''Almost Never'' is a British
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
dramedy
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
series that premiered on
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
on 15 January 2019. The series details the experiences of two fictional bands after their appearances on a reality television competition and features
performances from cast members in each episode. ''Almost Never'' stars Nathaniel Dass, Harry Still, Oakley Orchard,
Mya-Lecia Naylor
Mya-Lecia Naylor (6 November 2002 – 7 April 2019) was an English actress, model and singer, known for her roles as Fran in the CBBC series’ ''Millie Inbetween'' and Mya in ''Almost Never''.
Early and personal life
Naylor was born on 6 Novemb ...
, Miriam Nyarko, Lola Moxom, Lilly Stanion,
Kimberly Wyatt
Kimberly Kaye Wyatt (born February 4, 1982) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She is a former member of the pop/ R&B girl group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls. She is also a member of the ...
, Tillie Amartey, Tyra Rayne and
Aston Merrygold
Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is an English singer, dancer, television personality and actor. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of ''The X ...
. In 2020, it was announced that ''Almost Never'' had been renewed for a third series, which premiered in July 2021.
Premise
''Almost Never'' follows the lives of two bands, the Wonderland and Girls Here First, following their appearance on the fictional music competition series ''The Spotlight''.
Cast and characters
Main
* Nathaniel Dass as Nate, the lead singer and songwriter of the Wonderland.
* Harry Still as Harry, a guitarist in the Wonderland and the older brother of Oakley.
* Oakley Orchard as Oakley, a guitarist in the Wonderland and the younger brother of Harry.
*
Mya-Lecia Naylor
Mya-Lecia Naylor (6 November 2002 – 7 April 2019) was an English actress, model and singer, known for her roles as Fran in the CBBC series’ ''Millie Inbetween'' and Mya in ''Almost Never''.
Early and personal life
Naylor was born on 6 Novemb ...
as Mya, a member of Girls Here First who begins a relationship with Oakley. (series 1)
* Miriam Nyarko as Miriam, a member of Girls Here First.
* Lola Moxom as Lola, a member of Girls Here First.
* Lilly Stanion as Lilly, a member of Girls Here First.
*
Kimberly Wyatt
Kimberly Kaye Wyatt (born February 4, 1982) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She is a former member of the pop/ R&B girl group and dance ensemble The Pussycat Dolls. She is also a member of the ...
as Sasha, the controlling manager of Girls Here First.
* Tillie Amartey as Chloe, a
vlogger
A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...
and the social media manager of the Wonderland.
* Tyra Rayne as Tyra, a waitress at the Palais restaurant who is asked to be a member of Girls Here First. (series 2–present)
*
Aston Merrygold
Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is an English singer, dancer, television personality and actor. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of ''The X ...
as Jordan, the manager of the Wonderland. (series 2–present)
Recurring
*
Colin Hoult
Colin Hoult (born 15 May 1979) is an English actor and writer in television, radio, and theatre. He studied at Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre.
Career
Hoult has worked in various television productions, including ''Russell Howard's ...
as AJ, the father of Harry and Oakley who manages the Wonderland until they are signed to Coleen's company.
*
Emily Atack
Emily Jane Atack (born 18 December 1989) is an English actress, comedian, and television personality. She is best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe on the E4 comedy series ''The Inbetweeners'' (2008-2010), and for her roles in Keith Lemo ...
as Meg, the mother of Harry and Oakley.
* Simran Rakar as Molly, the younger sister of Nate.
* Imogen Chadwick as Elena, the best friend of Molly and eventual social media manager of the Wonderland.
* Zina Badran as Anika, the mother of Nate and Molly. (series 1–2)
* Ryan Early as Dan, the owner of the Palais restaurant.
*
Michelle Gayle
Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as a soul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seven top 40 singles in the UK Singles Chart. These include "Sweetness" ...
as Coleen, the boss of Sasha. She signs the Wonderland to her management company. (series 1–2)
* Luke Fetherston as Fabio, Sasha's assistant and the eventual manager of Girls Here First.
*
Stephen Rahman-Hughes
Stephen Rahman-Hughes (born 26 January 1970) is an English–Malaysian actor and singer. He is known for his roles as DCI Vikesh Dasari in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' and Adam Bateman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''.
Career
In ...
as Dev, the father of Nate and Molly. (series 2)
*
Victoria Ekanoye as Ashley, the boss of Coleen. (series 2)
* Alexis Strum as Helen, the mother of Lola. (series 3)
*
Amber Davies
Amber Davies is a Welsh actress and television personality. She is mostly known for winning reality TV show Love Island (2015 TV series), ''Love Island'' in 2017. She is also known for appearing in 9 to 5 (musical), ''9 to 5: The Musical'' as the c ...
as Jess, Dan's younger sister and Lola's coach. (series 3)
Production
The first series of ''Almost Never'' filmed in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
from 12 August to 15 November 2018. The series was announced on 18 December 2018. Three months after the debut of the first series, it was announced that cast member
Mya-Lecia Naylor
Mya-Lecia Naylor (6 November 2002 – 7 April 2019) was an English actress, model and singer, known for her roles as Fran in the CBBC series’ ''Millie Inbetween'' and Mya in ''Almost Never''.
Early and personal life
Naylor was born on 6 Novemb ...
had
died by misadventure. For the second series, the part of Mya was not recast; instead, her absence was explained by her having left Girls Here First following the group's disastrous European tour.
The cast was increased in the second series, with the additions of
Aston Merrygold
Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is an English singer, dancer, television personality and actor. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of ''The X ...
and Tyra Richardson, as well as
Stephen Rahman-Hughes
Stephen Rahman-Hughes (born 26 January 1970) is an English–Malaysian actor and singer. He is known for his roles as DCI Vikesh Dasari in the ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' and Adam Bateman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''.
Career
In ...
and
Victoria Ekanoye in recurring capacities. On 2 January 2020, it was announced that CBBC has renewed ''Almost Never'' for a third series. On 29 May 2020, the ''Almost Never''
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
account uploaded an open
casting call
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenplay, ...
for children aged between 13 and 17 to audition for the third series.
Cast regularly get involved in production vlogs and backstage content. Girls Here First star Miriam Nyarko has a series of "Week in the Life" Vlogs on her channel, which show the life of an Almost Never cast-member. Her co-star Tillie Amartey also has her own vlogging series on the official Almost Never Channel (Tillie Vlogs).
International broadcast
In August 2021, it was announced that ''Almost Never'' had been acquired by
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
; the series began airing in the United States on 4 September 2021.
Episodes
Music
References
External links
*
* {{IMDb title, 9621146
2010s British LGBT-related drama television series
2010s British children's television series
2010s British music television series
2019 British television series debuts
2020s British LGBT-related drama television series
2020s British children's television series
2020s British music television series
2021 British television series endings
BBC children's television shows
British children's musical television series
CBBC shows
English-language television shows
Television shows filmed in Northern Ireland