Clatterford: Season 1

There's something funny going on in Clatterford—courtesy of Absolutely Fabulous favorites Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, Dawn French (The Vicar of Dibley), Pauline McLynn (Father Ted) and more of the best-loved women of British comedy. Together they comprise a delightful cast of eccentric characters in a hilarious, heartwarming comedy from the creators of the inimitable AbFab. Sal Vine (Sue Johnston, Waking the Dead) is the local practice nurse and a pillar of the small community of Clatterford St. Mary. Suddenly unemployed and all alone after her husband dies, Sal decides to find companionship by joining the Women's Guild—only to find it's a lot more than knitting and cake recipes! As seen on BBC America. Also known as Jam and Jerusalem to some viewers.

The Women's Guild: its ideals are to promote truth, justice, tolerance and fellowship - or is it just an excuse for a good old gossip? Clatterford is a small town, but big enough to have a good cross section of people, local shops and a late night convenience store - a place which also has a thriving Women's Guild. When Sal's husband dies suddenly of a heart attack, she is forced to give up her role as practice nurse at the local surgery. Without a job and feeling very much alone, Sal slowly realises that she needs the support of the Women's Guild as much as they need her, so she decides to join them and give the Guild a try...

Episode 1 - With her husband (Hywel Bennett) being the grumpy doctor of the town, Sal is always the voice of common sense and font of all knowledge when it comes to the town’s people and their needs. She never has a moment to herself but that is just the way she likes it, as long as she has her best friend, Tip, to keep her sane and go for a quick half with in the pub. Despite her knowledge and love of her fellow townsfolk, she cannot bring herself to join the local church’s Women’s Guild – she thinks the knitting and cake-baking is not really her scene – and avoids being recruited by the Guild’s leader, Eileen, at every opportunity. When her husband dies suddenly of a heart attack Sal finds herself surrounded by the community, who offer her tea and sympathy. However, when her son, James, announces at the funeral that as he is taking over the practice his wife will be the village nurse, Sal finds herself not only widowed, but out of a job!

As the community sympathy wanes, Sal feels neglected and alone and, in a bid to stop rattling around her empty house and avoid the local Grieving Group counsellor, she decides it’s time to take her own advice: stop sleeping in the dog basket, get a hair cut and a new top and take stock of her new life. And what better way to start than the Women’s Guild.

Episode 2 - Sal is getting used to living on her own. Despite the odd unwanted visit from Kate Bales and the fact she still hasn’t sorted out Mike’s old things, she is coping just fine and can always rely on Tip for a quick half down the pub to lighten the mood. But Sal does miss her job at the surgery and, when she sneaks in to give someone some emergency treatment, she is caught red-handed by an unimpressed James. She has to hand over her keys but worries that James has no idea of the community’s real needs from their local doctor.

Tash finally has a job working in the pub but the “drinky servy slavery thing” really isn’t her cup of tea. Yasmeen, the new nurse, seems more concerned with keeping the surgery spotlessly clean than with dealing with unsightly ailments.

Meanwhile, Eileen and Queenie are driving the Vicar up the wall by interrupting the Sunday service to offer refreshments. When they suggest they need a coffee room at the church he is far from pleased, but Eileen quickly puts her Guild power into action and sets about organising a bring-and-buy sale to get the funds they need.

Episode 3 - It is the annual ceremony of the 'Beating of the Bounds' in Clatterford. The vicar is taking it all very seriously indeed; he is ready to do his blessing duties and has even brought out his black cassock for the occasion,. For the rest of the community, it is an excuse for a bit of a booze-up on the moor. The Guild always organises the food but, when Rosie forgets to order the pasties, the women leap into action and get the production line started.

Eileen has had to take her father to the hospice. The general consensus is that he didn’t treat her very well. Tip remembers that Eileen’s medical notes said she was adopted and ropes in Sal to help look up Eileen’s family members on the internet. When they actually come up with a result, Sal swears Tip to secrecy, knowing that Eileen would be hurt and furious at what they have done. Keeping her mouth shut, however, is not Tip’s speciality.

Meanwhile, Tash asks her mum to look after Raph for six months while she goes travelling. Sal is furious and wants Tash to take responsibility for her son – something Tash just can’t understand.

Episode 4 - Sal is getting used to having Tash living at home again, but although it stops her rattling round her house by herself it is also driving her round the bend. In a bid to occupy herself, she keeps finding excuses to pop round to the surgery, particularly when she needs to escape the Guild’s craft morning!

Meanwhile, Tip is trying to help Yasmeen get everything done the right way at the surgery – including getting the babies weighed at the Post Office and getting her to ignore patients to put a stop to time-wasters. James is busy trying to make his mark as the new doctor and is getting increasingly agitated with Tip’s 'help'. When the idea of doing a Pap test turns Yasmeen pale, Tip has an idea to get Sal her job back, which it involves James’ old headmistress. Meanwhile, the Guild ladies enjoy a day out at the beach, attempting to ‘boogie-board’. Later, they settle down to watch the video of their day trip, but discover that Tash has videoed over it. It’s the final straw for Sal, who decides it is time to read the riot act to her hippy daughter and get her to grow up, get a job and be a responsible adult – but as usual Tash just can’t seem to get her head round the idea.

Episode 5 - It is Harvest Festival time and the members of the Ladies Guild set about collecting food and decorating the church for the event. However, the vicar is even more bad-tempered than usual, moaning about the donations of tinned goods to the fair and that Eileen keeps interrupting his church ceremonies. So when Rosie questions him about hearing the voice of God and her desire to be a vicar, he brushes her off saying that vicars usually get some sort of calling or sign from God.

Meanwhile, having got her job back on a part time basis, Sal is busy with the First Aid tent at the local annual Hunter trials horse-riding event, and has Tip to keep her company. A rather pushy mother (Caroline) is thrown from a horse while trying to show her daughter how to jump. Rosie goes to the allotment to find some ‘Fresh’ for the Harvest Festival display. She discovers instead a potato, bearing what she thinks is the face of Jesus. She rushes to show the vicar but, after performing an exasperating christening, he is in a foul mood and gives her short shrift. But he has no idea how badly his unkind words will affect her, especially when it brings her alter ego Margaret to the forefront, leaving Sal to teach him a hard lesson in community spirit.

Episode 6 - Tip and Colin are up to their eyes in paperwork on the farm as the lambs are off to be slaughtered. When old widower farmer Elijah (Brian Knight) gets in a pickle with a dead cow, Tip decides they need to get Elijah back on track with his paperwork and his life and calls in help from Sal and the rest of the Guild.

Meanwhile, Eileen is in a panic when she is told the Guild's Membership Advisory Committee is sending an inspector to their Clatterford branch. Fearful that Lady Anne Crump (Marcia Warren) might close down their branch if she decides it is not up to scratch, Eileen orders an emergency gathering to ensure their evening meeting will be a spectacular one, full of important things like international affairs, debate, craft and new memberships. With half the Guild missing, however, will the Clatterford Guild be merged with the Guild at nearby Hole? Elsewhere, Kate Bales holds an exasperating silver-surfers class and Caroline is having trouble with her son's rock star friends.

2006 Christmas Special - It's Sal's first Christmas without Mike and, as she takes down the decorations, she realises that it's about time she dealt with his ashes,. Sal thinks Tash and James have found Christmas very difficult, especially as it was Mike's favourite time of year, but she doesn't know how to broach the subject with them.

Meanwhile, the Guild is holding the auditions for the annual Christmas Panto in the Town Hall. As always, Queenie is taking charge as director, although she seems more interested in finding the right neckerchief and what biscuits will be supplied in the interval than actually picking her cast. Fortunately, Sal and Eileen get to work behind-the-scenes and save the day.

Everyone in the Town gets involved, from selling tickets to making the costumes. The open auditions aren't exactly Pop Idol standard, but there's a part for everyone who wants to be involved. Tash insists on taking the lead role, as she does every year, ignoring the fact that she may be getting a little old to play Cinderella. When Eileen points this out, Sal defends her daughter and pleads with her to let Tash do it. The only problem is they have to find a Prince Charming to suit Tash's age. Tash reluctantly picks Suzy for the role, but Sal soon spots Cinderella's perfect love match, maybe both on and off stage, in the hunky form of Marcus, the Hunt Whipper.

James is tricked by Tip into arriving at the audition just in time to be cast as an ugly sister, alongside the vicar. It is the role his father played every year – but James seems to take to drag rather too well.

With both her son and daughter taking centre stage, Sal wishes her husband could have been there to see them. As the big night arrives, Sal comes up with an idea to give Mike his send-off – but the scattering of his ashes doesn't quite go to plan…

Sal Vine	---	Sue Johnston
Tip Haddem	---	Pauline McLynn
Eileen Pike	---	Maggie Steed
Delilah Stagg	---	Joanna Lumley
Caroline Martin	---	Jennifer Saunders
Rosie Bales	---	Dawn French
Dr James Vine	---	David Mitchell
Tash Vine	---	Sally Phillips
The Vicar	---	Patrick Barlow
Queenie	---	Doreen Mantle
Kate Bales	---	Rosie Cavaliero
Susie	---	Suzy Aitchison
Yasmeen Vine	---	Salima Saxton
Colin Pennow	---	Robbie Richardson

Written by Jennifer Saunders
Directed by Steve Bendelack , Mandie Fletcher
Produced by Jo Sargent
Executive Produced by Jon Plowman

"Delicately crafted ... All the dials are turned down low and, rather than head-butting you with Ab Fab outrageousness, this tickles you under the chin. ... Every time a door opens, another brilliant comic actor appears. It's artful, gentle, nicely surreal and perfectly pitched. An absolute delight with too many wonderful performances to name." -Julia Raeside, Guardian

"The whole thing is tightly written, beautifully acted and refreshingly lacking in comic neurosis – happy for things to go quiet for a while. . It also has a nice running gag involving Saunders herself, who plays a horsey county type who pops up now and then to make small talk about her celebrity acquaintances."- Thomas Sutcliffe, Independent

"Comfy TV at its best. Jennifer Saunders' new comedy series looks like a clever blending of Dinnerladies and The Vicar of Dibley ... Make yourself a nice pot of tea, open up the Hobnobs, sit back and wallow."- Sunday Mirror

"Firstly, if you're thinking Dinnerladies: don't. Secondly, if you thought Vicar Of Dibley had exhausted the comedy potential of a small Westcountry village, prepare to be surprised ... with a sprinkling of the French-Saunders-Lumley magic the quality comedy blossoms ... and boy is it good to see them back together on our screens ... Lumley plays eightysomething Delilah Stagg – deaf, spitting out her false teeth, and producing a delicious cacophony of wrong notes on the church organ: surely her most grotesquely wonderful performance to date. Saunders satirises herself brilliantly as Land Rover-driving Caroline. But it is French's character, Rosie, who makes for the most uneasy viewing – a schizophrenic with learning difficulties and bad fashion sense. French allows us to laugh at Rosie, while giving her dignity and strength ... and there is a dazzling supporting cast, so good it feels odd that they are not in the leading roles ... Add to this a perfectly pitched soundtrack and it's clear that the BBC have a hit on their hands. This isn't laugh-out-loud comedy with gags at regular intervals, it is a wry comment on female interaction with knowing character observations that leave you wanting to get to know each person intimately ... it's a joy to see warm portraits of real women back in British comedy." - Katie Toms, Observer

"...it's as rich and fruity as a Dundee cake ... Jennifer Saunders' new comedy has the cast to carry all before it." -Adrian Pettet, Sunday Express

" Genuinely funny."- Molloy Woodcraft, Observer

"A warm and affectionate portrayal of village life and its eccentric inhabitants., there are, as you'd expect, some great performances, particularly from an almost unrecognisable Joanna Lumley." -Louise Bryant, Daily Express

"Best on the box. Don't miss ... This gentle Vicar of Dibleyesque sitcom has a cast that will gladden your heart." -Sarah Moolla, People

"It's actually gentle, nicely observed stuff; and with Johnston, understated and watchable as ever, at its heart, this could be the start of something wonderful."- Laurence Phelan, Independent On Sunday