SUNNY DAYS
LESLEY SHARP AND PHILIP GLENISTER return in the comedy about brits abroad
new Comedy drama Living the dream Tuesday, Sky one Hd, 9pm
GET READY TO blast those winter blues away as Lesley Sharp and Philip Glenister reprise their roles as Jen and Mal Pemberton in series two of Sky One’s comedy drama Living the Dream, about a British family who start a new life in the sunshine state of Florida.
The first series saw the Pembertons adjusting to the culture shock of living and working stateside after Mal purchased a trailer park and moved his brood across the pond.
While he and Jan had to deal with weird neighbours and even stranger trailer-park residents, their kids, Tina (Rosie Day) and Freddie (Brenock O’connor), settled into their new high school.
Although the prospect of moving abroad remains a dream for many, the reality can be very different. ‘Sometimes there’s an over-romanticised notion to sell up and move away,’ says Sharp.
‘But then there’s the reality – the local laws, how difficult it is to buy property and start a business, getting phones connected… All of that stuff you have to deal with.’
POSITIVE MESSAGE
The Pembertons have had to deal with many such problems – in the new series Mal is forced to fire his own wife and hire an American to comply with employment law, and the local mayor tries to shut down their business to make way for a wildlife reserve – but the tone of the series remains upbeat.
‘Living the Dream is full of positivity and fun,’ says Sharp, adding that the show avoids the stereotype of a bickering, long-married couple who don’t understand their kids.
‘It’s a very positive depiction of a middle-aged relationship,’ she explains. ‘We’re not running into those areas that get explored so often at this point in people’s lives. It’s about a couple who really like each other and go the extra mile because they care about one another, and that’s quite an unusual thing on TV.’