The Creatives
An ad agency's faded glory and messy relationships.
The Creatives, a British sitcom created by Jack Docherty and Moray Hunter, aired on BBC Two for two series from 2 October 1998 to 16 February 2000. The cast included Roger Allam, Jack Docherty, Moray Hunter, Pippa Guard, Aislín McGuckin, Arabella Weir, and Ricky Callan, all playing the title characters.
The show is set at an advertising agency that has declined since its successful 1980s period. Charlie Baxter, the boss, was once a young hotshot but is now tired and turns to alcohol and casual relationships. The main creative minds are Ben and Robbie. Robbie dates the agency’s advertising producer, Lauren, while Ben is married to Tanya, an emotional and very jealous Italian woman who works as a secretary. Max is the film director, and Rhona is a new assistant—a lively person who openly calls her coworkers has-beens.
The first series followed the team’s successes and failures as they pitched for and lost advertising campaigns. The second series took a different approach, becoming edgier, darker, and more challenging. The agency is successful again, but Ben faces serious marital problems (Tanya is absent from the series), Robbie and Lauren appear to have split, and Rhona has left. Episodes focused more on Ben and Robbie’s personal relationships and worries than on their work, which the writers felt matched their original vision. Co-writer and co-star Moray Hunter also looked very different, having lost four stone since the first series.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Creator
- Jack Docherty / Moray Hunter
- Director
- Andy De Emmony (Series 1) / John Birkin (Series 2)
- Starring
- Roger Allam / Jack Docherty / Moray Hunter / Pippa Guard / Aislín McGuckin / Arabella Weir / Ricky Callan
- Channel
- BBC Two
- Company
- Absolutely Productions
- Location
- London, England, UK
- First Aired
- 1998-10-02
- Last Aired
- 2000-02-16
- Executive Producer
- Mike Bolland / Miles Bullough
- Producer
- Jamie Rix (1998) / Philip Clarke (2000)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Creatives is an advertising agency that has faded from its 1980s heyday. Charlie Baxter is the boss - a one-time whizkid hot shot, now world-weary and seeking solace in liquor and casual sex. The agency's principal creative brains are Ben and Robbie. Robbie is going out with the firm's advertising producer Lauren, and Ben is married to the emotional and insanely jealous Tanya, an Italian who is a secretary at the firm. Max is their film director and Rhona is the new assistant - she's a sparky lass who has no qualms about telling her colleagues they're a bunch of has-beens. The first series followed the ups and downs of the crew as they pitched for and lost various campaigns. The second was considerably different, though, being edgier, darker and more challenging. The agency is thriving once again but Ben is having serious marital problems (we do not see Tanya), Robbie and Lauren seem to have parted, and Rhona has left for newer pastures. The episodes revolved more around the private relationships and the concerns of Ben and Robbie than their professional lives, which the writers felt was closer to their original vision. Co-writer and co-star Moray Hunter looked very different, too, having shed four stones since the first series.
Reader's Guide
Cast: Roger Allam as Charlie Baxter, Jack Docherty as Ben Gray, Moray Hunter as Robbie Fraser, Pippa Guard as Lauren Marshall, Ricky Callan as Alan, Robert Marley as Max, Aislín McGuckin as Rhona Platt (series 1), Arabella Weir as Tanya Gray (series 1), Fiona Bell as Joanna (series 2), Stuart McGuigan as Cameron (series 2). Episodes: Series overview - Series 1 (1998), Series 2 (2000).
Did You Know?
- The second series was edgier, darker and more challenging than the first.
- Co-writer and co-star Moray Hunter shed four stones between series.
- Rhona Platt, played by Aislín McGuckin, left the agency after series 1.
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