View source for Coupling (British TV series)

{{short description|2000 British TV series}}
{{About|the British television sitcom||Coupling (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = Coupling title card.jpg
| caption              = ''Coupling'' intertitle (series 1–3)
| genre                = [[Sitcom]]
| creator              = [[Steven Moffat]]
| company              = [[Hartswood Films]]
| runtime              = 30 minutes
| writer               = Steven Moffat
| director             = [[Martin Dennis]]
| producer             = [[Sue Vertue]]
| executive_producer   = {{plainlist|
* [[Beryl Vertue]] (series 1–2)
* [[Geoffrey Perkins]] (series 1–2)
* Sophie Clarke-Jervoise (series 3–4)
  }}
| starring             = {{plainlist|
* [[Jack Davenport]]
* [[Gina Bellman]]
* [[Sarah Alexander]]
* [[Kate Isitt]]
* [[Ben Miles]]
* [[Richard Coyle]]
* [[Richard Mylan]]
  }}
| composer             = {{plainlist|
* [[Simon Brint]]
* [[Simon Wallace]]
  }}
| opentheme            = "[[Quizás, Quizás, Quizás|Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps]]" (vocals by [[Mari Wilson]]) (26 episodes)
| endtheme             = "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" (some episodes)
| theme_music_composer = [[Osvaldo Farrés]]
| country              = United Kingdom
| language             = English
| network              = [[BBC Two]] (series 1–3)
| first_aired          = {{start date|2000|5|12|df=y}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|2002|11|4|df=y}}
| network2             = [[BBC Three]] (series 4)<!--repeated on BBC2-->
| first_aired2         = {{start date|2004|5|10|df=y}}
| last_aired2          = {{end date|2004|6|14|df=y}}
| num_series           = 4
| num_episodes         = 28
| list_episodes        = List of Coupling episodes
| related              = {{plainlist|
* ''[[Joking Apart]]''
* [[Coupling (American TV series)|''Coupling'' (American)]]
* [[Coupling (Greek TV series)|''Coupling'' (Greek)]]
  }}
}}
'''''Coupling''''' is a [[British sitcom|British television sitcom]] created and written by [[Steven Moffat]] that aired on [[BBC Two]] and [[BBC Three]] from 12 May 2000 to 14 June 2004. Produced by [[Hartswood Films]] for the [[BBC]], the show centres on the [[dating]], [[human sexuality|sexual]] adventures, and mishaps of six friends in their early 30s, often depicting the three women and the three men each talking among themselves about the same events, but in entirely different terms.

The series was inspired by Moffat's relationship with producer [[Sue Vertue]], to the extent that they gave their names to two of the characters. ''Coupling'' is an example of the "group-genre", an ensemble show that had proven popular at the time.<ref name="birmingham"/> Critics compared the show to the American sitcoms ''[[Friends]]'' and ''[[Seinfeld]]''.

The critical reaction was largely positive, and the show was named "Best TV Comedy" at the 2003 [[British Comedy Awards]]. The show debuted to unimpressive ratings, but its popularity soon increased, and by the end of the third series, the show had achieved respectable ratings in the UK. The series first aired on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] stations and on [[BBC America]] in the United States beginning in late 2002 and quickly gained a devoted fanbase there, as well. The show is syndicated around the world. Short-lived [[Coupling (American TV series)|American]] and [[Coupling (Greek TV series)|Greek]] adaptations were briefly produced in 2003 and 2007, respectively. In a 2004 poll to find [[Britain's Best Sitcom]], ''Coupling'' came in 54th.

==Production==

===Conception===
Moffat had used the breakdown of his first marriage as inspiration for his 1990s sitcom ''[[Joking Apart]]''.<ref>Andre Ptaszynski and Steven Moffat, ''Joking Apart'', Series 2, Episode 1 DVD audio commentary</ref><ref name="fool">''Fool if You Think It's Over'', featurette, ''Joking Apart'', Series 1 DVD, Dir. Craig Robins</ref> Retaining this semiautobiographical trend, ''Coupling'' was based on him meeting his wife, Sue Vertue, and on the issues that arise in new relationships.<ref name="sysl">{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Sternbergh |title=Selling Your Sex Life |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/magazine/selling-your-sex-life-139866.html?pagewanted=all |date=7 September 2003 |access-date=1 April 2008 }}</ref>

Moffat met Vertue at the [[Edinburgh International Television Festival]] in 1996.<ref name="sysl"/> Vertue had been working for [[Tiger Aspect Productions|Tiger Aspect]], a production company run by [[Peter Bennett-Jones]]. Bennett-Jones and his friend and former colleague [[Andre Ptaszynski]], who had worked with Moffat on the sitcoms ''Joking Apart'' and ''[[Chalk (TV series)|Chalk]]'', told Moffat and Vertue that each fancied the other. A relationship blossomed and they left their respective production companies to join [[Hartswood Films]], run by [[Beryl Vertue]], Sue's mother.<ref name="dust">''After the Chalk Dust Settled'', featurette on ''Chalk'' Series 1 DVD, ReplayDVD.co.uk, prod. & dir. Craig Robins</ref> After production wrapped on ''Chalk'' in 1997, Moffat announced to the cast that he was marrying Vertue.<ref>''Chalk'' Series 1 DVD audio commentary, ReplayDVD</ref>

When she eventually asked him to write a sitcom for Hartswood, he decided to base it around the evolution of their own relationship. Drunk one evening, he went into her office, wrote the word "Coupling" on a sheet of paper and told her to ask him about it later.<ref name="sysl"/>

The couple formed the basis for the main characters Steve and Susan. The four other characters are Steve and Susan's best friends and last ex-relationships (one of each for both Steve and Susan). The fourth episode, "Inferno", was written shortly after Vertue had found a similar tape in the [[VCR]], although Moffat added the '[[spanking]]' element to the script as he "didn't think the real tape was quite pervy enough."<ref name="sysl"/>

The show used the "group genre", a type of programme using ensemble casts that was proving popular, with then-recent successes as ''Friends'', ''[[This Life (1996 TV series)|This Life]]'' (also starring Davenport), and ''[[Cold Feet]]''. Moffat feels the group genre reflects young people's modern mores more so than traditional sitcoms, saying, "Young people watch because it is the lifestyle which is just ahead of them and older people reminisce. ''Coupling'' is about two people who get together and bring with them baggage from their past, friends, and ex-partners - people who would never meet under normal circumstances. It deals in the kind of trivia people talk about, important questions like when should a man take off his socks during foreplay?"<ref name="birmingham">{{cite news |first=Olivia |last=Convey |work=Birmingham Post |date=20 May 2000 |title= Drama by Numbers; Forget Boy Meets Girl or Family Sitcoms, Today's Television Audiences Are Demanding Group-Based Shows | page=8}}</ref> Moffat believes group shows would not have been popular with earlier generations of television audiences, stating:

{{blockquote|''Friends'' would have run for only half a series if it had been set during my parents' time. I am sure there has always been misbehaving by people before they settle down, but there was this perception that anyone who ever got married before the '60s was a virgin. What has changed is that all important gap between having left mummy and daddy and becoming a parent yourself. This is the time in which you make decisions which will define you. These few years are pivotal and they are getting longer. There are now people running round with disposable incomes who still want to do lots of things before they settle down to one partner.<ref name="birmingham"/>}}

===Writing===
[[File:Steven Moffat JA Comms 1.jpg|thumb|Steven Moffat wrote every episode of ''Coupling''.]]
According to Vertue, Steven Moffat wrote on the top floor of their family home. Once he finished a script, she read it two floors away so he could not hear her laughing. The producer says that his first drafts were "pretty much ready to shoot".<ref name="s2s">"Coupling: From Script to Screen", credit: Andrew Kerr, BBC Worldwide Americas. Series 4 DVD</ref> She did not give him many notes; she would tick all of the places where she laughed, and then he revised the script accordingly.<ref name="s2s"/>

The humour of the show, according to Moffat, is in the context. He says that there are "no jokes ''per se''" and if they did put jokes in, they were normally taken out because they did not work. He found writing the show difficult at first because he was writing his own voice six times over, with none of the characteristics and inflections of the performers to inspire him.<ref name="s2s"/>

Moffat used a range of styles and techniques, such as [[Split screen (film)|split screen]] and [[Nonlinear (arts)|nonlinear narrative]]s, that are unconventional in sitcoms.<ref name="s2s"/> The first series episode "The Girl with Two Breasts", in which half of the episode is in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/episodes/s1ep5.shtml |title=5. THE GIRL WITH TWO BREASTS 09/06/00 |work=Coupling Episode Guide |publisher=BBC}}</ref> proved so popular that the producers tried to do something similar every series. Moffat says that the simplicity of the setting encouraged an "epic, ridiculous way of telling an ordinary story."<ref name="s2s"/> The opening episode of series three, "Split", uses split screen to simultaneously depict what happens with Steve and Susan after separating.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/episodes/s3ep1.shtml |title=1. SPLIT 23/09/02 |work=Coupling Episode Guide |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The series four opener, "Nine and a Half Minutes", depicts the same events in the bar from three different perspectives.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/episodes/s4ep1.shtml |title=1. Nine and a Half Minutes 10/5/04 |work=Coupling Episode Guide |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

===Rehearsals===
British sitcoms usually cannot afford to occupy a studio facility for the entire run, meaning that they are unable to rehearse in the studio.<ref name="s2s"/> Rehearsals for ''Coupling'' took place in a church hall off [[Kensington High Street]].<ref name="naked-comm">Vertue, Sue; Moffat, Steven, ''Coupling'', "Naked", Series 2, Episode 8 DVD audio commentary</ref>

The actors received their scripts on Friday mornings. Following a [[read-through]], Moffat was generally forced to cut minutes worth of material to achieve the requisite length.<ref name="s2s"/> Director Martin Dennis designed and compiled the camera script on Saturday afternoons. After a day off on Sundays, the sets were erected for a producer's run on Mondays, and then a technical run on Tuesdays. Much of Wednesdays was spent [[camera blocking]], a process which regularly overran at the expense of a dress rehearsal.<ref name="s2s"/>

As the actors became familiar with the material, they would sometimes develop a joke. However, according to Moffat, such elaboration could overcomplicate a joke for an audience coming to the material for the first time.<ref name="dressed-comm">Moffat, Steven; Bellman, Gina, ''Coupling'', "Dressed", Series 2, Episode 7 DVD audio commentary</ref> Martin Dennis, according to Moffat, regularly told the actors, "You know that funny thing you're doing? Don't do that".<ref name="dressed-comm"/> The director encouraged them to deliver their lines as well as they had in the original read-through.<ref name="dressed-comm"/>

===Recording===
All of the location sequences for each series were filmed in [[London]] during the first week of each production block. As Moffat was generally late delivering the final few scripts of each series, those episodes contained no location material.<ref name="naked-comm"/> The exterior shots of the bar were filmed in [[Clerkenwell]] in the first series. After a nearby Thai restaurant complained that filming was disrupting their business, a street just off [[Tottenham Court Road]] was used from series two.<ref name="naked-comm"/> The house in which Moffat and Vertue lived at the time was used as the exterior for Steve's flat, with the surrounding area used for other sequences.<ref name="dressed-comm"/>

Material that was technically difficult was filmed the day before the recording with the live studio audience. A common example of this would be a dinner table sequence, where some characters would be filmed against the [[fourth wall]], rather than the often-used contrived method of cramming everyone together around the [[proscenium]]. Readjusting the set and refilming against the fourth wall would have been too time-consuming.<ref name="s2s"/> However, the absence of the studio audiences made it more difficult for the actors to judge the timing of the laughs. For instance, Moffat says that this prevented Gina Bellman from "milking" a particular laugh in the episode "Dressed", an episode in which most of her scenes were prerecorded because she was wearing minimal clothing on set to provide the illusion of complete nudity.<ref name="dressed-comm"/> The prerecorded sequences were tightened in the editing process once the scenes had been played to the studio audience.<ref name="naked-comm"/>

[[File:Thames Television and ABC Weekend TV studios in Teddington London cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Episodes of ''Coupling'' were filmed in front of a live studio audience at [[Teddington Studios]] in London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.]]

Episodes were mostly filmed in front of a live studio audience at [[Teddington Studios]] in [[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]] on Wednesday evenings. Sue Vertue says that the live audience reinvigorated the company because no one had laughed at the material for a few days, as everyone knew it so well.<ref name="s2s"/> A [[warm-up comedian]] updated the studio audiences about any important plot detail, introduced them to the performers, and provided entertainment while cameras and sets were being repositioned. [[Rob Rouse]] fulfilled this role for the fourth series.<ref name="s2s"/>

Despite some critics' comments, all of the laughter in ''Coupling'' was from a genuine live studio audience.<ref name="naked-comm"/> Although artificial [[canned laughter]] was not used, the laughter sometimes had to be tweaked during the editing process. For instance, the studio audience might laugh for longer than might be expected of the home audience. Also, the audience's laughter decreased if a scene was shot multiple times; in these cases the laughter from an earlier [[take]] would be used.<ref name="s2s"/>

Moffat felt uncomfortable and powerless during the studio recording. Sitting in the [[Television studio#Production-control room|gallery]], he wrote the word 'help' repeatedly on the back of his scripts. In an interview for the DVD release, he says he was aware that their most successful show received the least amount of laughter from the studio audience.<ref name="s2s"/> Conversely, studio audiences reacted emphatically to his previous studio sitcom, ''Chalk'', yet it received a poor critical reception upon transmission.<ref name="dust"/> Martin Dennis would start editing from the following Monday afternoon. The episodes were then [[Color grading|colour graded]] and dubbed with sound effects and music.<ref name="s2s"/>

[[Mari Wilson]] performed the song "[[Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps]]", written by [[Osvaldo Farrés]] and Joe Davis, to accompany the opening and [[closing credits]]. [[Simon Brint]] composed and arranged the [[incidental music]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Raw Sex star Simon Brint dies aged 61|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13845248 |work=BBC News |date=20 June 2011 |access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref> The title sequence, as [[Mark Lawson]] described, consists of "brightly coloured and suggestive shapes swirl around the screen: circles, curves, and angles tumble like limbs locked together in sex. As the names of the actors discreetly sweep across in block lettering, the bright shapes form the title: ''Coupling''."<ref name="lawson-title">{{cite news |title=G2: Stylish from the very start: Mark Lawson on Mad Men's title sequence - and five other classics |first=Mark |last=Lawson |author-link=Mark Lawson |page=15 |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=3 February 2009}}</ref> Lawson calls the design "elegant simplicity, showing how a clever choice of theme tune can evoke an atmosphere and set a pace to which images can be cut."<ref name="lawson-title"/> The colour scheme was changed for the fourth series, although the basic design remained.

==Characters==
===Main characters===
''Coupling'' is almost entirely based around the antics of the six main characters. The show was inspired by Moffat's relationship with producer Sue Vertue, to the extent that they gave their names to two of the characters. ''Coupling'' features no other recurring characters that last beyond a few episodes. In the series, "the women are mainly confident and sexually quite voracious, whilst the blokes are completely useless, riddled with self-doubt and awkwardness."<ref name="bbc-jack">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/cast/jack_davenport.shtml |publisher=BBC |title=Coupling – Jack Davenport |access-date=9 August 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Jack Davenport 1.JPG|thumb|right|[[Jack Davenport]] played Steve Taylor.]]
'''Steve Taylor''' ([[Jack Davenport]]) – He is in the lengthy process of breaking off his relationship with Jane as the series begins, while also trying to ask Susan out.<ref name="s1e1">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/episodes/s1ep1.shtml |title=BBC – Coupling – Flushed Episode Guide |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 December 2008}}</ref> The remainder of the series shows the development of a relationship with Susan, from dating, proposal of marriage, and as the last series concludes, becoming father to her baby.<ref name="s4e6">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/episodes/s4ep6.shtml |title=BBC – Coupling – Nine and a Half Months Episode Guide |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 December 2012}}</ref> No reference is made to Steve's job during the series, but in a DVD commentary, Moffat mentions that Steve is, like him, a writer. Moffat had used the surname "Taylor" for [[Robert Bathurst]]'s character in his earlier sitcom ''Joking Apart''.

According to the BBC's website, Steve "tries to be the voice of reason while talking to his mates over a pint, but more often than not he stumbles into more complex and ridiculous situations than any of them."<ref name="bbc-jack"/> Writer Moffat says that:

{{blockquote|Steve can be just as erratic as Jeff can be, and certainly in the first part of the series, he remonstrates with Jeff for his madness. At the same time he tells Patrick off for being ruthless with women, and yet the evidence shows that Steve himself is a bit of a bastard. For example he asks Susan out on a date while he's having sex with Jane. He is quite typical of having all the same lusts and appetites as Patrick while also having the nervousness of Jeff and the new character Oliver. He forms a compromise of a politically correct weasel, which helps him to believe that he's a decent chap. Actually he's really too frightened of Susan to misbehave!<ref name="bbc-jack"/>}}

'''Susan Walker''' ([[Sarah Alexander]]) – Best friend to Sally, girlfriend/fiancée to Steve and ex-girlfriend of Patrick, Susan is one of Jeff's colleagues. Susan is usually very sensible and organised, a fact often resented by her friends Sally and Jane. Susan can be very insecure and often takes this out on Steve. When angry, she generally says "apparently", a habit first noted in the first series episode "Inferno" and shown to be inherited from her mother in "My Dinner in Hell". In the series one episode "[[List of Coupling episodes|Size Matters]]", Susan is implied to view [[Angus Deayton]] in the same way that Steve views [[Mariella Frostrup]], even keeping two pictures of him hidden in her bedroom. Steve and Susan's various arguments and differences of opinion make up a majority of the comic exchanges between them. Susan is a successful career woman, speaks French fluently, and takes her work life very seriously. Whilst Susan's job is never directly referred to, she works alongside Jeff, an accountant, and she reveals she has a degree in economics. In series four, she has a baby boy with Steve.

'''Jeff Murdock''' ([[Richard Coyle]]) – Best friend to Steve, he is a co-worker to Susan, whom he previously dated. Jeff's constant sexual frustration, ridiculous stories, and fantasies about women and sex make up a major part of the comedy. Scholar Jeffrey Griffin observes, "Jeff is known for his bizarre theories, one or two of which he outlines in every episode [... serving as] the defining element of an episode, with the plot unfolding in some way that tests one of Jeff’s theories."<ref>{{harvnb|Griffin|2008|p=54}}</ref>

Jeff is terrible at talking to women, often stumbling and unintentionally making up lie upon lie in an attempt to avoid looking stupid. These always backfire on him.  In one instance, he ends up asking Sally's surgeon boyfriend (actually a [[butcher]]) to amputate one of his legs, after spiralling into telling an attractive woman who he met on a train, that he only has one leg; this said so that she (now attracted to him) doesn't discover he was lying about the leg to get out of an awkward conversation, when she finally sees him naked. From titbits he occasionally lets slip, his problems apparently can largely be traced back to his eccentric and domineering mother (who appears in series two's "Naked", played by Anwen Williams). Jeff works as an accountant in an office with Susan, and through him, Steve and Susan initially meet. Coyle quit his role as Jeff before the fourth series.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/news/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050706024251/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/news/20031114.shtml |archive-date=6 July 2005 |date=14 November 2003 |work=BBC – Comedy – News |title=Jeff Becomes Uncoupled}}</ref> However, his character returns in a dream sequence in Steve's over-active imagination in the final episode, "Nine and a Half Months" – portrayed by [[Samantha Spiro]] – as "Jeffina" who has undergone sex-reassignment surgery whilst living on the island of [[Lesbos Island|Lesbos]], in a failed attempt to see another woman naked again. Jeff is also featured in the written epilogue published by Moffat online for the show.

'''Sally Harper''' ([[Kate Isitt]]) – Best friend of Susan (and the girlfriend of Patrick by series four), Sally is obsessed with her own appearance and constantly worries about the effects of ageing and life in general on her looks, with particular emphasis made of the tautness of her skin under chin and her supposedly ever-expanding buttocks. Her worst fear seems to be of dying alone, but she seems totally inept at relationships due to her frequent paranoia, which tends to make her out as a very mean-spirited woman. Sally runs her own [[beauty parlour]] and is a successful businesswoman, but of the entire group, she is the most insecure and resentful. A [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] supporter, she finds reconciling this with her attraction to Patrick, a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]], to be very difficult.

'''Patrick Maitland''' ([[Ben Miles]]) – Susan 's boyfriend she dumps in at the same time Steve is dumping Jane in the first episode, who goes on to be Sally's boyfriend by series four. Patrick has a one-track mind: sex. This gives him a very narrow view of women, but he is great at courting them. He cannot comprehend meeting a woman and not having sex with her and he  is very good at getting women to bed, but generally leaves them in the middle of the night. Frequent references are made to his rather large penis – Susan nicknames him both "donkey" and "tripod". In one episode, unknown to him, a woman from his past made a [[Vibrator (sex toy)|vibrator]] from a plaster cast of Patrick's erect penis and marketed as the Junior Patrick; the box clearly has a 10-inch measurement on the side when seen later in the episode. Knowing he is well-endowed sparks much of Sally's initial interest in him despite her objections to his political beliefs – Patrick is a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]], which radically conflicts with Sally's left-wing attitudes.<ref>These attitudes are overtly explored in "Size Matters", Series 1, Episode 2</ref> 

Patrick is a successful businessman and is very competitive with others in the same business, but he does have a vague sense of loyalty to his friends. Patrick has a habit of saying things without thinking that give the impression that he is rather dense. Two explanations for this given in the series are his own claim that he "doesn't have a subconscious" and thus "nothing is going on" in his head and Sally's remark that there is not enough blood in his body for "both ends", (making reference to his abnormally large penis). Patrick's attraction to women often backfires, and the series frequently features story lines about his possessive lovers and ex-lovers. He collects videos of nights with his girlfriends in his rather large "cupboard of love" that becomes the topic and title of the last episode of the first series. In the last episode, Sally finds an engagement ring in this cupboard that results in a big row, which presses Patrick into proposing, but her answer is left unknown.

'''Jane Christie''' ([[Gina Bellman]]) – Ex-long-time partner of Steve, Jane is a [[histrionic personality disorder|histrionic]] who is very possessive, and despite breaking up with Steve in the first episode, she never truly seems to let go. Jane is the female equivalent of Patrick, but has a problem talking to men, often coming on much too strong and appearing desperate or rude to others in her pursuit of a man. Her character also seems not to be too bright, perhaps even disturbed, and is known to be incredibly self-obsessed, as shown in a second series episode when a "subtext detector" shows that the only thing she ever really means when talking is the word "me". Jane's self-obsession and obliviousness to others' considerations ends up with her managing  to manipulate her pyscho-therapist, Jill, into going to dinner with her, even Jill has stopped seeing Jane as she can see that she is not changing her behaviour. In the fourth series, everyone starts referring to her as being "mad". 

Jane claims to be [[bisexual]], although she is never seen dating a woman. Susan time and again expresses scepticism, so this claim may be a ploy to entice men. However, Susan (for her own reasons) [[French kiss]]es Jane in the fourth series and Jane seems to be overwhelmed but enjoys it. However, her claim is also successfully challenged by Oliver Morris in the fourth series, where he points out that she is indeed not bisexual. 

Jane works at a local [[radio station]] as a [[traffic reporter]] in a helicopter and is popular mainly due to her flirtatious nature and sexually explicit reports. She was once briefly fired for telling all the drivers to close their eyes to centre themselves and changing the names of streets for her own amusement, among other things, but was rehired due to her popularity.

'''Oliver Morris''' ([[Richard Mylan]]) – Introduced at the start of the fourth series, having been out of a relationship for several months, and eventually becomes involved with Jane. In a case of mistaken identity, he is initially believed to be a gynaecologist, but in fact runs a local [[science-fiction]] media store called "Hellmouths". The geekiness of his job is also used for comic effect. Oliver often has a very cynical outlook, but is prone to accidents, often making a fool of himself in the process. He is sometimes shown gearing himself up to meet women and have sex by thinking to himself, which the audience can hear. Oliver also seems to have inherited Jeff's inability to talk to women, however, unlike Jeff, he believes himself to be a ladies' man, or in his thoughts' words "a woman-killer, I mean lady-killer...". Oliver has a tendency to use the word "craziness" frequently in conversations, usually as an attempt to alleviate tension when he starts blabbering. Richard Mylan has said in interview that people took a long time to accept his character due to Jeff's popularity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/interviews/richard_mylan_video_2.shtml |publisher=BBC |title=Coupling – Richard Mylan interview 2}}</ref>

===Other characters===
'''Julia Davis''' ([[Lou Gish]]) appears in five episodes spanning over series two and three. She first appears in "Naked", as the new head of department in the office where Jeff and Susan work. Julia and Jeff soon fall for each other due to their shared inability to hold a reasonable conversation with a member of the opposite sex. Despite overcoming the inevitable troubles with each other, their relationship ends when Julia's ex, Joe, a soldier, returns believing Julia to still be his girlfriend. After finding Julia chained to the bed in her room, dressed in [[Bondage (BDSM)|bondage]] gear, Joe attacks Jeff. In the final episode of series three, Jeff explains that Julia and Joe have left together to explore their feelings for each other, in [[Bolton]].

'''Tamsin''' (Olivia Caffrey) is Oliver's Irish ex-girlfriend, who left him for unknown reasons around six months prior to the beginning of the fourth series, and has since become pregnant by another man, with whom she has now split. She befriends Susan at an [[Obstetrics|antenatal]] class and is also revealed to be one of Patrick's many ex-girlfriends. Tamsin and Oliver seem to have a sour relationship, as is shown over the three episodes in which she features. She refers to him as a cross between brother and sister.

'''James''' ([[Lloyd Owen]]) appears in three episodes of series three. He hosts the religious programme at the radio station where Jane works, and Jane pretends to have an interest in religion to become his girlfriend. Jane is devastated to find he does not believe in sex before marriage, and even more so to find that he had a fervent sex life before finding God, which included a night with Susan. He leaves on a trip to Germany at the end of '"The Freckle, the Key and the Couple Who Weren't" and returns in "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps", just as Jane is expressing her amazement that the many sexual encounters she has had while he was away have not made her pregnant ("I have shagged and shagged and shagged and all the little bastards missed!").

'''Jill''' (Elizabeth Marmur) appears in an episode of series one and once again in series four. In the first series, Jill is Jane's pyscho-therapist whom Jane constantly manages to manipulate. She challenges Jane's statement that she can be a vegetarian whilst still eating meat. She is dragged to a dinner party with Jane in an episode called "Inferno", where everyone assumes she is a lesbian. She witnesses one of Steve's monologues about loving naked bottoms when the subject of one of his videos, the legendary ''Lesbian Spank Inferno'', comes up. Jill reappears in the fourth series as a pregnancy specialist, having retrained to avoid encountering Jane again; to her dismay, Jane attends one of her antenatal classes wearing a fake pregnancy belly, claiming to be simultaneously pregnant and not pregnant.

'''Wilma Lettings''' ([[Emilia Fox]]) 
Wilma Lettings appears in two consecutive episodes of series three ("Faithless" and "Unconditional Sex") as a woman working in the same office as Jeff. In the first episode, Jeff agrees to go out for a drink with her, but is unsure whether or not it is a date, as they are both in relationships, but her boyfriend is away in Australia and he cannot tell her who his girlfriend is, as Julia does not want anyone in the office to know that they are dating. To further complicate matters, Wilma was present at an incident in which Jeff got his head trapped in a photocopier, and Jeff does not know if she found it funny or horrifying. The second episode starts with Jeff in the bar with Wilma, using an earpiece to allow the others to instruct him on the subtext of the conversation and how to respond. However, this is unnecessary, as Wilma quickly asked Jeff if he fancies her, to which he is forced to say yes, as Julia has taken the phone from Steve and asks him if he loves her at the same moment. Things quickly spiral out of control as Jeff tells Wilma that his girlfriend had recently died, on Jane's suggestion, to get out of 'the fork'. The episode ends with Wilma running out of Jeff's flat after seeing Julia's feet sticking out from under his duvet, when sleeping at his flat.

==Episodes==
{{Main|List of Coupling episodes}}
{{:List of Coupling episodes}}
Four series of ''Coupling'' were produced for the BBC. The first series of six episodes was broadcast on Friday evenings from 12 May to 16 June 2000.<ref name="s1e1"/> Nine episodes were commissioned for the second series, which was broadcast on Monday evenings in Autumn 2001.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/episodes/s2ep1.shtml |title=BBC - Coupling - The Man With Two Legs Episode Guide |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 December 2008}}</ref> The third series, consisting of seven episodes, were broadcast a year later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/episodes/s3ep1.shtml |title=BBC - Coupling - Split Episode Guide |publisher=BBC |access-date=21 December 2008}}</ref> The fourth series was first broadcast on [[BBC Three (former)|BBC Three]] in May and June 2004, although the six episodes were repeated on BBC Two a few months later.<ref>{{cite news |work=Daily Record |date=10 May 2004 |title=Monday Satellite: Satellite Pick of the Day |page=24}}</ref>

The BBC approached Moffat about writing a fifth series, but other commitments made gathering the cast impossible. Moffat began writing for ''[[Doctor Who]]'' when the show was revived in 2005, becoming the show's executive producer and lead writer for ''Doctor Who'''s [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth series]] in 2010.<ref name="McLean">{{cite news |first=Gareth |last=McLean |title=Steven Moffat: The man with a monster of a job  |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/mar/22/stephen-moffat-doctor-who |work=The Guardian |date=22 March 2010 |access-date=22 March 2010}}</ref> However, to finalise ''Coupling'', Moffat posted some short storyline "conclusions" about the eventual fate of the characters on the website [[Outpost Gallifrey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gallifreyone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=70744 |title=Coupling, PBS and the Pledge Drive of Doom. |access-date=2006-03-01 |last=Moffat |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Moffat |date=2006-03-01 |format=free registration required |work=The Doctor Who Forum at Outpost Gallifrey |quote=Sally said yes to Patrick, they got married and are very happy. }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}. The text of the "conclusions" post is reproduced on [http://fatpigeons.com/2006/05/18/coupling-how-it-all-ends/ this blog post] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20161002143242/http://fatpigeons.com/2006/05/18/coupling-how-it-all-ends/ archived] on 10 October 2008).</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/coupling.html |title=UK Comedy Coupling |work=Radio and Telly |access-date=6 September 2014|date=2013-09-16 }}</ref>

==Reception==

Critical reception was generally positive. ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s [[Mark Lawson]] applauded Moffat's writing, specifically assessing the episode "The Girl with Two Breasts" as "comic writing of astonishing originality and invention."<ref name="Lawson"/> The ''[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]'' called the show "frank and funny."<ref>{{cite news |work=Daily Record |date=13 May 2000 |title=Making the Opposite of Sex Tick; 'Coupling' BBC 2, 9.30PMT |page=43}}</ref> Writing in ''[[The Independent]]'', [[Mark Thompson (television executive)|Mark Thompson]], then director of television at the BBC, mentioned Moffat's earlier sitcoms ''Joking Apart'' and ''Chalk'' to suggest "ambition in television is also about sharing the long road to originality and creative achievement."<ref>{{cite news |work=The Independent |location=London |date=20 June 2000 |title=The battle for Auntie's heart and soul; he has been accused of everything from elitism to dumbing down. Here, MARK THOMPSON, Director of Television at the BBC, explains his strategy for changing BBC1 AND BBC2 to reflect changing viewer habits - and improving Newsnight |first=Mark |last=Thompson |author-link=Mark Thompson (television executive) |page=10}}</ref>  ''The Guardian'' also comments, "Moffat ... has long seemed to me one of the most original TV writers and it's good that ratings-crazed television has persevered with him. His particular talent is for intricately plotted sexual farce."<ref>{{cite news|author=ML|work=The Guardian |location=London |date=8 May 2000 |title=Two of a kind |page=17}}</ref> ''The Times'' commented, "Steven Moffat is turning out to be one of the boldest, most inventive, sitcom writers around."<ref>{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Joseph |work=The Times |location=London |date=25 September 2001 |title=Review }}</ref> Scholar James Monaco comments that ''Coupling'' is "witty and elegantly structured ... [taking] the ''Seinfeld''/''Friends'' model to new heights with intricately wrought plots built on the interactions of six young friends. Replete with rich dialogue and bright timing it renewed the British comedy franchise."<ref>{{cite book |title=How to read a film: movies, media, and beyond : art, technology, language ... |first=James |last=Monaco |edition=4 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-532105-0}}</ref>

Various journalists compared the show to the American sitcoms ''Friends'' and ''Seinfeld''. Melbourne's ''The Age'' commented that the show was "as a 'highly original' and 'unrestricted' cross of ''Friends'' and ''Seinfeld''",<ref>{{cite news |work=The Age |location=Melbourne |date=15 February 2001 |title=Networking |first=Brian |last=Courtis |page=6}}</ref> while ''The Guardian'''s Mark Lawson similarly said, "British commissioners have long dreamed that some local comedy lab would clone ''Friends'' or ''Seinfield''. Moffat's managed to cross them while creating a series which feels highly original."<ref name="Lawson">{{cite news |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=5 June 2000 |title=When you do it for a living, watching TV can be a chore. But even the most seasoned critic occasionally finds something genuinely enjoyable.|first=Mark |last=Lawson |author-link=Mark Lawson |page=17}}</ref> Further comparisons were made to ''Friends'' when NBC commissioned an American version of the show in 2003, although some newspapers still pointed out that ''Coupling'' "owes much to ''Seinfeld'', with laugh-out-loud riffs on 'unflushable' exes, escalating 'giggle loops' during solemn moments of silence and 'porn buddies,' who in the event of your sudden demise will remove all of the naughty pictures and videos from your flat before your parents arrive."<ref>{{cite news |work=Dayton Daily News |location=Ohio |date=19 January 2003 |title=RISQUE BUSINESS; Hilarious BBC sitcom pushes boundaries beyond 'Friends'|first=Dave |last=Larsen |page=C3}}</ref> New York's ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]'', which quotes Moffat "boozier, smokier, more shag-infested series" than ''Friends'', also thought that "some characters ... have ties closer to ''Seinfeld'' ... Jane, who, despite her beauty, is so abrasive she's like a female [[Newman (Seinfeld)|Newman]]. And Richard Coyle's Jeff is very much like [[Cosmo Kramer|Kramer]]: He's uncomfortable in a topless club, he explains, because he equates the women to 'porn that can see you'."<ref name="nydailynews">{{cite news |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=17 January 2003 |title=WITH THIS SIX, YOU GET SEX Brit gang back for fun & frolic |first=David |last=BIANCULLI |page=126}}</ref>

''Coupling'' was nominated for several awards, winning some of the accolades. It was awarded the Silver Rose for Best UK Sitcom at the [[Rose d'Or]] Light Entertainment Festival in 2001.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1305502.stm |date=30 April 2001 |work=BBC News |title=Golden Rose for Henry |access-date=6 September 2014}}</ref> It was nominated as "Best TV Comedy" in the 2001 [[British Comedy Awards]], a category it won in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charlie |last=Catchpole|title=LEADER; THE JOKES RUN DRY AT SOBER PRIZE NIGHT |work=The Express |date=15 December 2003 |page=13}}</ref> In 2004, lighting cameraman Martin Kempton was nominated for a [[Royal Television Society]] Craft Award for Best Lighting, Photography and Camera (Lighting for Multicamera) for his work on the fourth series.<ref>{{cite web |title=RTS Craft and Design Winners 2003 - 2004 |url=http://www.rts.org.uk/rts-craft-and-design-winners-2003-2004 |work=Royal Television Society |access-date=6 September 2014|date=2011-01-24 }}</ref>

All four series were released in the UK, US, Israel, Canada, Hungary, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, Portugal, [[Benelux|the Benelux countries]], Kenya, Turkey, and Latin America. In India, selected episodes were telecast on [[Comedy Central]] and BBC, and DVDs are available for sale online.

===Remakes===

In 2001, the American network [[NBC]] commissioned an [[Coupling (American TV series)|adaptation]] of the show, which was reported as a possible replacement for ''Friends'', which was coming to the end of its run.<ref name="nydailynews"/> Working between the third and the last series, Moffat with Sue and Beryl Vertue served as executive producers alongside [[Phoef Sutton]] and [[Ben Silverman]].<ref>{{harvnb|Griffin|2008|p=51}}</ref> Unlike most adaptations, the US version would reuse Moffat's original scripts, although these were adapted by Sutton, and were shortened from the original run-time of 29 minutes to comply with the shorter running time down to about 20 to 22 minutes — NBC has multiple advert breaks, whereas the original broadcaster, BBC Two, has none.<ref>{{harvnb|Griffin|2008 |p=53}}</ref> Other writers, such as [[Danny Zuker]] and Paul Corrigan, worked on episodes later in the series. The adaptation was attacked in the press before the first episode aired, because it was much more sexually explicit than typical American television.<ref name="sysl"/> The US version starred [[Colin Ferguson (actor)|Colin Ferguson]], [[Jay Harrington]], [[Christopher Moynihan]], [[Lindsay Price]], [[Rena Sofer]], and [[Sonya Walger]]; with [[Gina Bellman]], who plays Jane in the original series, making a cameo appearance in the first episode.<ref name="Crupi0614">{{cite news |last=Crupi |first=Anthony |title=Mormon Station Refuses NBC's 'The Playboy Club': Second time church-owned affiliate dumps a series |work=[[Adweek]] |date=14 June 2011 |url=http://www.adweek.com/news/television/mormon-station-refuses-nbcs-playboy-club-132502 |access-date=15 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825000833/http://www.adweek.com/news/television/mormon-station-refuses-nbcs-playboy-club-132502 |archive-date=25 August 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The time slot was Thursday night at 9:30 pm following ''[[Will & Grace]]'', and the show premiered on 25 September 2003.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Catlin|first1=Roger|title=British Imitation|url=https://www.courant.com/2003/09/06/british-imitation/|access-date=8 July 2015|work=Hartford Courant|date=6 September 2003}}</ref> Following a poor audience and critical reception, the series was pulled from the schedules after airing just four episodes. By that point, 10 of 13 episodes commissioned by the network had been filmed; the remaining six remain unaired. Moffat blamed the show's failure on NBC's intervention during the creative and production processes.<ref>{{cite book |title=All the Pieces Matter: A Critical Analysis of HBO's ''The Wire'' |first=Todd Michael |last=Sodano |date=2008 |isbn=978-0549998891}}</ref>
 
A [[Coupling (Greek TV series)|Greek adaptation]] was broadcast on [[ANT1]] in 2007 and 2008.<ref>{{Cite web
 |script-title = el:''Οι τριαντάρηδες του "Κάπλινγκ" στο... μικροσκόπιο''
 |url          = http://www.ethnos.gr/article.asp?catid=11416&subid=2&tag=8448&pubid=149203
 |archive-url  = https://archive.today/20130218003343/http://www.ethnos.gr/article.asp?catid=11416&subid=2&tag=8448&pubid=149203
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-date = 2013-02-18
 |work         = Εθνος (Ethnos)
 |language     = el
 |access-date   = 2010-01-29
}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
*{{cite journal |year=2008 |first=Jeffrey |last=Griffin |title=Coupling Crosses the Atlantic: A Case Study in the Format Adaptation of a Fictional Series |volume=24 |journal=Warsaw Journal for the Study of the United States }}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Coupling}}
*{{BBC programme}}
*{{BBC Online|comedy/coupling|''Coupling''}}
*{{IMDb title|0237123}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|coupling}}
* [http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/coupling/ ''Coupling''] at Phill.co.uk Comedy Guide

{{Steven Moffat}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coupling (British TV series)}}
[[Category:2000 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:2004 British television series endings]]
[[Category:2000s British romantic comedy television series]]
[[Category:2000s British sex comedy television series]]
[[Category:2000s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:BBC romance television shows]]
[[Category:BBC television sitcoms]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Nonlinear narrative television series]]
[[Category:Television series about couples]]
[[Category:Television series by Hartswood Films]]
[[Category:Television shows about casual sex]]
[[Category:Television shows about writers]]
[[Category:Television shows set in London]]
[[Category:Television shows shot at Teddington Studios]]
[[Category:Television shows written by Steven Moffat]]