Lukewarm for Cold Feet read
by Carmel Harrington Hodder & Stoughton, £12.99 COLD FEET, the world’s warmest and cosiest TV show, burst back on to our screens last week like a gigantic fleecelined cuddle.
When the show returned in 2016 after a 13-year hiatus, it was immediately embraced by critics and fans alike and hailed a triumph.
It seems even now, 20 years after it first aired, we still can’t get enough of the interwoven highs, lows, lives and loves of Jenny, Pete, Adam, David and Karen.
So it is perhaps no surprise, given the huge affection with which the show is held, that a novel has been published hot on the heels of the latest series.
Cold Feet: The Lost Years is billed as the “official novel from the hit TV series” (an unfortunate phrase about as enticing as “the blockbuster film inspired by the computer game”) that promises to fill in the gap between series five, which aired in 2003, and last year’s series six.
It focuses on the year after Rachel’s death as the five friends struggle to adjust to life in the wake of the tragedy.
Adam, utterly bereft, is trying to keep going for the sake of his baby son and has left his family home in Manchester to move in with his formerly estranged father in Belfast.
Heavily pregnant Jenny is back together with Pete but all is not well and as her due date approaches. Pete seems to be having second thoughts about how he will cope with raising another man’s baby.
Karen and David are separated but as David enjoys a new romance with divorce lawyer Robyn, Karen is struggling to balance her career with life at home.
So far, so Cold Feet. However, despite the promising starting point, the novel struggles to take off. While the author evokes the characters’ vocal styles and the winning blend of comedy and tragedy, what comes across as funny or charming on screen often sounds flat and clichéd on paper.
And although there are some touching and funny moments, the writing style relies far too much on telling rather than showing, making this a rather laborious read. Every last detail is spelled out. Do readers really need to know the location of every scene? Do we have to be told how characters feel when it’s obvious from the dialogue?
It is hard to see why viewers of the show, now up to date with the seventh series, will want to invest in what happened 13 years ago when the long-term outcome of every situation has already been played out on TV. Definitely one for diehard fans only. Everyone else should just stick with the box set. To order any of the books featured, post free (UK only), please phone The Express Bookshop on You may also send a cheque made payable to or you can order online at www.expressbookshop.com