"Night & Day" (2001) TV series 2001-2003

Creator:

Caleb Ranson

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

6 November 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Once you start watching, you won't be able to stop.

Plot:

Devised by acclaimed TV drama writer, Caleb Ranson (Forgotten, Daylight Robbery), Night and Day is a soap unlike any other...

Plot Keywords:

London England | Soap Opera | Greenwich London

Awards:

1 win & 10 nominations

Cast

Stuart Manning	...	Sam Armstrong (26 episodes, 2001)
Dominic Rickhards	...	Mike / ... (12 episodes, 2001)

Also Known As:

Night and Day (UK) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

25 min | UK:60 min (late night edition)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Greenwich, London, England, UK

Company:

Granada Television

Trivia:

This show was intorduced along with "Crossroads" (2001) as part of a new teatime soap lineup on ITV in early 2001. Both shows failed.

Ambient Soap

Strange how this oddly understated show divides opinion so violently. I watched the first 20 or so episodes when it was airing several times a week, without quite being drawn into the curiously un-insistent plotlines. The disappearance of the beautiful but unlikeable Jane Harper (Georgina Walker) ought to be an event of considerable drama, but such is the gentle, ambient quality of the show, that even this fails to move the viewer very much. Is this a failing? I'm inclined to give "Night & Day" the benefit of the doubt. When I first saw it I wasn't sure whether it was experimental or just incompetent. I don't think it really matters.

People who like quick development of plotlines are urged to stay away! "Night & Day" unfolds at a glacial pace. It was probably inevitable, in the light of this, that it would be reduced to one episode a week. This seems less an ignominious concession, and more a realisation on the part of the programme's makers of its natural tempo.

Some viewers will also be irked by the difficulty of establishing who the central character is. Initially Della, Jane's shy friend, seemed to occupy this role, but as the show has continued this would seem to be less the case.

On balance, I find the show likeable. Its lack of urgency, its ambient, dreamy quality, and its evocation of a quiet London (which still exists in pockets here and there) mark it out as unusual in a TV world where noise, incident and naturalism are the norm.