Fat Friends (2000–2005)

Drama series following eight women's struggle to lose weight at a weekly slimming club.

Creator:

Kay Mellor

Stars:

Janet Dibley, Ruth Jones, Alison Steadman

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Janet Dibley	...	Carol McGary (25 episodes, 2000-2005)
Ruth Jones	...	Kelly Chadwick (25 episodes, 2000-2005)
Alison Steadman	...	Betty Simpson (23 episodes, 2000-2005)
Gaynor Faye	...	Lauren Harris (22 episodes, 2000-2005)
James Corden	...	Jamie Rymer (20 episodes, 2000-2005)
Lynda Baron	...	Norma Patterson (19 episodes, 2002-2005)
Lisa Riley	...	Rebecca Patterson (19 episodes, 2002-2005)
Jonathan Ryland	...	Kevin Chadwick (17 episodes, 2000-2005)
Richard Ridings	...	Alan (14 episodes, 2000-2004)
Kathryn Hunt	...	Val Lorrimer (13 episodes, 2000-2002)
Barrie Rutter	...	Douglas Simpson (11 episodes, 2000-2005)
Sam Cunningham	...	Zoe (11 episodes, 2000-2002)
David Harewood	...	Max Robertson (11 episodes, 2004-2005)

Storyline

Drama series following eight women's struggle to lose weight at a weekly slimming club.

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Plot Keywords:

weight | slimming club | support group | weight loss | escort service | 

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Taglines:

A Drama To Diet For

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 October 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

Lihavat ystävät

Filming Locations:

Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rollem Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions, Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Drama Trails: 'Coronation Street' to 'Kingdom' (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Beautiful South"
(Theme Tune)
Perfect Ten

User Reviews

And now for something completely different...

As if I didn't hate soap operas enough, I thought that I would utterly detest "Fat Friends" because the main plot is basically about people who are... well, yeah, fat. But what a relieve this was: not only was the subject matter per episode much more interesting than the usual "who slept with whom" in your average drama series, I was surprised to actually see some REAL ACTING on the screen! So they're fat. Who gives a ***. When I watched the show I never had the feeling that I was being forced to take in some kind of moral stance on the "fat issue", but instead I was swept away in the everyday life of the main characters, who go through things and encounter problems that could happen to anyone (divorce, distrust, insecurity, anorexia in the family, being teased etc.). Mostly thanks to the magnificent acting, and the matter-of-factness in style (not a lot of make-up, no overkill in violin-music in dramatic scenes, etc.). A welcome change from the "overdone" melodramas that crowd all TV-channels nowadays (Dutch people like to criticize American TV-series for being too mushy, but Dutch dramas are a lot worse...). I think this "natural thing" in TV and film is something the British are good at. Keep up the good work, guys.