''Marion and Geoff'' is a

BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...

in video-diary format, produced by

Baby Cow Productions Baby Cow Productions Ltd is a British comedy television production company based in London and Manchester, founded by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. Since its establishment it has diversified into radio, animation and film. According to their w ...

and screened on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

in 2000, with a second series following in 2003. The series starred

Rob Brydon Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He played Dr Paul Hamilton in the Australian/British comedy series ''Supernova'', Bryn West in the BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' a ...

as Keith Barret, a naïve taxi driver going through a messy divorce from his wife, Marion, who, though he fails to realise it, has had a long-standing affair with her colleague, Geoff. Each episode is presented as a monologue, filmed by a fixed camera in the confines of his car. The series were written by Brydon and

Hugo Blick Hugo Edgar Maxwell Blick (born 7 December 1964) is a British filmmaker and actor. He has his own production company, called Eight Rooks. Early life Hugo Blick studied in Cardiff at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Career He ha ...

, and produced and directed by Blick. The

associate producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

was

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which ...

. The script is written in such a way that the viewer can pick up on clues that Keith has not himself realised. Numerous references are made to one of his children not resembling him very strongly, an obvious hint that one of the children he loves so dearly is not his own, but in fact Geoff's. Keith also gives clues in the first series about his wife's activities—the viewer knows about Marion's affair long before he works it out himself. Keith's character is affectionately portrayed as a gentle dunce and draws a great deal of sympathy as the series progresses. He is in denial about his divorce, and somehow always manages to look on the positive side of even the most awful situation. Although he doesn't understand it, his life revolves around Marion and her new partner Geoff, and his love for his "little smashers" (his sons, Rhys and Alun). Despite his faults, Keith is a hard-working and good man.

Series one

Series one consists of ten episodes all around nine minutes long. It was first broadcast in 2000. The series was later repeated, with the original segments combined into 30-minute episodes, though episode 7, "The Monkeys", was not included in this format. # "The Presents" # "The Gun" # "The Homecoming" # "The Tunnel" # "The Phone" # "The Second Hottest Day" # "The Monkeys" # "The Birthday" # "The Divorce" # "The Girlfriend"

Series two

Series two consists of six episodes all 30 minutes long. It was first broadcast in 2003. # "The Services" # "The Boys" # "The Wife" # "The Husband" # "Geoff" # "Keith"

Other Keith Barret appearances

*''Comic Relief Special''—a 2001 special eight-minute episode for

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

Red Nose Day Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

, available on the Marion and Geoff Series 1 DVD. *''A Small Summer Party''—a 2001 50-minute special based around Keith's initial discovery of Marion and Geoff's affair, and thus a prequel to the series proper, although produced between the first and second runs. This was the first time on-screen appearance of Geoff and Marion, played by

and

Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is widely known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie V ...

respectively. It is available on the ''Marion and Geoff'' Series 2 DVD. *'' The Keith Barret Show''—a 2004 spoof chat/debate show tackling the subject of relationships, hosted by "Keith Barret", who interviewed a different celebrity couple on each show.

External links

* Comedy Guide * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marion And Geoff BBC television comedy British mockumentary television series 2000 British television series debuts 2003 British television series endings 2000s British comedy television series English-language television shows

Series one

Series two

Other Keith Barret appearances

Further reading

External links