Description
Very much a postcard from the Isle of Wight, The Cockfields is a comedy from the mind of Joe Wilkinson, produced for Gold. It sees 40-year-old Simon and his fiancé visit Simon's mum Sue, stepdad Ray, and stepbrother David. With everyone having an opinion on everything, tensions rise between the coupling and their interfering family.
The first series sees the family planning for Simon's 40th birthday. With Diane Morgan and Bobby Ball in the three-episode series, it was bound to be a sitcom success. The second series was given a full six episodes and a Christmas special, though with Susannah Fielding taking over from Diane as Simon's new fiancé. Also, following the death of comedy legend Bobby Ball, a new version of Ray was born, made Scottish, taller, and played by Gregor Fisher.
Cast
Simon - Joe Wilkinson
Sue - Sue Johnston
David - Ben Rufus Green
Larry - Nigel Havers
Melissa - Sarah Parish
Ray - Bobby Ball (S1)
Ray - Gregor Fisher (S2)
Donna - Diane Morgan (S1)
Esther - Susannah Fielding (S2)
Spotlight Star
In my opinion, this series is made by the mother and son relationship between Simon and Sue, and it's a relationship that is acted well in both the overbearing side and the deeply warm-hearted side. Every scene that is just Simon and Sue is pure joy to watch, and utterly believable.
Opinion
I went into this series completely blind, knowing nothing about it other than that I like Diane Morgan and Joe Wilkinson, but I have to say that it exceeded those non-existent expectations. I struggled to get into it initially, but after an episode or two, it becomes enjoyable. I think I preferred the first three episodes to the last six, mainly because Diane makes a huge impact, but also because Ray in the second series is so grating. I know that's the intention behind the character, but I've never disliked someone as much as I dislike second series Ray.
Rating
Casting - 6/10
Originality - 4/10
Execution - 6/10
★★★☆☆
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