Cold Feet

Lore & Background

The series was created by Mike Bullen, whose working relationship with Granada Television began in 1994 when his agent sold his first screenplay, The Perfect Match, to the company's head of comedy Andy Harries. Harries had been looking for television scripts reflecting the lives of people in their 30s. Bullen pitched Cold Feet as a traditional 'boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-wins-girl-back' story told from both sides of the relationship, using elements of fantasy and flashback. The initial pitch centred on Adam Williams and Rachel Bradley, but Harries believed that would diminish storytelling potential, so Bullen 'tacked on' plots for two other couples: Pete and Jenny Gifford, and David and Karen Marsden.

The pilot was directed by Father Ted's Declan Lowney over 12 days in 1996 on location around Greater Manchester. It was broadcast on 30 March 1997, receiving only 3.5 million viewers and little critical attention. However, at the Montreux Television Festival in May 1997, it won the Silver Rose for Humour and the Rose d'Or, the highest accolade of the festival. ITV scheduled a repeat broadcast but did not commission a series until David Liddiment's appointment as director of programming in August 1997.

The original series followed the three couples through various life events, including births, deaths, affairs, divorces, and reconciliations. A revival with most of the original cast (Helen Baxendale as Rachel did not return as a regular) began airing from 5 September 2016. In 2020, at the conclusion of series 9, it was announced that Cold Feet was being rested for the foreseeable future, with a view to returning when the characters have reached the next suitable age for stories to tell.

Reader's Guide

Cold Feet is significant as a British comedy drama that successfully blended humour with serious relationship issues, reflecting the lives of people in their 30s who were under-represented on television at the time. Its initial pilot won the Rose d'Or at Montreux, which helped secure a series order. The show's format of following three couples allowed for multiple storylines and character development over five original series and a revival. The series is notable for its use of fantasy and flashback elements to distort events to fit a character's point of view. Its legacy includes being a flagship ITV drama that returned after a 13-year hiatus with most of the original cast, demonstrating enduring audience interest. The decision to rest the series in 2020, with a potential return when characters reach a suitable age, reflects a long-term approach to storytelling.