Welcome to Ian's Coupling fan site. My most sincere thanks for taking the time to click on the wrong button and be brought here. This is a site dedicated solely to the BBC2 comedy series Coupling. The site is a work in progress. We hope to feature cast and character biographies, image galleries, sound and video clips, memorable quotes, and much more besides. Enjoy.
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CHARACTERS SUPPORTING
CAST THE SHOW PLAYERS INTERVIEWS
WALLPAPER VIDEO
CLIPS IN THE NEWS
LINKS CREW CONTACT As one would expect of
a comedy, it is the characters that make Coupling. Actually, it's the
characters that make anything. We have a mad
bisexual, a Welshman terrified of sex, a Tory sexual conqueror, an atypical
male, an age-obsessed beautician and Susan, the only sane one amongst them: JANE (Gina
Bellman) JEFF (Richard Coyle)
PATRICK (Ben Miles) STEVE (Jack
Davenport) SALLY (Kate Isitt)
SUSAN (Sarah Alexander) EPISODE GUIDE Series One FLUSHED Steve is trying to dump
Jane, who is 'unflushable.' Susan and Patrick terminate their 'relationship.'
Steve and Susan begin dating, albeit with their friends in tow. SIZE MATTERS Jeff offers Steve
advice on foreplay. Steve and Susan enjoy their first date. Sally tries to sleep
with Patrick despite his being a Tory. Jane discusses homosexuality with Howard. SEX, DEATH AND NUDITY Jane's aunt dies, and
Steve refuses to go with her to the funeral. Steve goes, but Susan comes too.
And Patrick. And Sally. And Jeff. Then there's the Giggle Loop... INFERNO Steve has been watching
'Lesbian Sex Inferno.' Everyone finds out, and Susan is annoyed. Jane continues
her therapy with her unwilling therapist Jill. Steve and Susan ask Jeff,
Patrick, Sally and Jane to a dinner party. Jane brings Jill, who argues with
Jane. Cue Jane saying to Steve, 'Susan tells us you've been using pornography...' THE GIRL WITH TWO
BREASTS A beautiful girl in the
bar catches Jeff's eye, and he hers. Unfortunately, she's Israeli and doesn't
speak any English. This doesn't stop Jeff, and it doesn't stop The Girl. Cue
Jeff beign able to speak freely, and a lesson in Hebrew... THE CUPBOARD OF
PATRICK'S LOVE Steve discovers Patrick
keeps videotapes of all his girlfriends- including Susan. Steve demands the tape
back. Patrick refuses. Jane goes to heal the 'spiritual divide' between her and
Patrick. However, everyone is intrigued about The Cupboard of Patrick's love... There are various
supporting characters, but only a few of them regularly. I include the best:
JILL (Elizabeth Marmur) STEVE'S NEIGHBOR (Nigel
Betts)
HOWARD (William Scott-Masson) JULIA (Lou Gish) Jill being Jane's
therapist and appeared in 'Inferno'. Although her therapy sessions ended two
months prior, Jane continued to 'drop in' on Jill- usually interrupting other,
more serious, scheduled sessions. Although Jill is a professional psychologist,
Jane still managed to manipulate her into accompanying her to Steve and Susan's
dinner party. Unfortunately, everyone got the impression that Jill was Jane's
lesbian partner. The dinner party went appallingly. Jane aggravated Jill with
her twisted perceptions of vegetarianism, and Jane later mutilated a hunk of
meat whilst baa-ing. Not the best thing to do around a vegetarian. Whilst Jill only
appeared in 'Inferno' she is a good character, Elizabeth Marmur has a great
accent, and we can only hope to see more of her in future. Best Jill quote: 'A
vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat meat, you insane bitch!' to Jane Steve's Neighbor
is, naturally enough, the man who lives in the house next to Steve. We saw him
in 'Sex, Death and Nudity.' Surreally, he was in both of his scenes standing outside
his house- with a cigarette. He seems none too friendly, almost sinister. I get
the curious impression that he doesn't actually exist- he is a figment of
Steve's imagination: a laconic observer of the surreal scenario he observed.
'Sex, Death and Nudity' centered around Jane's dead aunt's funeral. Steve was
reluctant to go, despite Jane's natural sadness and the fact she and Steve went
out for four and a half years. Upon Steve's rejection, Jane storms out, crying
'I'm not trying to lure you into bed with my dead aunt.' Steve's Neighbor notes
this, and Steve explains his way out of it. Later, when Steve sets off for the
funeral, the Neighbor asks if the funeral is for an aunt. When Steve replies
yes, the Neighbor says 'Good luck.' Although I think
Steve's Neighbor exists only in Steve's mind (a la Fight Club) I think we
should see more of him in future. He is a sinister figure, yet somehow engrossi Howard is a gay man
whom Jane tried to date. Jane's curious interpretation of homosexuality led her
to think she could date a gay man. Howard is a nice guy, quite funny, and quite
open about his homosexuality- he dated the ginger guy who used to work behind
the bar, and owes him a slap. To Sally's disbelief, Howard has
Conservative-leanings and considers Margaret Thatcher to be the best Prime
Minister we ever had. Patrick enjoys his company, and played Star Wars with
him. Howard, like many, is exasperated by Jane. Although Howard was a
fun character, I think he was a one-off. He illustrated Jane's curious attitudes
well, incited Sally's politics, but, sadly, I don't think he'll be seen again. Julia is a senior boss
where Susan and Jeff work, and she is dating Jeff. She and Jeff had a
Cupboard Incident- both had nightmare imaginings as to the worst outcome of the
meeting. However, despite this setback, the two were soon dating. Jeff's
unwitting blindfolded striptease at his thirtieth birthday party did nothing to
stem the relationship; indeed, after the required reprimanding of Jeff's
extravagance, Julia responded with her own striptease. Their future seems
assured. Coupling began
life as a TV series on BBC2, and continues as thus. Season one premiered on 12 May 2000.Series
three is being completed as we speak.. BBC2 and UK Gold both repeat Coupling,
the last time jointly in July 2002. Coupling is
shown in Australia, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Portugal, Turkey (CNBC-e on Tuesdays), Germany and
France. In France, Coupling is called Six Sexy as this
site informs me. The Americans also seem to like it, and NBC has decided to remake it for US
audiences as a replacement for Friends. I don't know whether to shudder
or snigger. Richard Coyle - star of
the forthcoming BBC1 supernatural detective series Strange. Also starred
in the film versions of Othello and Lorna Doone. Ben Miles - Seen in
various British classic series as The
Forstye Saga and Cold Feet, as well as recurring on Peak Practice. Sarah Alexander -
played many of the nefarious characters in Smack the Pony, as well as The
11 O'Clock Show and an episode of the wonderful Midsomer
Murders. Jack Davenport - best
known as Miles in This
Life and Channel 4s stylish vampire series, Ultraviolet
and a short film called Look that sounds worth watching. Fansite here. Kate Isitt - appeared
in A Many
Splintered Thing and Is It Legal and also in the great series of
psychological thriller - horror, Chiller. Gina Bellmen - probably
best known (aside from Coupling) for playing the elad role in Blackeyes,
as well as spots on Only Fools and Horseand the films Silent
Trigger and Leon the Pig Farmer. Read Steven Moffat's
exclusive interview for Richardcoyle.com here. Steven Moffat and Berly
Vertue answer BBC America's questions here. To see Jane's
perspectives on vegetarianism, Jeff's perspectives on foreplay,as well as Steve
Moffat and Jack Davenport chatting about Coupling, hop along to BBC America.
You will need Realplayer to view these. Download it here. Click
for larger version, 1024-768 wallpaper Most news about Couling
out there is from America. Coupling is quite popular with our
American chums- even if many find it rather risque. They exercise the death
penalty, develop the world's most sophisticated weaponry with glee, and legalize
polygamy and prostitution, but it still seems many Americans find candid chatter
about lesbians and, ahem, 'Junior Patricks' to be riqsue. It's a mad, mad, mad
world... Find out all about the
US Coupling remake here
at the excellent Richardcoyle.com, to whom I am gravely indebted. Entertainment
Online - clearly thinks Coupling is a Friends rip-off Here are a few links of
interest to Coupling fans: Richardcoyle.com
- the most 'Brilliant!' resource for fanns of the pseudo-Welshman Jackdavenport.com
- a fansite for, confusingly enough, Jacck Davenport Steven Moffat -
writer-creator of such under appreciated gems as Press Gang, Chalk, Murder
Most Horrid. As creator of Coupling, we thank him. Sue Vertue - Producer - (Mr Bean,
Vicar of Dibley), daughter of producer Beryl Vertue Beryl Vertue - Producer
- (Steptoe and Son,
Men Behaving Badly) Martin Dennis -
Director - various worthy comedies such as The Upper Hand, Men
Behaving Badly, Hippies and Black Books. For any comments,
queries or general Coupling-related chatter, email
me DISCLAIMER I have no official
contact with any of the cast or crew of Coupling. All Coupling images,
texts and related are copyright of Hartswood Films. Screenshots are taken from
the Coupling Series One DVD. Website text and design
(C) Ian Kidd Sept 2002
