Back to Life (TV series)

Back to Life is a British dark comedy-drama co-written by Laura Solon and Daisy Haggard and starring Haggard and Adeel Akhtar that premiered on BBC One on 15 April 2019.[1] On 10 November 2019, the series premiered in the United States on Showtime.[2] The first series received critical acclaim with many reviews praising the performance and writing of Haggard highly.

Back to Life
GenreComedy-drama
Dark comedy
Written by
Laura Solon
Daisy Haggard
Directed byChristopher Sweeney
Starring
ComposerSolomon Grey
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Sarah Hammond
  • Harry Williams
  • Jack Williams
Producers
  • Debbie Pisani
CinematographyBen Wheeler
EditorGavin Buckley
Running time23–25 minutes
DistributorBBC
Release
Original network
Picture formatHDTV 1080i
Audio formatStereo
Original release15 April 2019 (2019-04-15) –
present
External links
Production website

On 19 November 2019, Back to Life was renewed for a second series.[3]

Plot

Miri Matteson has just returned home to Hythe, Kent, after serving an 18-year prison sentence. As Miri attempts to rebuild her life, she forms a friendship with Billy, who cares for the elderly woman next door.

Cast

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Episode 1"Christopher Sweeney[4]Daisy Haggard and Laura Solon15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
2"Episode 2"Christopher SweeneyDaisy Haggard and Laura Solon15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
3"Episode 3"Christopher SweeneyDaisy Haggard and Laura Solon15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
4"Episode 4"Christopher SweeneyDaisy Haggard and Laura Solon15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
5"Episode 5"Christopher SweeneyDaisy Haggard and Laura Solon15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)
6"Episode 6"Christopher SweeneyDaisy Haggard and Laura Solon15 April 2019 (2019-04-15)

Production

Harry and Jack Williams are the executive producers of Back to Life with Sarah Hammond. They previously produced the BBC show Fleabag.[5] It was filmed in Kent including Hythe and Dungeness and at The Britannia Inn pub in Dungeness.[6] Filming also took place at Lade car park in Lydd-on-Sea, where various scenes were filmed around the fish and chip van, as well as in Streatham Common, London. Production for Back to Life also visited Abbot's Cliff sound mirror in Dover, on the top of the White Cliffs.[7]

Release

Back to Life was launched as a boxset on BBC iPlayer on 15 April 2019, and was shown weekly on BBC One from 15 April 2019.

Reception

The show has received critical acclaim. The first series holds a 100% approval rating on critic website Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews with Haggard’s performance especially receiving positive comments. The first series was also compared positively to critically acclaimed tragicomedy Fleabag with which it shares producers. On Metacritic the series has a score of 87 out of 100 based on 13 reviews indicating "universal acclaim."

The lengthy prison sentence makes absolutely no sense, however. This plot line is not directly addressed and no explanation as to why, a self-denence or manslaughter ruling was not reached at the time.

References
  1. "Back To Life: Episodes' Daisy Haggard on playing a 'relentless optimist'". 12 April 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  2. "Showtime(R) Programming Advisory". The Futon Critic. 19 September 2019.
  3. "Showtime(R) Orders Second Season of "Back to Life"". The Futon Critic. 19 November 2019.
  4. "Back to Life (TV Series 2019–) Full Cast & Crew". imdb.com. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  5. "When is Back to Life on BBC1 and BBC3? Who's in the cast and what's it about?". Radio Times. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  6. "Back to Life – Series 1 (2019)". Kent Film Office. Kent Film Office. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  7. Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office Back to Life Article".
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