White Van Man (TV series)
Encyclopedia
White Van Man is a British sitcom created by Adrian Poynton
and first broadcast on BBC Three
and BBC HD
in 2011. Will Mellor
plays Ollie, a man with business dreams who has to put them on hold while he takes over the family handyman
business from his father Tony played by Clive Mantle
. It was filmed in and around Greater Manchester
, including the Best Bet betting shop in Cheadle
. A second series has been commissioned and is due to air in 2012.
) has now taken over his father's handyman business and is armed with a old white van and a dodgy assistant named Darren (Joel Fry). Darren displays little enthusiasm or interest in working whilst Ollie is desperate to make his father proud whilst failing to bring in enough money. Emma (Georgia Moffett
) who went to catering school with Ollie, also has business dreams of owning a restaurant. Liz (Naomi Bentley
), Darren's sister, works in the local hardware store and is regularly visited by Ollie for supplies.
Adrian Poynton
Adrian Poynton is a British screenwriter, playwright, stand up comedian and actor.He is the creator and writer of BBC Three sitcom White Van Man starring Will Mellor, Georgia Moffett and Clive Mantle. It began screening in March 2011 becoming the highest rated launch ever for a sitcom on BBC3...
and first broadcast on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
and BBC HD
BBC HD
BBC HD is a high-definition television network provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
in 2011. Will Mellor
Will Mellor
William "Will" Mellor is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Jambo Bolton in Hollyoaks, Gaz Wilkinson in comedy, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps...
plays Ollie, a man with business dreams who has to put them on hold while he takes over the family handyman
Handyman
A handyman is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, both interior and exterior, and are sometimes described as "odd jobs", "fix-up tasks", and include light plumbing jobs such as fixing a leaky toilet...
business from his father Tony played by Clive Mantle
Clive Mantle
-Early life and education:Mantle was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire. He was a pupil at Kimbolton School, Cambridgeshire and a chorister in St John's College Choir for four years...
. It was filmed in and around Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, including the Best Bet betting shop in Cheadle
Cheadle, Greater Manchester
Cheadle is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. It borders the districts of Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Heald Green and Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and the East Didsbury area of Manchester. As of 2001 it had a population of 14,261.-Early history:There has...
. A second series has been commissioned and is due to air in 2012.
Synopsis
Ollie (Will MellorWill Mellor
William "Will" Mellor is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Jambo Bolton in Hollyoaks, Gaz Wilkinson in comedy, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps...
) has now taken over his father's handyman business and is armed with a old white van and a dodgy assistant named Darren (Joel Fry). Darren displays little enthusiasm or interest in working whilst Ollie is desperate to make his father proud whilst failing to bring in enough money. Emma (Georgia Moffett
Georgia Moffett
Georgia Elizabeth Moffett is a British actress. Moffett was born in West London, the daughter of actors Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson....
) who went to catering school with Ollie, also has business dreams of owning a restaurant. Liz (Naomi Bentley
Naomi Bentley
Naomi Bentley is a British actress known for her roles in White Van Man, Primeval, Grownups, Dalziel and Pascoe and Casanova.-Acting career:Bentley graduated from a three-year acting course at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in 2004 and has since been in demand for film, theatre and TV...
), Darren's sister, works in the local hardware store and is regularly visited by Ollie for supplies.
Characters
- Ollie "Rogan" Josh Curry – Will MellorWill MellorWilliam "Will" Mellor is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Jambo Bolton in Hollyoaks, Gaz Wilkinson in comedy, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps...
- Ollie reluctantly puts his dreams of running a restaurant on the back burner when his ailing father, Tony, turns to him to take over the family handyman business. Unfortunately for Ollie, the business comes complete with a dodgy van, some questionable tips and an even dodgier assistant, Darren.
- Darren Brown – Joel Fry
- Darren is Ollie's assistant in the handyman business. Usually Darren is rather lazy and doesn't complete his jobs, and normally he is the one getting Ollie into most of his troubles.
- Emma Keeley – Georgia MoffettGeorgia MoffettGeorgia Elizabeth Moffett is a British actress. Moffett was born in West London, the daughter of actors Peter Davison and Sandra Dickinson....
- Emma is Ollie's old crush from catering school days. She is now a successful restauranteur, back in town looking to set up a new business. However, she is out of ideas for a new restaurant and, in desperation, starts taking ideas from Ollie.
- Liz "Olizia" Brown – Naomi BentleyNaomi BentleyNaomi Bentley is a British actress known for her roles in White Van Man, Primeval, Grownups, Dalziel and Pascoe and Casanova.-Acting career:Bentley graduated from a three-year acting course at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in 2004 and has since been in demand for film, theatre and TV...
- Liz is Darren's sister who works behind the counter at the local hardware shop. She is one of Ollie's only true admirers, although even he's not quite sure just how serious her admirations are.
- Tony Curry – Clive MantleClive Mantle-Early life and education:Mantle was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire. He was a pupil at Kimbolton School, Cambridgeshire and a chorister in St John's College Choir for four years...
- Tony used to be the local handyman. With recent illness leading him to early retirement, he has turned to Ollie to take over the family business, Curry and Son.
- Ricky – Blake HarrisonBlake HarrisonBlake Harrison is an English actor who is most well known for playing Neil Sutherland in the E4 comedy The Inbetweeners....
- Ricky is the local thief of Mapelbury, In episode one he stole Ollie's sat-nav and in episode five he helped Ollie and Darren to break into the estate agents. He also asked Ollie to help move some stuff for his Nan, who had a hip replacement and also fought in the war, but Ollie believes this to be another one of Ricky's scams and refuses, which annoys Ricky because he was actually telling the truth for once.
- Joanne – Vicky LongleyVicky LongleyVicky Longley is a British actress and singer. She stars as Emma Norton in the children's comedy Genie in the House, screened in the UK and The Netherlands on Nickelodeon, and in France on Canal J, and is currently studying performing arts at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.- Background...
- Joanne searches direct enquirers for the father of her baby who is "a handy man". In episode six it is revealed that the baby's father is Darren, but Joanne isn't very bright and believes it was Ollie, although he has never met her before.
Series 1 (2011)
| # | Title | Writer | Director | Original air date |
|---|
Viewers
Series one opened with a double-bill; episode 1 and 2 opened with 937,000 and 769,000 viewers respectively. The third took 881,000 viewers and the fourth got 937,000 viewers, roughly the same as the first episode. The last episode got 729,000 viewers| Series | Avg. viewers |
|---|---|
| Series 1 | 800,000 |