Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Green Wing Feature-Length Special Then

Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm. I'll be out, as it's Best Mate's birthday, and I'm not sure I'll get back in time. Gosh I hope it's good, and doesn't use the ending we weren't sure about, where Caro((((***dsljfnapoz`ijhrfva`w;

*some text missing*

69 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hope you are not going 'out' just to get away from the flaming torch bearers.

Anonymous said...

just watched it.
the scene where sue sings to mac is fantastic.

also, the scenes with statham and joanna are brilliant.

Annie said...

somewhat off topic - look it's your friend with the kittens, fighting Coca-Cola on Sky News!

http://www.londonist.com/archives/2007/01/7_seconds_of_lo.php

Anonymous said...

Just saw it too. Well, about an hour or so ago anyway.

lokvjdvihevh hdvckjfwijd is about my only coherent comment right now.

:D x

Anonymous said...

I'm sure the GW special will be brilliant, and I look forward to working out all the bits which are yours. It just better have the right ending involving Caroline and Mac, or else.

Anonymous said...

I am so excited!!

How do these clever people like Lucy and Anon manage to see the thing early? I have only just joined the interweb community so have no idea how these things work.

James Henry said...

It went out in Australia on the 28th I think, so torrents have been flying about since then. People seem to have been very disciplined about spoilers though, which is great.

Anonymous said...

I fear that whatever the outcome there will be pitchforks and torches at midnight.
Good luck (unless she doesn't choose Guy in which case Ha Ha Ha!)

Anonymous said...

On the GW Forum we set up a separate little home for all the spoilerholics which has worked. However, everytime I go on site I'm reading things with my eyes shut which is very difficult as it's physcially impossible. Bit like going to the loo in the middle of the night with your eyes shut in the hope that you can stay asleep. Never works!

Anonymous said...

I stupidly read the script first, a few weeks ago, (all I could get hold of at the time)and was pretty disappointed. Then I finally watched it a few days ago and couldn't stop laughing. Which made me realise that perhaps tv is best watched first. So my advice, everyone stop reading gw blogs till 2moro in case some smug git like me ruins it for you:)

p.s if you wrote my favourite quote James, I will be mightily impressed forever. And I actually can't think of any bits I hated so you might be off the hook with me at least...

Anonymous said...

I have completey avoided all spoilers as the resulting emotional outbursts would not be appropriate in an office environment.
The twitching and stress-hiccups are of course perfectly all right.

Anonymous said...

Gave GW a mention this am on Heart FM whilst on air with my very own minimac. At least Jamie Theakston had heard of it!

I'm soo excited.
Is it just me?

Anonymous said...

hell no.

Anonymous said...

I almost read a spoiler yesterday, but thought the better of it...

Not long now!! Yippeee!

SAL said...

Seriously, just watched the last episode. What was with the ending scene with Caroline?! I just don't get it!

Anonymous said...

what? what? what? what? what? what the hell was up with that

Anonymous said...

Oh I loved it loved it loved it!

Everything I wanted and more - the proposal made me bawl my eyes out, sad girl that I am.

Well done all.

x

Twit said...

Just watched it.
It's still fucking awesome.

Kinda hope that's it now though. Leave them/us/ME! wanting more & all that.

:|

Anonymous said...

It was never going to be easy.
But it was just right.
Statham & Joanna - sad, but weirdly beautiful.
Caroline floating - deliciously unexpected, but perfect!

A masterpiece. As much as I could watch 10 series - it should end there.

Louise

Anonymous said...

It was great... stathem and boyce made me cry though... and why no lyndon? I mean him proposing to harriet would have been lovely... or maybe just making out with jake again

Anonymous said...

I really really...

I'm lost for words, James Henry. Thank you to you, the writers, the cast, the crew, everyone for making such a wonderful, perfect show. Thank you.

I even forgive you lot for Mac's 'condition' (or lack thereof). And respecting the fact that tying up EVERY LITTLE DETAIL would ruin it. x

Mush aside, if that 'spin-off' isn't about the MacCartneys and Guy, so help me; those cats will be unleashed upon your Cornish self.

Rose said...

Alan and Joanna made me cry. You bastards.

Anonymous said...

The proposal made me cry but the ending...huh?

Anonymous said...

What's Mac's name you weasly writer you?

Anonymous said...

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! You'd better be at the signing!!!

Anonymous said...

i'm bloody pissed off why didn't she marry guy and what's up with the ballooons aggghhhh jams i'm not happy!!!! and sue was sane - where did that come from

and caro didn't actually say much!

i'm upset james upset!!!! why!!!

cello said...

Really, really lovely. Thanks James. x

Mangonel said...

I'm confused - why the confusion? What did I miss? I thought his name was Paul (not only because 'Paul' is a nice name!) because there was that thing in series 2 about him calling his psycho ex 'John' after Lennon - the most successful partnership in the world, remember her taunting Caro?

Anonymous said...

Oh dear - what was that last night? Could be my state of mind at the moment, but pretty hard to laugh, just too sad.

... and what was that with the balloons?

Hmmmmmmm

Anonymous said...

hysterically funny ("you shat in my vodka"), moving ("this is a tiny bit about caroline") and yet there was something I couldn't quite put my finger on at the time. Oh Yes,

she. didn't. choose. guy.

*wails*

Anonymous said...

Just bloody brilliant.

Gutted it's finished but I couldn't have imagined a better ending. I dreamt about Carloine floating away last night!
Brilliant and lovely. Can't stop smiling.

Anonymous said...

it's ok James - you can come out of that cupboard now.....we've all seen it and we've all had a chance to sleep on it.

Congratulations on such a fab final programme. It actually gets better on second viewing.

Please let us know which bits are yours.

Anonymous said...

Loved it :) perfect ending for Joanna and Statham, loved the baloons at the end, and Martin's mime at the beginning was so funny! laughed my socks of and cried my feet off, wonderful!

(Caroline should have ended up with guy though)

SAL said...

I'm still confused even after sleeping on it. I loved the first hour and a half but the last few minutes I just didn't understand. Really, what was with the balloons?!

Anonymous said...

Oooo that was pure, utter depraved joy. Genius. But I missed the first half hour. And missed other lines from whooping so hard. Muuuuuuuuuust repeat.

James Henry said...

Well it seems to have gone down well with most people, even if some were conceptually left behind by the balloons (I wasn't sure about that bit in the script, but I thought it looked great when it was on the screen).

I get slightly emotional every time I see Joanna and Statham dancing and then holding hands before they walk into the sea.

*sniffs*

Anonymous said...

sorry James. Really curious so must ask.
Did you lovely writers ever consider having Caroline choose Guy (and be happy) or was Mac a forgon conclusion?

I rather liked the balloons.

Anonymous said...

I think the balloons were the best visual to date. It looked fantastic on-screen. I LOVED them. Tamsin was like a wee fairy up there.

Have to say though; who chose the dress? I know Caroline's supposed to be quirky and all...but jeezo... It would have been alright had there not been purple balls stuck to it.

I can't believe some people still think she should have chosen Guy. It was obvious that he coped better than anyone else would, but characteristically grabbing the first woman he saw.

Ooh - and I've been meaning to ask... is the word 'rewind' any clue to Mac's name? It was used very heavily... I tried the usual and zoomed in on it, slowed it down, rewound it to see what the vicar/reverend(?) was saying..no such luck. So is it an anagram or just a general clue?

Anonymous said...

oh. read my last post back and its a bit ambiguous. "(and be happy)" meant 'not miserable' rather than 'couldn't be happy with Mac'.

Och Jen. I see your point but I think she could have changed him for the better (it was starting to happen).

*reality blurs into fantasy*

I need a cup of tea.

Rose said...

is the word 'rewind' any clue to Mac's name?

Yes. Mac is Craig David.

The balloons were one of the more perfect visuals I've ever seen.

Anonymous said...

God, I'm depressed...

Maybe in time, once I've gone through the five stages of grief, I will able to watch that again. At the moment I'm too busy flip flopping from stage one to stage two and back again.

*shakes fist*

Anonymous said...

Thank the lard. At last I can post on here again. I worked on the special back in August, along with its associated behind-the-scenes stuff, and it's been killing me not to say anything. I think my pancreas has turned to vinegar though the sheer pressure of contained comments in my body. I may never secrete bile again. Damn you, Henry!

Splendid show, though. Flawed, mainly through being about half the length it needed to be, but still brilliant. Well done you. Joanna and Statham's final moments could not have been more perfect.

Anonymous said...

James - are you going to the signing on monday?

Anonymous said...

I hope you'll be popping into the 'convention' (I hate that word.) James. I'm flying down from Scotland specially.

Like I said, the balloons were the best way it could ever hanve ended - it literally ended on a 'High' much the same as series one and two ended with literal cliffhangers.

Craig David MaCartney? Hehe! Like it, but hmm...

They did make a big thing of that 'rewind' word though. I shall not sleep until an answer is found. It looked like a two-syllable forename...

You see what you've done? I'm 100% MORE SAD than before the special!

Anonymous said...

the 'I heart you Mac' moment - that's the one that made me melt. I'd adopt Martin!

baggiebird said...

Mac's drunken crying, Statham singing to Boyce, Boyce sitting alone in stathams teaching room after being shouted at, Joanna and Alan walking off into the sunset, these all made me wanna cry.

Loved it. It made me laugh out loud and then want to burst into tears, brilliant.

Anonymous said...

its ok, ive calmed down now and it was v good, well done. hope to see you at the signing

Anonymous said...

Take a pat on the back I thought it was brill and I had been one of those rooting for a 'Guy' ending. I wasn't sure at first about the balloons but by the end I thought they were great and Caroline looked like a modern day Mary Poppins floating away. Combined with Guy's comments about the state of her lady-garden - genius!

Also although originally not sure about the purple pom-poms on the wedding dress I even loved these by the end.

Joanna and Statham - genius and Boycie and Statham - brilliant. All in all job well done and no comparison to the disappointing dross that was the This Life special

Anonymous said...

I have to say I was hugely disappointed with that episode. I thought the second half was too rushed, which reduced the emotional impact on me. Since series 1 I have been desperate for Caroline and Mac to get together, but, although I was glad this happened, I didn't like the wedding at all - I think the proposal would've been enough to be honest.

On a more positive side, I absolutely loved Alan and Joanna! They were hilarious throughout - the only characters who made me laugh actually besides Martin - and their ending was well done and very moving.

I thought the balloon ending was incredibly twee and frustrating, why not let Joanna and Alan's walk into the sea holding handing hands be the final moment?

Anonymous said...

It ended on a 'High' and it gave me a lovely feeling, despite all the drama.

Having Joanna and Statham's last moment be the last scene would be morbid; and put everyone on a downer.

James Henry said...

I thought Kark Theobald (Martin) did really well in the special, despite (or maybe because of) not having his own storyline. The innapropriate mimes were particularly good.

I don't care about weddings either, anonymous, but the girls in the writing team read lots of chick-lit, so there was always going to be one. And I got to write some jokes about kilts, which was satisfying.

Don't think I'll be at the signing Monday, but a big wave to Maud, and I hope everyone makes do as best they can with just the actors.

Anonymous said...

Karl Theobald really stood out for me in this Special, he was so good. But besides all the Mac and Caroline moments, Sue White with her gun shooting handbag moment is a GW classic, I would love to see a behind the scenes on how they shot that scene. I liked the Joanna/Alan accidental murders storyline, but I did feel there was too much of them in this episode. However, I'm always desperate to see more of Mac and Caroline so am not a really good judge of how the programme was edited the way it was.

Please let us know which bits were yours James apart from the kilts. I do hope the handbag shooting was one of them, now I've praised it to high heaven.

Also hopes the GW possible spin off is based on the Macartneys and Guy *begs*

Anonymous said...

i have to agree with anonymous.

i don't know why there was a need for proposals and weddings in the first place. and the whole dying of cancer storyline? why would one want to put that in a series like gw? too much melodrama in that episode alltogether.

don't get me wrong, I loved the whole mac-caro-guy triangle thing in the first and second series but it was far better when it was dry and funny, without all the sentimental stuff.

sorry for rambling on. I don't mean to complain, it still was a fantastic series alltogether and i congratulate anyone who was involved in it.
and there were a couple of brilliant scenes in this episode, no doubt: sue singing to mac (brilliantly done by Michelle and Julian), Joanna and Statham on their rampage and Mark Heap cuddling the sheep.

Anonymous said...

Can I just mention at this point that my favourite conspiracy theory about Mac's name is that under all the coughing, he said "Lennon McCartney".
Made me chuckle!

James Henry said...

Just to say, I never saw the a and e as being cancer (few too many self-consciously 'dark' series were making cancer jokes at the time), so Mac's illness was left open, although I always thought it was an aneurism myself.

I didn't write the handbag scene, although I wish I had, particularly Sue whispering 'do it', which I genuinely found quite shocking, as well as funny, and true to the character.

There we are then, Green Wing over.

Anonymous said...

sorry, I've missed something here James, what bits DID you write?

Come on, don't be shy......

we know it was you!

Aerztin said...

brilliant brilliant brilliant...do i even need to say anything else?! sort of disappointed, but on rewatching it i decided i loved it! the propsal scene and resulting kiss was one of the best love scenes i have seen in ages. all in all a fitting end to such a brilliant series, i think any more gw would just have gone down hill. many congratulations on such an excellent show! Thank you!

violet said...

Oh God, Boyce just broke my heart. Right up until the talkback thames logo came up I thought he was going to come roaring up in an ice cream van or something and save Statham and they could live happily ever after. Sniff.

What I like about Green Wing is that even when the characters are strange to the point of possible sociopathy, they are fully-formed and totally believable. I didn't think I'd get interested in the lady-deciding-between-two-chaps thing but Caroline is the most realistic female character I've seen on the telly in ages so it worked for me a little too well and I did a lot of shouting at the telly ("Mac! That posh lady is WRONG WRONG WRONG for you! You love Caroline! You do! OH WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME?!" Drove Mr Violet insane). And obviously it's very funny. And had a wickle baby lion in one episode. I will miss it but it was a great way to go out.

Anonymous said...

"There we are then, Green Wing over."

nu-uh!! what about Mallorca???

Anonymous said...

So, the best thing to hit TV this century is gone - while the inexorable march of the soaps, "reality TV" and third rate sitcoms continues. Where's the justice in life, eh?

I watched the special last night. Thank you for avoiding all forms of tinsel and false festive sentiment. Phew!

Too much of Joanna and Statham for my taste, though I loved the serenade to Boyce. The Lord of the Flies stuff was **sheer genius** - though I was a bit slow on the uptake, it did sink in eventually. Sue's squirrel scene was brill. Probably the best moment was Boyce toying with the pointer and the revelation of deeper feelings about Statham. No - the Mr and Mrs scene in theatre was first class - maybe that was actually the best moment. Dammit - the whole thing was full of brilliance - and I loved Martin's mini kilt too. If only Mac had worn a kilt... ooh - hold that thought. *gulp*

I wasn't sure about the ending at first but I thought about it and realised how difficult it must have been to find an ending. Caroline floating on cloud nine, with the foreshadowing of Mac's absence was brilliant and the pathos nicely counteracted by Guy's tasteless moment. The frock was, frankly, hideous. But the Caroline character couldn't have worn anything else, really.

Thank you, James, to you and the team. Much enjoyment was had by all.

Anonymous said...

I must admit I did shed a tear at poor Boyce's shock at being shouted at, and another one when Statham called him. And I never wanted Caroline to end up with Guy, although I had a nasty suspicion that she might.

But is it wrong that my Green Wing highlight of the week was not the special, but (very belatedly) watching the whole of s1 on DVD and listening to the commentaries - all of them, because I'm a bit obsessive - and getting quite unreasonably excited when James Henry unexpectedly turned up in one of them? I literally squeed with delight.

Anonymous said...

well i thought it was good.

not my favourite one, but good...
was it a conscious decision to have it themed around death? reviewers etc. have often said it's almost as though the gw writers have a ticklist of taboos to put on screen, so maybe death was the last one? how it affects people/ why people might choose it/ why people kill each other/themselves?


i liked the balloons though :)
and the wedding.
and the small children.
not because i'm a pervert.
because it was sweet.

Anonymous said...

special was great, not the best green wing ever but fantastic, I wish it had been longer. James! I'm so dissapointed that you wont be at the signing, I'm here all the way from new zealand for it (well not literally... by not literally I mean that i am literally going to be at the signing but I am in england for other reasons) I wanted to meet you, though actually if I did meet you I would probably be too shy to say anything.
Any clue as to who we will get to meet?

James Henry said...

The question about death in the final episode is a very good one, and I'm working on a post about that very thing, so bear with me.

Don't know who will be at the signing I'm afraid, apologies.

Anonymous said...

[quote]and listening to the commentaries - all of them, because I'm a bit obsessive - and getting quite unreasonably excited when James Henry unexpectedly turned up in one of them?[/quote]

He turns up on The Special DVD as well *winks*

I got my DVD today thanks to Play.com and as usual watched the deleted scenes, wondering 'well why was that cut', and 'that should have been in' etc. etc.

Anonymous said...

That's what happens, though, isn't it? It must be so hard to edit out certain scenes and leave some in and have it all make some sort of sense. That's why Billy Sneddon is my God.

One of my favourite Green Wing scenes ever is the 'Being Disillusioned song/kiddy xylophone' dialogue between Sue and Caroline. And it was a cut scene.

I have to say; although I bloody loved the broadcast ending, I love the alternative even more.

I may change my mind. I'm fickle.

Boz said...

Green Wing has consistently made me laugh during its entire run. It wasn't like anything else on telly, and had an amazing cast.

Cheers, then, I guess!!

Anonymous said...

James, please come on Monday... I'll bring... erm.... funny glasses?

Thanks again for Green Wing- it really is one of the best comedy programmes ever to be shown in Britain and I will have trouble finding anything to make my Friday nights quite as entertaining.. unless I can get somebody to dress up in a kilt at the pub.. that may be fairly amusing..

Anonymous said...

oohh I want you to be at the signing tomorrow *cries*

but anyway, i'm sorry for my rant last time - I'm still very hurt about Guy! I think i will ask you many questions about was there ever any hope for them at the BFI thingymajig but yeah i did like a LOT of it it just didn't feel like green Wing - especially when most of it wasn't in the hospital

I adored Martin's mime that was one of my favourite bits and will be treasured forever, thank you for adding sue's squirrel back in :) although she did seem on the sane side to me which was a shame

the joanna/statham was pure genious throughout - especially when he sat on that woman to death - and their ending was sooo sweet

but i'm still upset about Guy- why?????????