Brassic (TV series)

• Joe Gilgun as Vincent "Vinnie" O'Neill:

Vinnie is a troubled man. He constantly battles with his bipolar disorder and is scarred by his troubled childhood. His mother left when he was young and his alcoholic, safe-blower father raised him the best he could. Vinnie blew his first safe when he was seven years old and has been surviving ever since. He lives alone in a shack in the woods on the outskirts of Hawley. The combination of rural solitude and his firm friendship with Dylan and Erin, helps Vinnie cope with his highs and lows. He has street smartness and is dynamically funny with an eccentric intensity. As well, Vinnie is emotionally intelligent and has a great depth of feeling towards others. He regularly visits his general practitioner, Dr. Chris Cox, who doesn't exactly provide him with the help he is looking for, but his gang of friends are on hand to give him the support he needs and are the bedrock of his existence.

• Michelle Keegan as Erin Croft:

Erin is fiercely independent, driven and turns heads. A troubled childhood led to a wild child phase in her teenage years that left her alone and pregnant at a young age. However, having her son, Tyler, turned out to be the best mistake she ever made. Determined to give him all the chances she never had, Erin is studying at college so she can get out of town and start a better life. Erin's boyfriend is Dylan, who she loves, but he struggles to offer her the stability she needs, let alone the kind of future she craves for herself and Tyler. Erin recognises that there is a third wheel in her relationship with Dylan, and that person is Vinnie. Whilst she cares deeply for Vinnie, she is aware that his presence is holding her back from her long-term plans.

• Damien Molony as Dylan:

Dylan is Vinnie's best friend and Erin's boyfriend. He is book smart and knows how to play a mean game of poker. He is in love with Erin and has a close relationship with her son, Tyler, but his friends mean everything to him. Vinnie is like a brother to Dylan and the one person that truly understands him. Dylan passed up a chance to go to university, as he didn't want to abandon his mates, and, to Erin's frustration, he hasn't ever really grown up. He occasionally works at Kath's pub but spends most of his time having fun with the lads.

• Tom Hanson as Leslie "Cardi" Titt:

Cardi is a bit of a sweetheart. He just sees the good in everyone. The guys affectionately call him "Cardi" (short for cardiac arrest) due to his mounting body weight and unhealthy lifestyle. He is from a big estate family and when his parents kicked him out, he just moved into a flat above the kebab shop: heaven. Cardi does struggle with confidence and has been bullied about his weight and stuttering. In fact, Cardi met the lads through Ash who stepped in to stop Cardi from being beaten up by a bunch of taunting teenagers. His role in the gang is that of a runner: fetching gear, dropping things off. Small things that he can't mess up. He feels most at home in the kebab shop where he is something of a local hero and celebrated winner of every kebab eating contest. Cardi's other love is for his pet pigeon Nigel, who means everything to him.

• Aaron Heffernan as Ash Dennings:

Ash grew up on a traveller site on the outskirts of Hawley. He comes from a proud fighting family and, raised by his hard-hearted mother, he can switch to extreme violence in seconds, which makes him handy to have around as the muscle in the gang. While Ash is openly gay to the lads, he chooses to hide his true sexuality from his family. The boys know his troubles and Ash and Vinnie have boxed together for years. Ash finds solace in having mates who accept him completely and it is with the lads that he feels most like himself.

• Ryan Sampson as Tommo:

Tommo is a bit of a loner but very content with his lot in life. He has no family and he is happiest when he is wanking or shagging. Turning his passion into a business, he makes money holding secret S&M nights for rich local businessmen, barristers and brigadiers. Tommo's take on life is extremely liberal: he does what he wants, when he wants and is the one in the gang who never cares what people think. He is loyal to the boys and they are the only ones that seem to give a shit about him; everyone needs someone, and Tommo needs them more than he lets on.

• Parth Thakerar as JJ:

JJ is from a small Asian family. His older brothers went into medicine and law but JJ takes after his father who is the black sheep in the family. After a failed attempt at college, going to purely impress his mother, JJ set up his own motor workshop in Hawley. To keep the more legitimate side of his business afloat, he relies on Vinnie to bring him dubiously acquired cars. He chops them up and sells them on for parts and spares. JJ is hardly averse to a bit of dodgy dealing and his place in the gang is cemented as the fixer and technician of the group. If the gang need a vehicle, JJ can offer a solution however unconventional it might be.

• Steve Evets as Jim:

A farmer who allows Vinnie to grow his cannabis plants in an underground bunker at his farm.

• Dominic West as Dr. Chris Cox:

Vinnie's general practitioner who he ends up developing a close bond with. He does not actually offer Vinnie any constructive advice though the pair agree to help mentor each other, as Dr. Chris reveals his obsession with knees.

• Ruth Sheen as Kath:

Kath is the pub landlady at the local pub that the group go to. She is very sociable, having known them all for years and is aware of everyone's issues.

• Bronagh Gallagher as Carol Dennings:

Carol is Ash's sister. She shows an interest in Cardi, which leads to a relationship in series 2 and subsequent engagement.

• Jude Riordan as Tyler Croft:

Erin and Vinnie's son, who was conceived after a drunken one-night stand. At the beginning of the first series, he and Vinnie are unaware of his father's identity, which is revealed towards the end of the series. Erin refers to him as "not exactly planned but the best mistake". He is close to Dylan and later has a father-son relationship with Vinnie in series 2.

• Ramon Tikaram as Terence McCann:

A local career criminal and businessman who Vinnie steals from. He threatens to cut Vinnie's penis off if he does not repay him the value of the stolen goods, which results in Vinnie faking his own death. In series 2, McCann decides to forgive Vinnie and gets him to work for him, surprisingly satisfied with Vinnie's fake death and run from his goons.

• Tim Dantay as Vinnie's Dad:

Vinnie's alcoholic of a father. He was not the perfect father to Vinnie during his childhood but did the best he could. He considered suicide in series 2 after splitting with his girlfriend Vanessa, devastating Vinnie, who in turn sent him to rehab.

• Anthony Welsh as Jake:

A classmate of Erin's at college. He shows an interest in her, who reveals she is in a relationship and is a mother. He develops a friendship with her in series 1, which turns into a relationship in series 2, after she splits with Dylan. This ends after his brother Aaron makes sexual advances towards her and subsequently attacks her.

• Joanna Higson as Sugar:

A stripper and friend of Erin, who ends up managing the club with her.

• John Weaver as PC Carl Slater:

A police officer who is Vinnie's arch-enemy since their childhood.

• Claude Scott-Mitchell as Sara:

Dylan's girlfriend in series 2. He breaks up with her after he reunites with Erin.

• Oliver Wellington as Aaron:

Jake's brother who takes an interest in Erin. He makes sexual advances towards her though she shows no interest in him; he later attacks her, resulting in Vinnie viciously beating him.

Joseph Gilgun and Danny Brocklehurst devised a new comedy television series for Sky One, entitled Brassic, in which Gilgun would portray the lead role whereas Brocklehurst would write the episodes' stories and scripts.[5] It began broadcasting in the United Kingdom on 22 August 2019, with the first series consisting of six episodes, broadcast on a weekly basis.[4] Prior to the first episode being aired, the programme was automatically recommissioned for a second series, with producers optimistic that it would be critically reviewed in a positive manner.[2] They were correct, with many critics praising the series for its comedic and dramatic tone; the first series ended its run on 19 September.[6]

On 24 April 2020, Sky released the second series' trailer, confirming that it would begin broadcasting on 7 May that year.[7] It was confirmed that it would also broadcast six episodes with all of them becoming available to be streamed through NOW TV from its premiere date, though would officially be broadcast on a weekly basis through Sky.[8] Prior to series 2 commencing its broadcast, Sky recommissioned the series for an expanded third series, consisting of eight episodes; a projected release date was not disclosed.[3]

After Gilgun was announced as the series lead, Michelle Keegan, Damien Molony, Tom Hanson, Aaron Heffernan, Ryan Sampson and Parth Thakerar joined the cast in fellow main character roles.[9] The characters include Vincent "Vinnie" O'Neill (Gilgun), Erin Croft (Keegan), Dylan (Molony), "Cardi" (Hanson), Ash (Heffernan), Tommo (Sampson) and JJ (Thakerar), whereas Dominic West and Bronagh Gallagher also portrayed assisting roles throughout the series, starring as Doctor Chris Cox and Carol, respectively.[10][11]

For series 2, Claude Scott-Mitchell joined the cast in the role of Sara, a new romance for Maloney's character. All series 1 cast members reprised their roles, with Cold Feet star John Thomson and Bill Paterson also joining the cast as newcomers. West also reprised his role, now portraying a more regular character.

The programme's setting is based Joe Gilgun's hometown of Chorley

The programme is set in the fictional town of Hawley, which is inspired by Gilgun's experience of growing up in Chorley.[12] Regarding the setting, location manager Jonathan Davies stated, "We were given the scripts and a few of us had a meeting with Joe [Gilgun] to talk through the feel and look of the show and to talk about which direction to go in. It's a very collaborative process to build a world that fits with the story and script. People want to feel like they're being transported into that real world of Brassic."[12]

The first two series of Brassic were filmed in the Lancashire town of Bacup.[12] Filming of the first series began in September 2018, with a fan tweeting, "As if Michelle Keegan is filming in Bacup, love her".[12] The filming location surprised locals, as not many were informed about the programme filming there and who the cast members were, with one local stating, "There were quite a few people including myself watching and it was causing a few traffic problems as people kept stopping. Michelle Keegan was there surrounded by security guards and there was a Mercedes van ready to take her away when she was done".[12] Further filming locations included some scenes being filmed in Bolton, the pub scenes were filmed in The Star and Garter public house near Manchester Piccadilly station whereas the inaugural episode's notable car-chase opening scene was shot in West Yorkshire.[12]

On the day of the programme's premiere, Gilgun revealed that filming for the second series had already begun prior to the first series airing, with them supposedly having a previously confidential agreement with Sky weeks before. Filming continued through the entire autumn of 2019, with all previous filming locations from series 1 continuing, and locations also expanding across the North West of England.

Gilgun revealed in an interview that the cast and crew had caused controversy during filming, when they were "kicked out" of a circus after a single day of filming, which resulted in the crew having to film the remaining scenes in a car park; Gilgun later stated that the circus were unaware of the amount of cast and crew that the production team were going to bring.[13]

The first series' trailer was released by Sky One on 13 August 2019, which contained minor clips containing comedic scenes from a variety of episodes and confirmed its release date of 22 August; this trailer was continuously shown on all Sky platforms in the days prior to its premiere.[14]

On 24 April 2020, Sky began to screen the second series' trailer, once again briefly showing clips for the new series and confirming its premiere date of 7 May.[7]

Brassic made its television debut in the United Kingdom on 22 August 2019; all episodes were available to be streamed on demand from the premiere date though was broadcast on a weekly basis by Sky One.[4]

Internationally, the programme has been aired in France, from 16 September; Spain, from 24 September through internet streaming; Germany, from 1 January 2020 through internet streaming; Australia from 25 February 2020, Canada, Russia and the United States.[15] In Russia, it is titled as Без гроша.[15]

A third series began filming in late 2020 in and around Manchester

All episodes are available to be viewed through the Sky Go and Amazon Video apps.[16] The entire boxset is also available on NOW TV and Virgin Media in the United Kingdom.[17] On 31 July 2020 all episodes became available in the U.S. via Hulu.[18]

On 27 August 2019, it was announced that the complete first series would release to DVD on 30 September.[17]

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian, reviewing the series, gave it four out of five stars, saying: "It is a hilarious, warm, brutal melange that works because it has heart without sentimentality and authenticity without strain."[6]

Creator and lead actor Joseph Gilgun has been praised for his performance as Vinnie O'Neill, with review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes commented, "Joseph Gilgun is wonderfully expressive as Vinnie, his volatile features continually scrunching together and apart like the top of a drawstring bag."[19]