Anthony's character: James
Original air dates: February 19th - April 2nd, 2002
Network: BBC 2
| The Official Anthony Head Site | MANCHILD |
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Television series UK Anthony's character: James Original air dates: February 19th - April 2nd, 2002 Network: BBC 2 |
| Summary: Four friends have reached an age, and
stage in life, where the world is potentially their big fat juicy oyster. Sports cars,
shiny motorcycles, riverside flats and gorgeous young sexy girlfriends… Surely
knocking on the door of 50 can't be this much fun? Not for Gary (Ray Burdis), the only one of the four who is still married to his sometimes shrewish wife. A self-made man, he can only watch with envy as his friends, Terry (Nigel Havers) and James (Anthony), successfully shrug off their former responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood, having paid alimony, education fees, and the emotional price. And Patrick (Don Warrington), the consummate bachelor, revels in his singleness and financial success. The three of them are free to enjoy their new-found adolescence and feel the thrill and throb of being men-about-town, armed only with tons of cash and style. But for all the apparent glamour and excitement in their lives, there are definite downsides to hitting 50, as these four men come to appreciate. What may look like the perfect life-style is fraught with mental and physical pitfalls… Can you really still cut it on a Harley Davidson? What do you say when your twenty-something girlfriend falls in love with your son? And what if your worst nightmare comes true and impotence strikes at the crucial moment? "Manchild", the comedy/drama series, premiered on BBC 2 on February 20th - April 3rd, 2002. It was written by Nick Fisher, produced by Sophie Clarke-Jervoise and Pete Thornton, and directed by David Evans. |
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 All 'Manchild' pictures are copyrighted to the BBC and are used with permission. |
Anthony plays James, and had this to say about
playing the character: "The thing about James is that he's sort of leading-man
material. He's handsome - with money and wealth. But he's flawed. He's very human. I don't
have a lot in common with James, apart from being in my forties. The thing that we all
share is the fact that we are men and we are all, essentially, children. We do have all of
those silly insecurities and ultimately we are generally guided by women. If we're lucky
enough, as I have been, to find a seriously good woman, then we welcome being
guided!" EPISODE GUIDE Season One
Life is all about timing. There is a right time to marry, a time to make money, and a time to divorce. If you get the timing right, the world can offer you the most unimaginable pleasure. Get it wrong and, well… |
What do the boys do on the weekend? Patrick is enlightened by the arts, James makes a couple of investments in his future, Terry examines the naked female form, and Gary gets stuck alone with his son.
Terry takes up salsa, while James loses confidence with his member. Patrick decides to buy a river, and Gary becomes infatuated with a lap dancer.
On the catwalk…Terry loses his girlfriend to his son, James discusses the complications of hydraulics with his ex-wife, Gary helps Patrick make a life and death decision.
As the wedding of Terry's daughter creeps ever closer, Patrick goes missing and the boys don't know how to find him. To make matters worse, Terry's ex-wife wants to invite her new boyfriend and his son Justin is bringing Terry's 25-year-old ex-girlfriend.
Changes...Patrick feels the need to breed, James gives up an old habit, and Gary fancies a spousal swap.
The boys decide to get back to basics and head off on a hunting weekend in the country. But their idea of a boys-only male bonding weekend doesn't exactly go to plan when they discover the hotel owners are two female shooting instructors. Season Two
Gary and Cheryl's 25th wedding anniversary is looming and Gary decides on a suitable present to mark the occasion. A very large piece of jewellery is in the offing, but Patrick has another suggestion. Perhaps a handsome young stud with no strings attached? Meanwhile Terry's latest girlfriend has asked for a present of her own: a new pair of breasts. In a rare display of moral fiber, Terry decides it would be wrong to mess with what is already naturally so perfect. But she can be very persuasive, particularly in the bedroom.
A bored James falls for a beautiful interior designer, Kitty, and decides to employ her to re-decorate his flat. In doing so, he unfortunately breaks an unspoken Manchild rule: never sleep with a woman over the age of 30. Meanwhile, Terry's family lunch is already going badly when Terry's ex-wife Christine reveals a piece of happy news. She and her fashion designer lover Armando, are engaged.
Looking forward to another night on the town in glamorous London, Terry's world is shattered by the news that an old school-friend is back in town, good old Dirty Dixon. During one terribly thrilling evening, Dirty uses his in-depth knowledge of our Manchildren to antagonize, intimidate, and set them against each other. Can their so-called deep bond of friendship survive one night in the company of this deeply destructive force?
James' apartment is still in some disarray, and he's forced to temporarily move in with Terry. But Terry fails to adjust to having anyone invade his space. Especially one who cooks in the nude. Meanwhile, Gary has decided to splurge on a new logo for his wood decking company. Following Patrick's advice, he employs a cutting-edge graphics firm to do the job. But when a suitably highbrow design is created, Gary can't decide if he should stick to his original instincts.
A distraught Christine calls Terry to tell him
that the family dog, Gherkin, is about to be put down. Whilst enjoying being the emotional
support, Terry is keen to be done with him. That is until he discovers old Gherkin's lack
of bowel control has been causing some tension between Christine and Armando.
Terry discovers that his son, Justin, has plans to make a short film, with funding from Armando. Naturally Terry steps in, but it quickly becomes apparent he is about to fund a cruel hatchet job on his failings as a father, as penned by the ever-bitter Justin. James, meanwhile, has issues all his own: he is going to be a grandfather. Will he loose his bachelor status to weekends of babysitting? Will his newly re-decorated spare room have to be converted to a nursery?
In a fit of spiritual awareness, Patrick (who is building a boat by hand) encourages the other guys to seize their dreams. Gary follows his dream of being a love guru, but James and Terry discover they are truly shallow men without a dream. Any dream. So, they steal someone else's.
Christine announces she intends to sell the palatial family home to buy a little penthouse in London. Terry is shocked at her betrayal of the family until he hits on a plan: he'll buy the house from Christine and do the Sunday lunches and the summer picnics himself. He'll hold the family together!
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