Beautiful People 

The story of the flamboyant and ambitious 14-year-old Simon Doonan, who has dreams that stretch beyond his hometown of Reading.

Stars:

Luke Ward-Wilkinson, Layton Williams, Olivia Colman

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Luke Ward-Wilkinson	...	Simon Doonan 12 episodes, 2008-2009
Layton Williams	...	Kylie 12 episodes, 2008-2009
Olivia Colman	...	Debbie Doonan / ... 12 episodes, 2008-2009
Aidan McArdle	...	Andy Doonan 12 episodes, 2008-2009
Sophie Ash	...	Ashlene Doonan 12 episodes, 2008-2009
Samuel Barnett	...	Adult Simon Doonan / ... 12 episodes, 2008-2009
Meera Syal	...	Aunty Hayley 11 episodes, 2008-2009
Sarah Niles	...	Reba 10 episodes, 2008-2009
Josh Handley	...	Jayeson Jackson 6 episodes, 2008-2009
Tameka Empson	...	Johoyo / ... 6 episodes, 2008-2009
Gary Amers	...	Sacha / ... 6 episodes, 2008-2009

Storyline

Simon Doonan and his best friend Kyle, better known as Kylie dream of living in London with the "beautiful people". Here and now (the 90s), Simon lives with his wacky family: the gin drinking mother, blind ex-druggie hippie aunt, slutty sister, Irish wine-experimental father and briefly, his angel-turned-devil grandmother. The series includes musical sequences, football and a barrel of laughs.

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Plot Keywords:

best friend | suburb | gay | window dresser | african anglo | 

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Taglines:

This is not your average family sitcom because the Doonans are not your average family.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Divni ljudi

Filming Locations:

Crabtree Close, Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Olivia Colman (Debbie Doonan) & Meera Syal (Aunty Hayley) also worked together on seven episodes of Broadchurch (2013) as Ellie Miller & Judge Sonia Sharma respectively.

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Connections

Featured in The New Paul O'Grady Show: Episode dated 24 November 2009 (2009)

User Reviews

Truly Hilarious

It's been so long since I have had such a good rousing laugh out of watching characters on screen. And such wild and colourful characters they are - set in equally atrocious plot lines! The six half-hour episodes of the two seasons of Beautiful People are unpredictable and completely loony. The jokes are sometimes so terrible, you cannot help but laugh helplessly at the insanely good acting that makes each of them work.

Young Simon, played extremely well by Luke Ward-Wilkinson, is at the heart of his crazy family and deluded neighbours. Joined by his over- the-top across-the-street best friend, Kylie (played fabulously by theatre star Layton Williams), the pair gradually give viewers a roller-coaster of an insight into what it is to truly express yourself. The supporting cast of the wickedly awesome Olivia Colman as mum, the deceptively mellow Aidan McArdle as dad and the dead-set funny Meera Syal as auntie Hayley take the meaning of "supporting" to new heights - standing solidly behind the zaniest acts that Simon and Kylie concoct.

The music in the show is outstanding. The cast adapt many show-time tunes into hilarious and creatively choreographed renditions. Many catchy stick-in-your-head-for-days 90s pop tunes pop dangerously up at the most unexpected of times and force a hearty laugh out of you. Even more funny are the silly little cameos by theatre greats like Elaine Page and pop starlets like Danni Minogue. The whole show had me in splits around 97% of the time.

Beautiful People is just as hilarious on screen as it was in print. Go and watch it - your brain will thank you with a burst of warm endorphins!