''Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me'' is a 2011 one-off Christmas television special, made by

STV Studios STV Studios (previously STV Productions, SMG Productions, and originally known as Scottish Television Enterprises) is the television production arm of the STV Group plc. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, and with an office in London, England, ...

and broadcast by

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

on Tuesday 27 December 2011. The story centres on a wealthy car dealer who befriends a terminally ill teenager and makes his Christmas wish come true.

Plot

Jonathan Donald (

Laurence Fox Laurence Paul Fox (born 1978) is a political activist and former actor, most well-known for playing the supporting role of DS James Hathaway in the British TV drama series ''Lewis'' from 2006 to 2015. A grandson of the actors Robin and Angel ...

) is a wealthy car dealer who, having been convicted of drink driving, is sentenced to 60 hours of

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

at The Moonbeam Club for young adults who have social and behavioural difficulties. At the club, Jonathan meets recently widowed Laura Cooper (

Sarah Smart Sarah Smart (born 3 March 1977) is an English actress. Early life Smart was born on 3 March 1977 in Birmingham, England and lived in Northfield until 1987. She was a pupil of St Paul's School for Girls in Birmingham. Career Her career star ...

) but Laura doesn't like Jonathan's attitude towards the club and soon tells him to leave. Having failed to meet the terms of his sentence, Jonathan is forced to return by the court, with the sentence extended to 100 hours, and soon befriends 19-year-old Freddie Copeland (

Jack McMullen Jack Michael McMullen (born 22 February 1991) is an English actor and writer, best known for his roles in '' Waterloo Road'', ''Little Boy Blue'', '' Brookside'' and ''Grange Hill''. Early life Jack Michael McMullen was born in Liverpool on 22 ...

), a gadget expert at the club. Jonathan learns that Freddie is dying of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

and a genetic heart condition and that this Christmas could be his last. Freddie wishes for a family Christmas so Jonathan sets up a plan to help him, much to Laura's despair. Jonathan tracks down Freddie's real mother but she refuses to accept that she is Freddie's mother so Jonathan alters his plan and, with the help of Jonathan's best friend Charlie, Laura's mother Julia and some criminals led by fraudster Patsy Morgan (

Tamzin Outhwaite Tamzin Maria Outhwaite (; born 5 November 1970) is an English actress, presenter and narrator. Since playing the role of Mel Owen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', she has starred in a number of theatre and television productions, including ...

), Jonathan makes Freddie's wish come true. Freddie dies in hospital after Christmas so Laura, Jonathan and The Moonbeam Club put his ashes into fireworks and set them off on 12 April as Freddie's last wish comes true.

Cast

as Jonathan Donald *

as Freddie Copeland *

as Laura Cooper *

as Patsy Morgan *

David Westhead David William Logan Westhead (born 1 June 1963) is an English actor. Early life Westhead was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely, Cambridgeshire. He studied drama at University of Bristol, Bristol University before going on to Royal Academy of ...

as Charlie *

Marian McLoughlin Marian McLoughlin is a British actress, known for her role as Marina Bonnaire in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. She also played the role of Brenda Jacks in the BBC series ''Home Time'' in 2009 and Julia in ''Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me'' in ...

as Julia * Davood Ghadami as Alex * Vahid Gold as Mark *

Faye Daveney Faye Daveney (born 24 February 1993) is a British actress best known for her roles as Zara Highway in '' EastEnders'' and Jasmine Harris in ''The Bill''. Career Daveney used to be with A&J Management. She is now with RKA Talent. Daveney portr ...

as Natasha *

Calvin Demba Calvin Demba is an English actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles in ''Youngers'' and ''Life (2020 TV series), Life''. Early life Demba was born and raised in East London. From the age of 17, Demba attended The Half Moon yo ...

as Terry * Larrisa Toussiant-Grant as Kate *

Judy Flynn Judy Flynn is a British actress. She is known for her roles as seamstress Madge Howell in the BBC drama ''The House of Eliott'' (1991–94), and as the secretary Julie in the BBC sitcom '' The Brittas Empire'' (1992–97). Her other television ...

as Cathy * Debra Baker as Susie Copeland *

Ann Beach Ann Beach (7 June 1938 – 9 March 2017) was a British actress. She is perhaps best remembered for her supporting role as Sonia Barrett, the quirky next-door neighbour on the comedy ''Fresh Fields'', starring Julia McKenzie and Anton Rodgers. ...

as Grandma * Reece Beaumont as Peter * Bill Paterson as Judge Underwood *

Ruth Kearney Ruth Delia Kearney (born 11 November 1984) is an Irish actress, best known for her roles as Jess Parker in ''Primeval'', Daisy in ''The Following'', and London in ''Flaked'', a series on Netflix. Early life Kearney was born in London, England, ...

as Stacey

Notes

References

*https://web.archive.org/web/20120426125703/http://www.itv.com/fastfreddie/ *http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2147283/ *http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/885548-laurence-fox-fast-freddie-the-widow-and-me-is-more-than-a-parable *http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-previews/fast-freddie-the-widow-and-me---itv1-98755 *http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-viewing-great-expectations-bbc1-fast-freddie-the-widow-and-me-itv1-6281992.html *http://www.tv.com/shows/fast-freddie-the-widow-and-me/cast/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20110728023106/http://www.itv.com/presscentre/pressreleases/programmepressreleases/fastfreddiethewidowandme/default.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091116/http://www.locatetv.com/tv/fast-freddie-the-widow-and-me/7389716/cast *http://screenterrier.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/fast-freddie-widow-and-me.html

External links

''Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me''
at stv.tv * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fast Freddie, The Widow and Me 2011 television specials ITV (TV network) original programming Television series by STV Studios