Blackpool (TV series)
The series is particularly notable for its employment of pop music in the course of the narrative - although the originals are played, they are sung along with and accompanied by slightly surreal dance routines acted out by the characters. This latter device is strongly reminiscent of the style of television playwright Dennis Potter, who used it in several of his famous productions such as "Pennies from Heaven" and "The Singing Detective". A soundtrack was also released to accompany the series, in which a six-page booklet explained why each song used was included in the series. Critical reception to the series was mixed. Viewing figures averaged between four and five million per episode. In 2005, the series was nominated in the Best Drama Serial category at the British Academy Television Awards, eventually losing out to Channel 4's "Sex Traffic". It did, however, win the "Best Miniseries" and Grand Prize accolades at Canada's Banff Television Festival. In December 2005, it was announced that it had been nominated, under its American title, "Viva Blackpool", in the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film category at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards. The series was sold to several countries, broadcasting on Television New Zealand's TV One, BBC America in the United States, BBC Canada and TVOntario in Canada, ABC in Australia, Canvas in Belgium, YLE in Finland and VPRO in the Netherlands. The series was also on DVD in the UK, Australia and the Netherlands. In October 2007, American network CBS aired a series based on the same premise called "Viva Laughlin", adapted by Bob Lowry and the creator of Blackpool, Peter Bowker, coproduced by BBC Worldwide, CBS Paramount Network Television, Sony Pictures Television, and Seed Productions; however, the series was cancelled after two episodes due to low ratings.
Distribution
For its broadcast on BBC America in 2005, the series was renamed "Viva Blackpool".