8 February 2017 (2017-02-08) – 23 March 2020 (2020-03-23)
This Country is a British mockumentarysitcom, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Three on 8 February 2017. Created by, written by and starring siblings Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper and directed by Tom George, the series focuses on the day-to-day lives of two cousins living in a small village in the Cotswolds.[1] The programme includes themes of social clumsiness, the trivialities of human behaviour, the eccentricities of living in rural England, and the boredom and social isolation of young people in small communities.[2][3]
The Coopers play the central characters, cousins Kerry and Lee "Kurtan" Mucklowe.[4] Much of the series revolves around their unlikely friendship with the local vicar, Rev. Francis Seaton, played by Paul Chahidi.[5] The Coopers’ father, Paul Cooper, plays Kerry's father Martin Mucklowe, while their uncle, Trevor Cooper, plays local man and antagonist Len Clifton.[6][7] Although credited to "Ivy Woodcock", the voice of Sue Mucklowe — Kerry's mother, never seen on screen—is provided by Daisy May.[8]
Across the three series and the special, This Country received over 52 million BBC iPlayer requests.[9]
Cast
Main cast
Daisy May Cooper as Kerry Mucklowe. Kerry lives with her mother, Sue, who is never seen (also voiced by Cooper, she communicates with Kerry by yelling at her from her bedroom). Due to the limited opportunities and mundanity in the rural area where she lives, she is nihilistic and lacking in self-purpose, frequently finding herself with very little to do other than spend time with her cousin, Kurtan, with whom she engages in absent-minded mischief and occasionally antisocial behaviour. Kerry often struggles to put other people before herself and this is demonstrated in Episode 1 of series 2 "Random Acts of Kindness" where she donates a PS3 to Slugs as a goodwill gesture, then immediately requests it back after Slugs doesn't show a level of gratitude that she wanted. She tends to see herself as a figure of authority in the village with "enemies" in nearby villages. In reality, no one sees her this way because she often shies away from confrontation, and her attempts to present herself as tough and authoritative are usually met with mockery or accusations of acting up in front of the cameras. Throughout the series, more details are revealed about Kerry's difficult family situation which has undoubtedly had an influence on her behaviour and character. In particular, she meets somebody in her father's former biker gang who recounts a discomforting story about how he met her mother.
Charlie Cooper as Lee "Kurtan" Mucklowe, Kerry's cousin. Although equally bored as his cousin Kerry, Kurtan tends to have slightly more ambition in life and has plans to leave the village in order to fulfil it, although these are usually ill-fated. He is also somewhat more sensitive and considerate to other people than Kerry, and has an especially close attachment to the village's vicar, Rev. Francis Seaton. However, he can be cynical, paranoid and prone to angry outbursts, and as much as he tries to rise above Kerry's immaturity, he is sometimes not much better and often finds himself in conflicts about trivial issues. He lives with his grandmother, whom Kerry despises.
Supporting cast
Paul Chahidi as the Rev. Francis Seaton, the parish vicar. Kind-hearted Rev. Seaton is responsible for most of the events that bring the village community together. He is also something of a father figure and mentor to Kerry and Kurtan, filling the role that Kerry's parents have failed to provide by assisting them in times of need and encouraging them to be good people, which is not always met with compliance. While Kerry and Kurtan make a mockery of him for some of his old-fashioned tastes and his Christian do-gooder persona, this is done with good intentions as they are generally very fond of him as he has their interests at heart more than anyone else in the community. His role as vicar requires him to be a friend to everyone in the community, and he is always happy to lend an ear to anyone, though this means when conflicts do arise he struggles to manage them.
Michael Sleggs as Michael "Slugs" Slugette (series 1–2). A quiet young man who has terminal cancer. Despite his tragic circumstances, Kerry and Kurtan show a reticence to become too friendly with him, describing him as "annoying".
Paul Cooper as Martin Mucklowe, Kerry's estranged father. Although Kerry thinks the world of her dad, he is shown to be a selfish and narcissistic man who does not reciprocate her fondness for him at all, and any attention he pays towards her is motivated only by self-interests. Much to the protests of others who all see him as the man he is, Kerry continues time and again to give Martin the benefit of the doubt, even after his attempts to manipulate her into handing herself in for stealing vacuum cleaners, a crime which he himself perpetrated but set Kerry up for. He has fathered two other children, Martin and Marvin, with Sandra.
Ashley McGuire as Mandy Harris. Known as 'Big Mandy' to some, she is a woman in the village who has a thuggish-looking appearance and a somewhat unsettling presence. As a result of this, she is the only person in the village that Kerry and Kurtan genuinely find intimidating, though it is never certain as to whether she intends to be a bully to people or is in fact just misunderstood as being as such. She has a brash manner of speaking and tells whimsical anecdotes in which she has committed acts of violence or other forms of crime, such as the time she stalked Hannah Spearritt from S Club 7 for three or four years. Though Kerry and Kurtan never know whether to believe such stories, this nonetheless gives her the air of a possible ex-convict which causes them to label her a 'psychopath'. She often pursues short-lived creative endeavours, such as becoming a tattoo artist and joining the village book club to showcase her creative writing skills, but her efforts are often laughably poor as she demonstrably possesses very little creative talent.
David Nightingale as Steve "Nugget" Nuggins, Kerry's uncle (series 1)
Alfie Simmons as Neil "Count Fartula" Pedley (series 1)
Liam Steward-George as PC Webber (series 1–2)
Jimmy Walker as Dan Greaves (series 2–3)
Gerran Howell as Jacob Seaton, the Vicar's son (series 2)
Production
The series was filmed on location in and around the small town of Northleach. Daisy Cooper said, "All the material is based around stuff that happens in Cirencester, but when we went to the channel they thought that Cirencester was a bit too big and Northleach is a smaller village, and sort of isolates the characters a bit more. Makes them more claustrophobic."[3] The location used for exterior shots of Kerry's house is at 16 Fortey Road in Northleach.[10][11]
Filming for the first series began in September 2016 and finished three weeks later.[3][6] A second series was quickly confirmed, with filming taking place over the summer of 2017 and its first episode being released on 26 February 2018.[12] A one-off special episode, forming an epilogue to the second series, was filmed over the summer of 2018 and broadcast in October that year.[13]
On 30 May 2019, actor Michael Sleggs announced that he was suffering from heart issues and did not have long to live.[14] He died 40 days later at the age of 33.[15] The third and final series was filmed from August to October 2019, and broadcast from February to March 2020.[13][16]
Kurtan enters the annual village scarecrow-making competition with high hopes of winning first prize and getting his photograph on the front page of The Gazette. His hopes are dashed when he finds there has been a mix-up with the allocation of pitches and he must set up his scarecrow at the distant and little-visited Trowley Bottom Farm. Kerry is apparently challenged to a fight by youths from a neighbouring village.
Kerry and Kurtan are celebrating the news that their former woodwork teacher from school has died. Kurtan becomes obsessed with discovering what happened to Rob Robinson, a classmate whom neither Kerry nor Slugs can recall. Mandy, the local "hard woman", informs them that she is setting up a business as a tattoo artist and intimidates Kerry into agreeing to have a tattoo, despite demonstrating that she has no artistic talents.
Kerry and Kurtan are awaiting the arrival home of their uncle, "Nugget" Nuggins, who is being released from prison. It becomes apparent that while Kerry looks up to Nugget and is excited by the prospect of his return, Kurtan is not so enthusiastic and is terrified of him. The cousins argue bitterly over whose food should occupy the top shelf of the oven.
Following an argument with her mother about money, Kerry decides to look for a job. With an assurance of potential earnings of £15,000 per month, she is persuaded to join a pyramid scheme, taking out a loan of £200 to buy her way in. Assisted by Kurtan she attempts to establish a door-to-door sales operation. However, Kurtan is instead more interested in playing Warhammer with his new "nerdy" friends, Neil and Nathan.
Kerry's estranged father Martin is accused of voyeurism and kicked out of his home by his girlfriend Sandra. Kerry attempts to establish a new relationship with him while he is temporarily living in a caravan in a field. Kurtan and Slugs become rivals for the attentions of Kayleigh Hudson, a girl who has just moved to the village.
Kurtan is offered a place at Swindon College, studying for a GNVQ in health and social care. Kerry has difficulty coming to terms with the idea that he will be leaving the village and her behind. Rev. Seaton attempts to act as an intermediary to reconcile their differences.
Kerry has turned over a new leaf and is trying to do good deeds for her community. Meanwhile, Kurtan is coming to terms with his decision not to go to Swindon College and is struggling to get back into the swing of village life.
Kerry starts to receive some threatening letters that cause her to feel unsettled within the village. Kerry's neighbour, 'Big' Mandy Harris, is on hand to help and advise. Meanwhile, Kurtan takes a labouring job with Kerry's father, Martin, and learns some invaluable life lessons.
It's the first Saturday of the month and Kurtan tries to make a pilgrimage to Swindon to buy the new clothes of the season. However, engineering works on the bus route and a lack of public transport disrupt his plans. Meanwhile, Kerry helps the vicar run the local football team.
When the vicar's son Jacob returns to the village, he begins to hang out with Kurtan, who soon realises that something is decidedly wrong with him. Meanwhile, filling in for the vicar on tea-time visits, Kerry comes to like them much more than she expected.
Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper, Tom George, and Simon Mayhew-Archer
26 March 2018 (2018-03-26)
It is Kerry's birthday, but due to disruptions in their plans, they are unable to make it to the local steam fair and end up getting lost in the woods.
Kurtan has a job at a bowls club but takes it too seriously. Kerry is excited to be helping her father in his business, which turns out to be receiving stolen goods and hiding them in a garage.
Daisy May Cooper, Charlie Cooper, Tom George, and Simon Mayhew-Archer
10 October 2018 (2018-10-10)
With seven months having passed since Kerry and Martin were arrested thanks to their “business work”, the village is having to adapt to reality again. Now Martin is in prison, Kerry is doing anything to establish connections with his past, while Kurtan begins to learn some harsh truths about why he no longer works at the bowls club.
Michael 'Slugs' Slugett dies and leaves behind a letter to Kurtan, which reveals that in 2007, Kerry broke a bed and blamed it on Kurtan. Kerry gets a job at the local dump.
2
"Driving Lesson"
Tom George
Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper
24 February 2020 (2020-02-24)
Kurtan is learning to drive and the vicar runs some errands for people in the village. Len Clifton is taken into hospital for dehydration after he is found in a bush.
3
"Cynthia"
Tom George
Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper
2 March 2020 (2020-03-02)
Kerry's dad Martin returns, but she finds that her parents living together again is not what she wanted. She spots him cheating, and he is thrown out. The vicar and Kurtan assist Len with errands.
4
"Kurtan's Half Brother"
Tom George
Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper
9 March 2020 (2020-03-09)
Kurtan learns that Ray, his half-brother, has died. Kerry joins the vicar’s book club which is later spoiled by Big Mandy and her storytelling.
5
"The Station"
Tom George
Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper
16 March 2020 (2020-03-16)
While the vicar is in Bristol, Kerry takes care of the parish chickens, and Kurtan helps with the town problems. Kerry leaves their cage open and they are killed by a fox, while Kurtan becomes impatient with the residents.
6
"Harvest"
Tom George
Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper
23 March 2020 (2020-03-23)
The vicar promotes Kerry to the leader of the church harvest, while Kurtan prepares to move into a new flat. The vicar decides to leave to run a parish in Bristol, and Kerry and Kurtan bid an emotional goodbye to him.
Reception
This Country received positive reviews from critics. Stuart Heritage, for The Guardian, described it as a "perfectly observed" comedy, and wrote: "I found myself rewinding entire scenes because I was too busy howling with laughter to hear what was going on."[2] Sean O'Grady, for The Independent, wrote: "It isn't very often that I am able to recommend something because it made me weep tears of laughter, but I am happy and heartened to say that the latest BBC mockumentary, This Country, is sublime enough to have lifted my spirits heavenwards... [It has] an uneasily well-observed quality that raises the comedic genre almost to an art form." Rupert Hawksley, for The Daily Telegraph, wrote: "It is, by some distance, the funniest thing on television at the moment."[29] Mike McCahill, for Reader's Digest, described the programme as an "increasingly cherishable mockumentary" and essential viewing, observing that "[the] Coopers have created an entire universe in a handful of episodes."[30] Arts critic Bruce Dessau concluded: "It might have well-used stylistic elements of both The Office and People Just Do Nothing about it, but it is sharply-written and deftly performed [and] stays just on the right side of cliché. And most importantly both Kerry and Lee are richly comic."[31]
An American version of the series was announced by Fox. On 30 January 2020, it was announced that the production had been given a pilot order.[44] On 24 February 2020, Seann William Scott was cast in main role for the pilot.[45] On 4 March 2020, Chelsea Holmes, Sam Straley, Taylor Ortega and Krystal Smith were cast in main roles for the pilot.[46] On 10 July 2020, Aya Cash and Justin Linville were cast in main roles for the pilot.[47] On 30 October 2020, it was announced that the production had been given a series order and is scheduled for premiere in the 2021–22 television season. The series will be a co-production between Lionsgate Television, Fox Entertainment, Feigco Entertainment and BBC Studios with Jenny Bicks as writer and executive producer and Paul Feig as director and executive producer.[48] On 4 December 2020, Desmin Borges joined the cast in recurring role.[49] On 30 December 2020, Jason MacDonald joined the cast in a recurring role.[50] On 17 May 2021, it was announced that the series title had been changed from This Country to Welcome to Flatch.[51]
Books
On 3 October 2019, an official hardback book was released, entitled This Is This Country: The official book of the BAFTA award-winning show, published by Trapeze Books.[52][53]
^Mucklowe, Kurtan; Mucklowe, Kerry (3 October 2019). This Is This Country: The official book of the BAFTA award-winning show. Trapeze Books. ISBN978-1409191117.
^This Is This Country: The official book of the BAFTA award-winning show. 3 October 2019. ASIN1409191117.
