''Chewing Gum'' is a British television
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
created and written by
Michaela Coel
Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson (born 1 October 1987), known professionally as Michaela Coel, is a British screenwriter and actress. She is best known for creating and starring in the E4 sitcom ''Chewing Gum'' (2015–2017), for which she won ...
, based on her 2012 play ''Chewing Gum Dreams''. It stars Coel and
Robert Lonsdale
Robert Lonsdale (born 2 November 1983) is an English actor and musician.
Early life and education
Son of Tom and Dilys Lonsdale, he was born on 2 November 1983 in Marsden, West Yorkshire, and has one sister. He went to the Academy of Live and R ...
. Set in London, the show follows 24-year-old shop assistant Tracey Gordon, a restricted, religious virgin, who wants to have sex and learn more about the world. The show earned Coel the
BAFTA for
Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme and Breakthrough Talent.
The first series debuted on
E4 on 13 October 2015 and on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in the United States on 31 October 2016. The series was removed from Netflix in April 2020 and became available on
HBO Max
HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...
in February 2021.
Background
In August 2014,
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
announced that Coel was to star in and write a new sitcom called ''Chewing Gum'', inspired by her play ''Chewing Gum Dreams''.
"C4 Comedy Blaps" were released as teasers in September 2014, and the series began on
E4 in October 2015.
Her performance earned her the
British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in 2016; she also won a BAFTA for Breakthrough Talent for writing the show.
''Chewing Gum'' received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Series one premiered on 6 October 2015 until 10 November 2015. On 3 December 2015, E4 ordered a second series; it began broadcasting on 12 January 2017.
In April 2017, it was announced by
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
that the show would not be returning for a third series.
However, in November 2017, Coel stated via
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that she intended to create a third series at some point in the future. In November 2018, Coel made another statement via Twitter confirming that the show wouldn't return for a third series.
Filming locations have included
West London Film Studios
West London Film Studios ("WLFS") is a British film studio and television studio complex located in Hayes, Middlesex.
The studios cater to small and large productions; for films, television shows, TV adverts and photo shoots.
History
Frank ...
and the
Andover Estate
The Andover Estate, in Holloway, London, Holloway, North London, is a large Islington London Borough Council housing estate which is flanked by Hornsey Road (west), Seven Sisters Road (south), Durham Road (east) and Birnam Road (north). It falls ...
in
Holloway, North London.
Cast
*
Michaela Coel
Michaela Ewuraba Boakye-Collinson (born 1 October 1987), known professionally as Michaela Coel, is a British screenwriter and actress. She is best known for creating and starring in the E4 sitcom ''Chewing Gum'' (2015–2017), for which she won ...
as Tracey Gordon
*
Robert Lonsdale
Robert Lonsdale (born 2 November 1983) is an English actor and musician.
Early life and education
Son of Tom and Dilys Lonsdale, he was born on 2 November 1983 in Marsden, West Yorkshire, and has one sister. He went to the Academy of Live and R ...
as Connor Jones
*
John MacMillan
John Victor Macmillan OBE DD (1877–1956) was the fifth Bishop of Dover in the modern era who was later translated to Guildford.
Born into a publishing family (he was an uncle of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan), he was educated at Eton ...
as Ronald, Tracey's boyfriend for six years
*
Tanya Franks
Tanya Christine Franks (born 16 August 1967) is an English actress, producer and writer. She has had starring roles on the television shows ''Family Affairs'', ''The Bill'', ''Pulling (TV series), Pulling'', ''EastEnders'' and ''Broadchurch''. ...
as Mandy, Connor's mother
* Danielle Isaie as Candice, Tracey's best friend
*
Kadiff Kirwan
Kadiff Kirwan (born 3 February 1989) is a British-Montserratian actor. He is known for his roles in several British television series, particularly ''Timewasters'', ''Chewing Gum'', ''Fleabag'', and '' The Stranger''.
Early life and education
Bo ...
as Aaron, Candice's boyfriend
*
Susan Wokoma as Cynthia, Tracey's naive sister
*
Shola Adewusi
Shola Adewusi (born 1963) is an England, English actress of Nigerian descent, of stage screen and radio.
Her television work includes ''Little Miss Jocelyn'', the BBC Television comedy, comedy sketch show series written by and starring Jocely ...
as Joy, Tracey and Cynthia's religious mother
*
Maggie Steed
Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret.
Maggie may refer to:
People
Women
* Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician
* Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist
* Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...
as Esther, Candice's grandmother
* Olisa Odele as Ola
* Sarah Hoare as Karly Raven
*
Abby Rakic-Platt
Abby Rakic-Platt (born 3 May 1993) is a British actress best known for her performances in the television series ''The Story of Tracy Beaker'' on the children's channel CBBC as Jackie Hopper. She appeared in a 2010 Sainsbury's Christmas advert. ...
as Kristy Raven
Guest
*
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo (; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Grammy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Awa ...
as Magdalene (series 1)
*
Jonathan Bailey
Jonathan Stuart Bailey (born 25 April 1988) is an English actor. Known for his comedic, dramatic, and musical roles on stage and screen, he is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and a nomination for a Evening Standard Theatre Award.
Ba ...
as Ash (series 2)
*
Vera Chok
Vera Chok is a Malaysian actress and writer based in the United Kingdom, who has featured in various stage, screen and radio roles. Since December 2021, she has played Honour Chen-Williams in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''.
Early and per ...
as Penelope (series 2)
Episodes
Series 1 (2015)
Series 2 (2017)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chewing Gum (Tv Series)
2010s British LGBT-related comedy television series
2010s British sex comedy television series
2010s British sitcoms
2015 British television series debuts
2017 British television series endings
Black British sitcoms
E4 sitcoms
English-language television shows
Incest in television
Television series about dysfunctional families
Television series based on plays
Television series by Fremantle (company)
Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom
Television shows set in London
Virginity in television