Changing Ends

Changing Ends
Promotional poster for the first series
Created byAlan Carr
Screenplay by
  • Alan Carr
  • Simon Carlyle
Directed byDave Lambert
Starring
Theme music composerRichard Day
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers
  • Alan Carr
  • Simon Carlyle
  • Sarah Monteith
  • Rupert Majendie
  • Danny Julian
ProducerMollie Freedman Berthoud
EditorThomas Perrett
Production company
Original release
NetworkITVX
Release1 June 2023 (2023-06-01) –
present (present)

Changing Ends is a British television sitcom released on ITVX in the UK from 1 June 2023. It is a semi-autobiographical series about comedian Alan Carr growing up in Northampton during the 1980s, the son of a professional football manager. A second series was commissioned in November 2023 and released in July 2024.

Synopsis

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Graham Carr was a former top-flight professional footballer who was the manager of Northampton Town F.C. when they won the Football League Fourth Division title in 1986–87.[1] The East Midlands in Thatcher's Britain however may have felt very different as seen through the eyes of his son, "when your family are Match of the Day and you’re a bit Miss Marple".[2]

Cast

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Production

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In February 2021 Carr and Baby Cow Productions began auditioning young actors to play himself in a sitcom that they were developing together.[3] A non-broadcast pilot was made with BBC Studios in February 2022.[4]

A six-part series was commissioned by ITVX in November 2022, with Carr co-writing with Simon Carlyle and production by Baby Cow. Executive producers were Sarah Monteith, Rupert Majendie and Danny Julian, alongside Carr and Carlyle. It was announced that Oliver Savell would play the young Carr.[5]

In January 2023, it was confirmed that Shaun Dooley and Nancy Sullivan would be joining the cast as Alan's parents Christine and Graham Carr, with Taylor Fay playing his younger brother Gary. The family's neighbours, Charlie and Angela, would be played by Rourke Mooney and Gabby Best, with Harry Peacock as Nigel, David Mumeni as Mr Chapman and Michael Socha as Adam.[6] Filming started that same month at an undisclosed location, but outdoor scenes were not filmed in Northampton itself.[7]

A second series of six half-hour episodes was commissioned by ITV in November 2023, with filming scheduled for early 2024.[8] In November 2024, a third series and a fourth series were commissioned by ITV.[9]

Episode list

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Series 1 (2023)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Kick Off"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Simon Carlyle1 June 2023 (2023-06-01)
Between a Dad managing a 4th Division football club and friends ditching him for being camp, Alan wants to change. Should he go against his instincts and become a footballer?
22"Big League Player"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Simon Carlyle1 June 2023 (2023-06-01)
Christine is desperate for Graham to take her on a night out. At school Alan is struggling to hide who his dad is from bullies – and there's the dread of communal showers looming.
33"Man On"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Simon Carlyle1 June 2023 (2023-06-01)
Graham's woes extend off the pitch and Alan gets the acting bug, but Christine is worried when he comes home from school with a black eye.
44"Stud"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Simon Carlyle1 June 2023 (2023-06-01)
A brilliant but troubled striker gives the Cobblers a lifeline, while keen birdwatcher Alan becomes eagle-eyed at news of a loose pelican. Then Sue's book club gets out of hand.
55"Sick As A Parot"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Simon Carlyle1 June 2023 (2023-06-01)
It's BCG day at Alan's school and he decides to pull a sickie. With Christine otherwise indisposed, it is up to a begrudging Graham to play nursemaid.
66"Fowl Play"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Simon Carlyle1 June 2023 (2023-06-01)
Things are looking up for the Carrs – the Cobblers are in the quarter finals of the Milk Cup, Alan's got a part in the school play, and Angela's marriage has taken a nose dive.

Series 2 (2024)

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No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
71"Baby Face"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Gabby Best13 July 2024 (2024-07-13)
It's 1987 and Northampton Town are leading Division 4, but the bullies are still making Alan's life a misery, while peer pressure forces him to accept a challenge, leading him into the murky world of fake IDs.
82"The Party & the Pervert"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Gabby Best13 July 2024 (2024-07-13)
Knickers are being snatched and windows are being peeped in – it seems the Close has a pervert. Alan eagerly decides to play detective, even if it clashes with his 12th birthday.
93"Mad Dogs & English Nans"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Gabby Best13 July 2024 (2024-07-13)
A vicious Alsatian on the loose forces the Carrs and Nanna Joyce to have some unexpected quality time together, while Alan's little white lie turns the place into a pressure cooker.
104"Kissing Presumed Dead"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Gabby Best13 July 2024 (2024-07-13)
A sex education lesson strikes fear into Alan's heart while an impending testosterone-fuelled school disco gets him all hot and bothered – and not in a good way.
115"Better the Neville You Know"Dave LambertAlan Carr & Gabby Best13 July 2024 (2024-07-13)
With the stress of the Cobblers trying to stay top of the league taking its toll, Christine strong-arms Graham into having a caravan mini-break in Great Yarmouth.
126"He Thinks It's All Over..."Dave LambertAlan Carr & Gabby Best13 July 2024 (2024-07-13)
It's the day of reckoning – Northampton Town are all abuzz and anticipation of a promotion to the Third Division is in the air, but Alan is completely miserable.

Broadcast

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The series was premiered on ITVX before broadcast on ITV at a later date.[10] Changing Ends was made available for viewing on ITVX from 1 June.[11]

Reception

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The series was ITVX’s ‘most viewed’ comedy of 2023.[12]

In February 2024, the series was nominated at the Broadcast Awards in the Best Comedy Programme category.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Filming begins on Alan Carr childhood sitcom". BBC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Drag Race UK's Alan Carr announces new ITV show from Gavin & Stacey team". Digital Spy. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Alan Carr making sitcom about his Northampton early years". Northamptonlive. 18 February 2021. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Alan Carr making Changing Ends sitcom with BBC Studios". comedy.co.uk. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023.
  5. ^ "ITV Lines Up Autobiographical Alan Carr Comedy 'Changing Ends' With 'Belfast's Oliver Savile Playing Comedian's Younger Self". Deadline. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Alan Carr starts filming on Changing Ends". Chortle. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Filming begins on Alan Carr comedy Changing Ends about growing up in Northampton". Northantslive. 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023.
  8. ^ Molander, Joe (17 November 2023). "ITV commissions second series of Alan Carr sitcom Changing Ends". RTS. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  9. ^ https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a62831387/alan-carr-itv-changing-ends-renewed/
  10. ^ "Sitcom Changing Ends tells story of Alan Carr's childhood as son of a Northampton football manager". ITV.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Alan Carr to 'show Northampton off' in new ITVX sitcom Changing Ends". itv.com. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  12. ^ Odell, Carly (3 April 2024). "Alan Carr sitcom set in Northampton named 'most viewed' comedy on streaming platform". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Black Ops wins at Broadcast Awards 2024". Comedy.co.uk. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
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