Best of 2011 – Trollied

2011 has been a strong year for both British and American TV, with some outstanding comedy, and some other, much darker stuff as well. I’ve written a bit about my particular highlights here. For me though, one show stood out above the rest for sheer enjoyment, and it was Trollied, on Sky1. The first sitcom that Sky have commissioned in a number of years, Trollied is set in the Warrington branch of the fictional supermaket Valco, and shows us exactly what we think happens when as a customer, our back is turned. Some of the story arcs bring to mind the best bits of The Office, and as always, it’s the mundane human interactions that ring most true, which is why sharp writing and understated acting is essential. Luckily for us, there’s a great set of characters portrayed by a wonderfully talented cast, with established British talent like Jane Horrocks and Mark Addy, along with relative newcomers such as Nick Blood and Chanel Cresswell, and the soon to be legendary Rita May. It’s genuinely difficult to single any of the characters out to write about, as they’re all really well rounded, and get equal screen time, meaning I could quite happily write an essay on each. But then you’re not here for that, so I’ve put some pretty pictures in instead.

As a big fan of the writing of this show, I am genuinely chuffed to be able to bring you an interview with Nat Saunders, co-creater and part of the writing team, who very generously agreed to answer a few questions.

First of all, congratulations on the massive success of Trollied. Certainly one of my favourite comedies in recent years. How long has it been in development, and were you expecting the level of success it achieved?
Well, thank you! Erm, no, we had no idea when we set out writing it. Our original five man (and ladies) team worked on Trollied on and off for two years alongside Ash Atalla, our producer. It was an exhausting process, but what it did mean was as soon as it came to being cast, the actors had meticulously worked-out scripts to go from. It didn’t really hit home that it was going to actually get made and be shown on telly until we saw the cast say the words in the scripts out loud. And then ehy did such an amazing job, all of them, at getting into the characters, we just knew it’d be a really fun show.

Seemingly a daft question, but how has 2011 been for you, personally?
Haha. Well, it’s been the most hectic year of my life, work-wise. All good, really. Bit of a whirlwind. Trollied came off at the same time as another sitcom pilot, a bunch of sketch shows and a book, so there were times when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Insomnia became a feature. Mustn’t grumble, though, cos I’ve been at the other side of the spectrum – begging producers for work, slaving for months on scripts that go nowhere and you never get paid for, and that’s much worse than being too busy. Much, much worse.

You’ve assembled a great cast, with some big names as well as some relatively unknown talent. How easy was it to get the likes of Jane Horrocks and Mark Addy on board and were you concious of them not necessarily being “the stars” of the show (it being much more of an ensemble)?
That was all down to the producers, so I don’t really know too much about how easy/difficult that was. I think they might have told me but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy banging on about my own crap. But I do know that our writing team were dead excited about the idea of it being a mix of big names (who will, obvs, drive viewers to your show) and relative unknowns (always cool).

When you were writing the character of Margaret, were you hoping she’d become one of the cult comedy figures of the year?
Rita May, who plays Margaret, is a bloody legend. We knew Margaret was funny on paper (or in Final Draft) but when she opened her mouth and said those words aloud for the first time, Margaret became a gajillion percent real. I love Margaret. And Rita.

What other comedies have been your “managers specials” this year (see what I did there, with the comedy supermarket pun)?
Brilliant. Good one. *attempts a weak high five* I’m playing catch-up with a lot of stuff, but it’s been a great year for UK and US comedy, both of which I’m a nerd for. Fresh Meat, Rev, Community, Spy, Parks and Rec, Black Mirror, Psychoville, The Office, Misfits… I’m sure I’ve left some out. But hey, what can you do?

Where will you be spending (or where did you spend) Christmas this year?
I’m spending it with family, in-laws and friends, as ever. Although Xmas makes me a teensy bit humbuggy (at least outwardly) I do secretly kinda like it a bit. I also sometimes put a little bow on my tortoise Linus’s shell, to get us both into the spirit.

What are your plans for 2012? Any particular aims?
Nope. Planning ahead isn’t really a forté for me. I think I’m due a trip to the dentist. I’ll at least try and sort that out.

Lastly, when can we expect to see Trollied back on our screens, and can you give us any hints as to what we can expect to happen at Valco?
Series two is well underway, and begins fliming in Spring 2012, so I imagine it’ll be on the telly sometime late in the Summer. Our writing team is bigger, stronger and noisier than before, we’ve got some ace new characters up our sleeves, all the old ones are coming back, and everything’s going up a notch. Fans are gonna love it. Haters can swivel.

Trollied is repeated on Sky One, and Series One is available on DVD. You can follow Nat Saunders on Twitter (@RatBanjos), and see some brilliant sketches (including the fantastic Misery Bear) at www.wormhotel.com.