Misplaced Pages

King Gary is a British television comedy series made for the BBC co-created and written by Tom Davis and James De Frond. Davis also stars as the eponymous lead character, Gary King, while De Frond directs.

The pilot episode was shown on BBC One in the UK in December 2018. The show was commissioned for a full series which was aired in January 2020, with a Christmas special shown on 23 December 2020 on BBC One. A second series was commissioned in February 2020. The BBC have revealed there are no plans for another series.

Plot

Set within a crescent in the outer London suburbs, Gary King is a family man who has taken over his dad’s building firm after he retired. He must deal with the difficulties of family life, including disputes with his neighbours, his father, and his friends. Additionally, there are often subplots involving the struggles of his partner Terri.

Cast

• Tom Davis as Gary King
• Laura Checkley as Terri King
• Simon Day as Big Gary King
• Camille Coduri as Denise King
• Romesh Ranganathan as Stuart Williams
• Miranda Hennessy as Chloe Ferdinando
• Neil Maskell as Winkle
• Riley Burgin as Teddy King
• Osi Okerafor as Darren Ferdinando

Episodes

Pilot (2018)

Series 1 (2020)

Christmas Special (2020)

Series 2 (2021)

Production

Davis and De Frond had known each other from school and previously worked together on Murder in Successville. They tried to ensure all cast members were personally familiar with the suburban area on the outer London boroughs where the series is set, with Butterchurn Crescent’s location being Oak Lodge Avenue in Chigwell.

Reception

Shane Allen, director of BBC Comedy said “With King Gary we also get a big daft southern comedy voice in Tom Davis at the centre of a very exciting cast.” The Daily Telegraph praised how “Davis and James De Frond have written about the working class world they know...Everything from the decor to the language feels right. They throw in a few good lines, too” but overall felt it compares less well with previous BBC sitcoms such as Gavin and Stacey that covered some of the same cultural ground. The Independent praised “a decent supply of zingers” in the script. The Times suspected the viewer would “either love or hate King Gary. It offers unsubtle Essex geezerish humour and barbecue was pronounced “BBQ” to an irritating degree. But I am quite unsubtle and have a puerile sense of humour and it made me smile, especially when I saw that Romesh Ranganathan was in it... Yes, it’s a bit crude and one-note and could wear thin after 30 minutes, but it was cheerful nonsense and we need more of that.”

References

1. "Interview: Tom Davis On his New BBC Sitcom King Gary". Beyond The Joke. 28 December 2019.
2. "King Gary, review: a soufflé-light suburban sitcom". www.telegraph.co.uk.
3. "Tom Davis on King Gary: 'This is how the people of Croydon really are'". inews.co.uk. 10 January 2020.
4. Guide, British Comedy (10 February 2020). "King Gary to return for Series 2 - News". British Comedy Guide.
5. "BBC DECLINE MORE KING GARY". www.tvzoneuk.com. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
6. "Tom Davis: 'I was on the building site in the week, and in a dress at weekends'". The Guardian. 7 January 2020.
7. "Meet the cast of King Gary on BBC1". Radio Times.
8. "King Gary – Listings". BBC One. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
9. "When is King Gary Christmas special release date? Cast, plot and trailer". Radio Times.
10. "Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content announces two new comedies for BBC One". www.bbc.co.uk. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
11. "King Gary Christmas Special, review: a sitcom that struggles to keep up with its Essex neighbours". www.telegraph.co.uk.
12. "King Gary: Every Essex stereotype in the book, but a few laughs too". inews.co.uk. 23 December 2018.
13. Midgley, Carol (20 October 2023). "TV review: Watership Down; King Gary" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.

External links

• King Gary at BBC Online
• King Gary at IMDb
• King Gary at epguides.com
• King Gary at British Comedy Guide

• 2018 British television series debuts
• 2021 British television series endings
• 2010s British sitcoms
• 2020s British sitcoms
• Television series by Banijay
• Television shows set in London
• BBC television sitcoms
• British English-language television shows