FIELD GOALS
JACK DEE AND KERRY GODLIMAN STAR AS A CITY COUPLE OUT OF THEIR DEPTH IN A NEW SITCOM…
Comedian Jack Dee makes a welcome return to sitcomland this week as the co-writer and star of this new series. Bad
Move follows Leeds couple Steve (Jack) and Nicky (Kerry Godliman), who have followed their dream of moving to the country, only to discover that their new home is infamous among locals as a money pit and telecoms black spot. But having spent so much and committed themselves, they’ll just have to see it through…
Why do Steve and Nicky move to the country?
Jack They get caught up in this whimsical idea that the grass is greener and that it will make them contented, and they rashly buy a cottage that they later discover is locally known as being in ‘the dip’. It never gets the sun, it certainly doesn’t get internet, and the phone signal is a problem, too.
What are their plans now that they’re stuck in this situation?
Jack Steve is a graphic designer and one mistake he makes is thinking his work is a movable feast, and he can work from anywhere. Yet not only does he need the internet, which he no longer has, but he needs the stimulation of being in a busier environment, without realising that was part of what made him tick.
Kerry Nicky makes more of an effort to try to integrate with the local community, who are not enormously warm or welcoming at first. The woman who runs the local shop is not friendly at all, and there’s an old lady called Alice who turns out to be quite manipulative.
How was filming on location in the countryside?
Kerry It was so nice – it really was as remote as it looks, and we were in the middle of nowhere! It’s amazing to be in the countryside. The scenery is so beautiful – you’d need to be pretty grumpy not to enjoy it.
Jack It was beautiful and stunning and very remote and exactly what we wanted! But the logistical problems were huge filming somewhere like that. What we’d written was somewhere up a track and quite inaccessible, so sure enough they found us that place, but then we had to get lorries and all the crew’s equipment and God-knows-what-else up there…
Was the show inspired by anything you’ve experienced personally?
Jack I made the mistake of moving to the country, but we hadn’t sold our London place, so it wasn’t irreversible the way it is with Steve and Nicky. We found this old house and did it up – but quickly realised we didn’t want to be there!
The reality was very different when the sun wasn’t shining…