Sensitive Skin: The Complete Collection

Showing a depth of talent that goes far beyond her comedic side, Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous, Shirley Valentine) absolutely electrifies as 60-something Davina Jackson in this warm and touching comedic drama. After suddenly losing her husband, Davina learns to cope with being alone in more ways than one. Subtle humor, a bittersweet storyline and a marvelous supporting cast make Sensitive Skin a compelling, charming series. Anyone who's been in a long-term relationship will relate to this achingly moving, darkly comedic series about love, commitment, marriage and aging.

Series 1
Episode 1 - Davina Jackson has hit 60, but she is showing little sign of her age. She still looks great and so does Al, her husband of over 30 years. Having recently downsized from their family home, the spare cash has enabled them to set up a new lifestyle, which includes a funky central London pad and a retro 70s Silver Shadow Rolls Royce. Meanwhile, their dysfunctional 33-year-old son Orlando wants them to return to the family home so he can reclaim his lost childhood, and their high-flying brother-in-law Roger preaches patronisingly about their lack of pension security.

When Davina is visited by the ghostly spirit of her Frustration (Freddie Davis), she is forced to realise that, despite all the recent changes, she has still has one big question to ask herself: Is this really the life she wants? Because it doesn't matter who you are or how you think you look, the clock is still on a countdown, just like it always has been. And pretty soon it will be too late to change anything.

Episode 2 - A chance meeting with an old school friend, Tracy Vernon (Marlene Sidaway), prompts Davina Jackson to begin looking back on her childhood. And when her mother suffers another stroke, she literally returns to her old haunts where the ghostly appearance of her imaginary friend, G I Johnson, reminds Davina of a childhood when nothing could hold her back. She is left to wonder when she lost her way.

Meanwhile, Al also confronts his past, in the guise of an old flame and media grandee Sarah Thorne (Frances de la Tour - Rising Damp). She always knew he would never amount to much, but equally remembers that he was a "bloody good shag".

Episode 3 - Al is trying to write an article on what makes a classic. When world-famous author Robert Ringwald (David Warner) flies in from America to judge a book prize and sets his eyes on Davina, he tells Al to look no further because Davina is an absolute classic.

Being a man used to getting what he wants, Ringwald sets out to seduce her. His pursuit almost works, until Dr Cass (Jonathan Miller), an opportunistic private doctor, discovers a brand-new streak of hypochondria in the great writer.

Episode 4 - Roger fires Greg (Adam Rayner), his piano teacher, for making eyes at his wife Veronica. Davina is shocked; she thinks he has only done it to show his general contempt for artists. So she employs Greg to give lessons to Al.

But when the sexy young teacher starts making eyes at Davina behind Al's back, she realises that there are a whole new set of lessons that she might want to learn.

Episode 5 - Davina is worried that Roger wants to start an affair with her. It is only after the unexpected arrival of Roger's son Michael (Patrick Baladi - The Office), and the liberal use of a class C narcotic, that the true nature of her brother-in-law's desires are revealed.

Episode 6 - Al is losing everything. First, it's his car radio, then it's his newspaper column, and finally it's his wife. But even after all that, there is a still greater loss to come.

Series 2
Wilderness - Following the sudden death of her husband, Davina - sexy, 60 and now a widow - is forced to cope with life alone and a sister who blames her for everything. After mourning her husband for six months, Davina decides it's time to relaunch her life and embarks on a journey to rediscover happiness - via a host of vivid characters, all of whom have their own bridges to cross.

Three Lost Loves - Davina's quest for self-realisation brings her under the influence of Sue Shortstop (Maureen Lipman), an ardent feminist and scourge of male panellists on discussion shows. As Davina gets in touch with her inner goddess, Shortstop's husband Ed (Patrick Barlow) appears intent on establishing a more tactile connection with one of his attractive students.

The Signals - Davina meets Tom Paine (Buffy star Anthony Head), a personal shopper, who helps her to believe that there is life (and style) after widowhood. They visit Davina's mother in hospital but, as her mother's life hangs in the balance, Davina and her sister, Veronica, argue over Davina's 'adolescent' new lifestyle. Davina and Tom's new relationship seems to be going well, but her new neighbour, Lizzie (Jean Marsh), has some news that may derail her hopes.

Forever Jung - Davina's son Orlando returns and reveals he has fallen in love. Davina persuades him to move in with her, but is more than a little surprised when she mistakes his new girlfriend, Cheryl (Diana Quick), for his girlfriend's mother. With Orlando seeming to have forgiven Davina for Al's death, but Cheryl blaming Davina for Orlando's past, it seems Orlando is trying to pay his mother back for her affair with a younger man.

Kiss Of Life - Davina pays her third visit to the heart doctor, only to be told she is in excellent health. However, it seems that the doctor, Matthew (Simon Williams), has other reasons than her heath for asking her to return. Davina's brother-in-law, Roger, is on trial for accountancy fraud and happens to be mysteriously represented by old school mate Leonard Richards (Patrick Malahide). When Roger finds out about his wife Veronica's history with Richards, he takes steps to free them both.

Here I Am - Davina's friend, Lizzie, has been waiting for 17,532 days. She doesn't know for what, just that her wait is finally over. In the face of unexpected tragedy, Davina assesses how far she has actually moved forward. She helps Ed, who has split up with his 21-year-old girlfriend, get back with his wife of 30 years, Sue. She helps steady Cheryl's nerves on the eve of her wedding day to Orlando, who's 30 years her junior. But who is going to help Davina? Even her hopes of some sort of reconciliation with Tom are dashed and, when she visits Roger in jail, it's no wonder she breaks down with the observation that at least he has a release date. However, a release for Davina may be closer than she thinks...

Written by Hugo Blick
Directed by Hugo Blick
Cinematography by Patrick Duval
Film Editing by Graham Hodson
Costume Design by Elinor Blick, Jane Petrie

Series 1
"Utterly wonderful and deceptively unobtrusive stuff."  - Guardian

"...one of the best pieces of television in years ... part comedy, part poignant drama, and is one of the finest performances of Lumley's 38-year career."  - Sunday Times , Jasper Gerard

"Lumley and Lawson are terrific, and there are some wonderful moments..."  - Financial Times, Karl French

"...superb ... well-nigh perfect in what it sets out to achieve."  - The Times, David Chater

"Lumley is riveting and Blick's writing is a divertingly original blend of the droll, the whimsical and the sardonic. He directs with the same flair, producing strikingly handsome images that (as in the very last shot) reward attentive viewing."  - Sunday Times, John Dugdale

"Without doubt, this is the most interesting drama on television this week ... The script is pitch-perfect, encapsulating the slight ache of ageing..."  - Daily Telegraph, Matt Warman

"...a beguilingly wry and distinctive sitcom."  - Sunday Telegraph, Claire Murphy

"...sometimes sad but strangely compelling."  - Daily Express

"It's reassuringly funny and refreshingly original ... a clever, grown-up series about a woman looking back on her life, wondering whether she's achieved all she set out to do, and considering some drastic changes. Lumley is predictably excellent, and Denis Lawson is superb as her hip and happening veteran-music-journalist husband."  - Sunday Herald, Thomas Quinn

"...the best laughs come from their 33-year-old son, Orlando (the very droll James Lance)..."  - People

"This may be the closest that a television drama has come to evoking the serenity and sadness of a chamber piece by Schubert. Because it is the last in the series, it is difficult to preview without ruining it, so all I can reasonably do is beg you to watch it. It is a gem - and a precious one at that."  - The Times, David Chater

Series 2
"Along with Ab Fab, this will come to be seen as one of the crowning glories of Joanna Lumley's career. Extraordinary."  - Guardian, Ali Catterall

"There have been many reasons to cherish this series; from the quietness of the acting to the beauty of the cinematography and the haunting use of music. But it is the sympathy for people that gives it such warmth and richness."  - The Times, David Chater

"... exemplary drama series. This is the sort of television that deserves to win awards but very rarely does so - not just for the script and the acting but also for a sublime soundtrack and masterful camerawork. Producer/writer/ director Hugo Blick can be very proud."  - Observer, Mike Bradley

"Blick, who writes, directs and produces the show, is a master of such detail. It's there in his direction, too: he makes London, so overfilmed and over-exposed, feel unfamiliar. In some scenes the camera stays quite still and far from his actors, so you feel like a spectator at an art gallery watching a moving picture. He has crafted a weird, compulsive curio that is quite unlike anything else on TV.
Lumley's character is so pared back that she sometimes feels invisible. It is a brilliant portrayal of true grief; less wailing, more numb, stumbling. The second season will be the last, so savour this bitter, strange fruit while you can."  - The Times, Tim Teeman

"If this doesn't sound exactly like comedy, then that's because Sensitive Skin isn't exactly comedy, just very funny when it isn't being plangent and elegiac. And quite often the funniest thing in it is Lumley's lovely deadpan"  - Independent, Thomas Sutcliffe

"Joanna Lumley returns for a second run of this compelling dark comedy that lifts the lid on the life of glamorous sixty-something Davina Jackson. ... A sterling cast including Maggie Steed, Simon Day and Denise Black add to the charm of the series" -  Daily Express, Charlotte Civil

"Apart from being hugely funny in places, it also achieves something that is rare in TV drama - it is beautiful. Although drenched in autumnal sadness, it is so sharply observed that it never subsides, like a bad French art film, into a sodden wallow. The last time around, in a desperate attempt to explain why it was so affecting, I compared it to a chamber piece by Schubert and wound up in Private Eye's Pseuds Corner. Nonetheless, the series is a masterpiece - the kind of drama that makes up for the shallow and mediocre nastiness of so much television. Please, I beg of you, don't miss it"  - The Times, David Chater

"Watch five minutes and you'll be hooked. Class"  - Observer, Mike Bradley

"It is good to see this bleak and sophisticated comedy return, with Joanna Lumley as the newly widowed Davina. Nicely written by Hugo Blick. ... Good stuff"  - Sunday Times

"Given the best efforts of telly execs to shackle them in the attic, how rare and very cool it is to find a series, let alone a comedy drama, featuring female actors over 60 years old in an autonomous, non-patronising role; particularly when that actor is Joanna Lumley. The return of this quietly gutsy comedy finds the recently widowed Davina finding her feet again. Utterly wonderful, deceptively unobtrusive stuff"  - Guardian, Ali Catterall