British black comedy TV series
Hunderby is a British black comedy television series produced by Sky and written by Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on Sky Atlantic in 2012. The series won two awards at the British Comedy Awards in 2012; it also won Davis a BAFTA TV Award for best comedy writing. "Hunderby" returned in December 2015 for a second series consisting of two one-hour specials.
Plot.
Set in the 1830s, this black comedy centres on Helene, a woman who is washed ashore after her ship is wrecked off the English coast. There, she is courted by Edmund, a local pastor, and they soon get married under the understanding that Helene is still pure. However, she has a dark past that she must hide from him.
When Helene moves into Edmund's home, she falls under the watchful eye of housekeeper Dorothy, who is more than a little involved in her master's life and quite obsessed with his dead first wife, Arabelle, to whom, in her opinion, Helene simply does not compare. While Helene battles to keep her past a secret, she must navigate Dorothy's devious scheming, her husband's harsh critique and a potential new love interest in the form of Dr. Foggerty.
Reception.
Sam Wollaston, television critic for "The Guardian", was enthusiastic about the programme. He concludes: ""Hunderby" is filth... the filthiest filth, but also top quality filth, and you can get away with a lot by being very good, and very funny, which it is."
Ratings.
"Hunderby" debuted on Sky Atlantic in August 2012 with 246,000 viewers, the channel's second highest rated show of the week, after "The Borgias". In subsequent weeks ratings remained high for Sky Atlantic, with figures all above 100,000. The series had 211,000 viewers.
Awards.
In 2012, "Hunderby" won a British Comedy Award for "Best Sitcom,” and another for "Best New Comedy Programme". For "Best Sitcom,” its competition was "Rev", "The Thick of It", and "Twenty Twelve"; for "Best New Comedy Programme,” it competed with "Cardinal Burns", "Moone Boy", and "".
In 2013, "Hunderby" won Julia Davis a BAFTA Craft award for "Best Comedy Writing;” Davis was also nominated for a BAFTA TV Award in the category "Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme.” "Hunderby" itself was nominated for a BAFTA in the "Situation Comedy" category.
References.
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