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A GENTLE GIANT OF A SITCOM
King Gary has a 6ft 7in star – and the warm heart and Cockney banter of Only Fools
With its Cockney geezers, rhyming slang and designer labels, new sitcom King Gary could be the offspring of Only Fools And Horses – except it’s set in Essex rather than Del Boy’s beloved Peckham.
Created by childhood friends Tom Davis and James De Frond, the team behind celebrity whodunnit series Murder In Successville, it follows a working-class family simply trying to survive the challenges many of us face, from mickey-taking at work to eyebrow-waxing malfunctions, Gucci shoe envy and annoying neighbours. A critically acclaimed pilot episode aired a year ago, and now a six-part series will debut on BBC1 this week.
Tom happily admits that the nation’s favourite comedy was a huge inspiration when it came to creating the show. ‘When I was growing up, a sitcom like Only Fools And Horses was a hallowed thing,’ he says. ‘When you come from a working-class background you know a Del Boy, you know a Trigger. But we had to put that to the back of our minds as we tried to write something for a modern age. It was nothing short of terrifying, but we’re immensely proud. This is a sitcom for the whole family to watch and laugh at together.’
Gary King – played by 6ft 7in Tom – is the focus of the show as he struggles with an overbearing father known as Big Gary (The Fast Show’s Simon Day), an indifferent mother (Camille Coduri) and workmates who poke fun at him as he tries to run the family building company. He’s a gentle giant of a man who’s bullied mercilessly by his father while his neighbour Stuart (Romesh Ranganathan) is passive-aggressively always trying to better him.
Gary’s main solace is his childhood sweetheart and loving wife Terri (Detectorists’ Laura Checkley). It’s the pair of them and son Teddy against the world. ‘One of the big things for us was having a husband and wife who love each other, that’s the heart of the show,’ says James, who directed the series too. ‘Everyone’s a nightmare for Gary. He has his rivals and his domineering dad, but he’s got a wife who loves him. Instead of saying, “What have you done now?” she’ll say, “Ah, I’m so proud of you.” They’re best mates and they’re solid. There’s a lot of silliness in the show but you want to believe in the real love between Gary and Terri.’
All the characters are larger than life but they’re all based on real types, say the writers. ‘When the pilot went out, someone said to me, “Oh, some of the main characters feel a bit heightened,”’ says James. ‘So I said, “Come and meet my dad and the missus. Come down the boozer and meet the people we grew up with.” If anything, we had to play them down a bit.’
‘There are so many people
I’ve grown up with who aren’t necessarily represented on television,’ adds Tom. ‘I got loads of phone calls after the pilot went out with people saying, “That’s me, innit?” I’d say, “No, that’s not you, you come up in episode four.” We’re proud of being from this world, and everyone in the show is authentic.’
Just as Only Fools gave us a plethora of new insults – ‘plonker’ and ‘dipstick’ for starters – King
Gary also has its own vernacular. ‘There’s no swearing because we want it to be for the whole family, but you can still convey that message,’ says Tom. ‘So if someone calls you a marrow, that can be worse than a swear word because it requires some thought. “What do you mean by a marrow?” I also get called a “Trevor”, and that’s a word that hurts. A Trevor – and I’m sorry to any Trevors out there – is a bit of a sad guy, someone who’s a soft touch. We’ve had lots of fun talking about these words.’
The other element that mirrors Only Fools is the attempt to tug on your heartstrings and leave you crying through your laughter. ‘There is some emotional stuff,’ says Tom. ‘For us it was important to have a lot of heart, particularly in the last episode. If you believe in these characters you go on a journey with them.’
Ben Brockman King Gary, Friday, 9.30pm, BBC1.