Married Single Other

Did You Know?

• The series was later screened on STV from February 2012.
• Network Ten in Australia scheduled the series to air on 22 August 2010.
• BBC Entertainment showed the series in August 2010.

Characters

The series centers on three couples. Dickie and Babs are the married pair: Dickie, a self-employed man living off his ideas, is married to Babs, an unemployed child psychologist unhappy in her marriage. Babs has one child from a previous relationship with a man she calls "the sperm donor." Clint, Dickie's brother, and Abbey are the single couple; Clint has never slept with the same woman twice until he meets model Abbey, with whom he falls in love, though she does not yet reciprocate. Lillie and Eddie are the "other" couple: Lillie works at a domestic violence charity, and Eddie is a paramedic. Eddie has proposed marriage on Lillie's birthday for 15 years, but she has always declined; in the first episode, she again refuses. They have two sons: Harry, aged 16, who is awkward and smitten with Gina, and Joe, aged 11, who is extremely clever and often bullied, displaying autistic tendencies such as an obsession with numbers, especially pi. Gina, Babs's 15-year-old daughter, is confident and sees herself as above Harry, not returning his romantic interest; her father's identity is never revealed. Flo, Eddie's colleague, is frustrated by false emergency calls and offers Eddie advice while often irritated by his personal worries. Mr Connolly, after breaching a restraining order, attacks Lillie at the women's refuge and then feigns injury to have her sacked. Eros, a 17-year-old petty criminal, is defended by Gina until he is caught stealing from Eddie and Lillie's wedding, after which she ends contact.

Production

The series was filmed in several areas of Leeds, moving away from traditional Yorkshire Television locations like Chapel Allerton, Kirkstall, and Yeadon to areas such as Little London, Lincoln Green, Sherburn-in-Elmet, and Burmantofts. Extensive city centre locations were used, particularly Clarence Dock; Clint climbs to Abbey's flat above the river terrace of Aire Bar on Call Lane. Allerton High School in Alwoodley appears throughout. Eddie and Lillie marry at Leeds Civic Hall, with their reception in a marquee on Blenheim Square, Little London. Their house and Clint's flat are in Hanover Square, Burley. Shots of Leeds are used between scenes. The theme tune is "Find My Way Back Home" by Priscilla Ahn, and the programme uses leitmotifs with music by The Cure, Radiohead, and Goldfrapp. Babs performs The Housemartins' "Caravan of Love" at the wedding. ITV announced the series' cancellation in May 2010. Executive producer Andy Harries told The Guardian the cast was amazing and there were strong ideas for a second series, but the show was "dumped." He noted at the Edinburgh International Television Festival that the series averaged 4.65 million viewers, the best for an ITV drama decommissioned in four years, but the audience did not stay.

Reception

Married Single Other generally received positive reviews, often compared to Cold Feet due to its similarly aged cast, northern middle-class setting, and themes; both series share director Declan Lowney and producer Andy Harries. Tim Dowling of The Guardian wrote that while predictable and like Cold Feet, it was "a pleasure to watch," noting similarities including a northern location, interconnected cast, wry dialogue, sentimentality, cliches, and Ralf Little. On the Box also likened it to Cold Feet, suggesting ITV sought to replicate that show's success. Stephen Armstrong of The Times called it "a strangely rare television gem - a genuinely good romcom with no bonnets in it." The Leicester Mercury gave a negative review, stating the series "teetered precariously on the brink of schmaltz" before plunging into lines even Richard Curtis would find over-the-top. Brian Viner in The Independent thought it lacked Cold Feet's virtues, calling it "more of a wilting carnation than a golden rose" and suggesting the writer studied Richard Curtis or browsed in Clinton Cards. Unreality Primetime said it was not as good as Cold Feet yet, and that ITV hurt itself by making the comparison. The series was nominated in the Best Drama/Entertainment category at the 2010 Royal Television Society Yorkshire Awards.