I personally thought the finale was excellent and the best episode since the first, very heartwarming and nice to watch, and I like the idea of Leo and Judy running away together gives closure on the series but also leaves it open for another- Reminds me very much of Hebburn which I loved so I do hope we get to have another series
Hard for me to judge it objectively, of course. As a lot of it was like reading an autobiography I have never written.
But I did enjoy the performances and even grew to endure the wider families.
Not sure it has done enough to deserve a second series. But I will watch it if it does as it was always amiable and the central relationship is a story you want to follow. But the ratings are as so/so as the size of this thread and the reaction of most without any vested interest in the story.
And we learn today that East Enders has cast its first trans actor to play a young FtM trans character. So that is going to be interesting to watch and just might take the pressure off the BBC politically if they do decide to cancel this show due to its ratings.
Okay the final episode got 800K viewers - that is a fall from 881K the week before - meaning that the show lost viewers every single week. And around half its starting audience over the full run.
Unfortunately, for anyone hoping for a series 2 that is not a good profile for any series and whilst Cradle to Grave also fell over the weeks it still got 1.4 million and pro rata held up a little better over the past 6 weeks.
Still a chance as the BBC should not be entirely ratings dependent but I think the odds are slightly under 50/50 there will be a series 2. Hope I am underestimating here.
Either way it is good in the sense that it normalised the subject so well that it ended up being judged like any other show on reactions to it as a sit com, not its issue.
Truthfully that is how it ought to be judged as a TV programme.
What I'd like to know, although I doubt there is any evidence either way, is whether people stopped watching because of the subject matter or because the quality of the comedy wasn't as good as people were hoping for.
I suspect it was the latter, but it might also have been curiosity about the subject matter, a bit of titillation.
I hope it gets a 2nd series and that the Beeb don't care about the ratings in this case.
I think only a few people watched to giggle at a trans woman kissing a man and switched off after that. Probably a very small number.
As an issue it is already more normal today than had they made this show 10 years ago let alone 20 or 30. So I suspect it was more of a big deal to the trans community than it ever was to the 99% of the rest of the population.
They will have purely tuned in to see if it was funny as a sit com - and, whilst it had its moments, at best it was no big deal at doing that. Which will have been enough to drive them away bit by bit.
Based on the responses on here and in other sources some have unexpectedly found they loved the central relationship of Judy and Leo and started to root for them. The trans issue was subsumed by the love story and was what possibly made them carry on watching when they otherwise might have drifted away too.
Which is why it ended up with a reasonable core audience towards the end of 800/900,000 (just over 4% of the TV watching audience) who watched the first screening on Thursdays. Of the other 700,000 who dropped out over the weeks my guesstimate is that at most 200,000 lost interest because of the subject or they did not take to the lead couple (as after all it was well signalled up front in the shows promotion) and the other half million just did not find it funny enough to seek out and watch every week.
For me the problem was that it tried to be two very different things - a gentle love story about a couple against the odds - and a riotous family sit com with manic characters.
Most viewers wanted one of those two things above the other and put up with the parts they did not like somewhat.
In the end it was much better at being a nice love story battle against the odds than it was as a riotous sit com.
So whether it worked or not for you was always going to split the audience.
I enjoyed the first episode, wasn't sure if I'd stick with it after the second, but glad that I did.
Thoroughly enjoyed the last episode. It reminded me a little, as others have said, of the excellent Hebburn. I thought the extended family characters improved as the series went on, I even liked the annoying brother by the end.
It wasn't laugh-out-loud funny but amusing and had a lot of charm. I hope there's a second series.
Cylon6 in the ratings thread on this same page has linked to an interview with the BBC on the future of Boy Meets Girl if you want to read it.
Post 8136 at 18.50 tonight.
Looks like good news. They want a series 2, are pleased with the show and are discussing with the writer where the story could go from here in order to finalise plans.
According to the Radio Times, the BBC seem keen to make a second series.
I really hope if they do they concentrate 90% of the episodes on the main characters now, or drop the families altogether and have Judy and Leo move in together somewhere away from home.
Denise Welch continues to be a toe-curlingly bad actress and I want to throw things at the TV when she appears. Her character is rather unlikable and I don't think she's meant to be, it's her bad acting making the character seem worse than intended. I really hope they recast the role or drop her as a character. Perhaps Leo's parents get divorced and it puts a strain on he and Judy's relationship or something.
As noted in my post above, the interview with the BBC on what is happening was posted last week in the Ratings Thread. It does look like there will be a second series if the storyline goes somewhere else worth travelling.
Interestingly, not only have the BBC cast a Mtf actress as a non trans character in Doctor Who and a FtM trans actor in a regular trans role in East Enders but Channel 4 have also cast a MtF trans actress as the new trans teacher in the High School in Hollyoaks.
So after a trans actress playing a trans character in a sit com we now have two trans characters in ongoing soap roles both played by trans actors.
The revolution has arrived.
Incidentally Channel 4 pointed out that Rebecca Root had filmed a small (non trans) role in Hollyoaks earlier this year. So with real trans non actress (Paris Lees) - who played herself - also in Hollyoaks this year, then they are proving to be very committed to helping that revolution along.
Did anyone see Rebecca in Hollyoaks to know what role she had?
I enjoyed the first episode, wasn't sure if I'd stick with it after the second, but glad that I did.
Thoroughly enjoyed the last episode. It reminded me a little, as others have said, of the excellent Hebburn. I thought the extended family characters improved as the series went on, I even liked the annoying brother by the end.
It wasn't laugh-out-loud funny but amusing and had a lot of charm. I hope there's a second series.
I felt exactly the same. Enjoyed the first episode then started to go off the programme when it began to focus on the families. But I stuck with it because the interaction and chemistry between the lead characters was so full of humour and charm.
I agree, the family members did gradually improve, particulary the father, and even the younger brother wasn't quite so obnoxious towards the end.
It wasn't a "must see" for me, but I'd welcome a second series.
Stuck with it and by the end was looking at it as an age difference comedy, thought the last episode was the best, would probably watch a second series.
As per the series 2 thread so as to keep it in one place.
Series 2 starts next Wednesday - July 6 - on BBC 2 at 10 pm.
Same cast as before plus a newcomer - a trans actor who plays a young trans man.
Trans activist Paris Lees guest stars as a trans group moderator.
The new Radio Times in shops now has a double page spread on Transgender Trailblazers featuring Q & As with Rebecca Root and her new trans co star and the trans actors who have joined East Enders and Hollyoaks since series 1 of Boy Meets Girl.
Can't imagine there's a huge audience for this given that Guardian readers probably don't watch sitcoms, and people who watch sitcoms will probably think it's too PC.
Can't imagine there's a huge audience for this given that Guardian readers probably don't watch sitcoms, and people who watch sitcoms will probably think it's too PC.
I gave it a try with the hope that it wouldn't be an over the top PC vehicle and enjoyed it, it was a lighthearted sitcom where the humour is just humour , it wasn't PC at all which I was pleased about as it shows you can do a subject without it coming across as a lecture and whilst it is doing that it will be educating some people.
Glad this got a second series. I hope people keep in mind that this a comedy-drama (dramady?) and NOT an out-and-out sitcom.
Bitching that it wasn't funny enough means you were really hoping to watch a sitcom. My advice is to crack out the Rising Damp box set and watch that for a bit before tuning into Boy Meets Girl.
Exactly the point. This is a love story with a twist. And very true to life (having been in many of the situations portrayed for real).
It is deliberately not written as a laugh a minute sit com but as a story of relationships with humour that is not afraid to laugh at the trans scenario.
That is why it is important that the trans characters are played by trans actors so it cannot credibly be argued it is being needlessly crass in the way that the Absolutely Fabulous movie might conceivably get accused of given some of its 'trannie jokes'.
Politically correct is a description only someone who has not watched Boy Meets Girl could offer about it from assumption based on its premise. Happily it is no such thing and was well received for series 1 by those who watched which is why it has been brought back.
A shame that the trailer on the BBC spoilers the Paris Lees/Denise Welch scene though.
Comments
But I did enjoy the performances and even grew to endure the wider families.
Not sure it has done enough to deserve a second series. But I will watch it if it does as it was always amiable and the central relationship is a story you want to follow. But the ratings are as so/so as the size of this thread and the reaction of most without any vested interest in the story.
And we learn today that East Enders has cast its first trans actor to play a young FtM trans character. So that is going to be interesting to watch and just might take the pressure off the BBC politically if they do decide to cancel this show due to its ratings.
But fingers crossed. You never know.
Unfortunately, for anyone hoping for a series 2 that is not a good profile for any series and whilst Cradle to Grave also fell over the weeks it still got 1.4 million and pro rata held up a little better over the past 6 weeks.
Still a chance as the BBC should not be entirely ratings dependent but I think the odds are slightly under 50/50 there will be a series 2. Hope I am underestimating here.
Either way it is good in the sense that it normalised the subject so well that it ended up being judged like any other show on reactions to it as a sit com, not its issue.
Truthfully that is how it ought to be judged as a TV programme.
I suspect it was the latter, but it might also have been curiosity about the subject matter, a bit of titillation.
I hope it gets a 2nd series and that the Beeb don't care about the ratings in this case.
As an issue it is already more normal today than had they made this show 10 years ago let alone 20 or 30. So I suspect it was more of a big deal to the trans community than it ever was to the 99% of the rest of the population.
They will have purely tuned in to see if it was funny as a sit com - and, whilst it had its moments, at best it was no big deal at doing that. Which will have been enough to drive them away bit by bit.
Based on the responses on here and in other sources some have unexpectedly found they loved the central relationship of Judy and Leo and started to root for them. The trans issue was subsumed by the love story and was what possibly made them carry on watching when they otherwise might have drifted away too.
Which is why it ended up with a reasonable core audience towards the end of 800/900,000 (just over 4% of the TV watching audience) who watched the first screening on Thursdays. Of the other 700,000 who dropped out over the weeks my guesstimate is that at most 200,000 lost interest because of the subject or they did not take to the lead couple (as after all it was well signalled up front in the shows promotion) and the other half million just did not find it funny enough to seek out and watch every week.
For me the problem was that it tried to be two very different things - a gentle love story about a couple against the odds - and a riotous family sit com with manic characters.
Most viewers wanted one of those two things above the other and put up with the parts they did not like somewhat.
In the end it was much better at being a nice love story battle against the odds than it was as a riotous sit com.
So whether it worked or not for you was always going to split the audience.
What I was saying in 1000 words but succinctly expressed by you.
Though it had a few laughs I thought.
However, your post sums up perfectly the problem with Boy Meets Girl and why it may not get a second series.
Thoroughly enjoyed the last episode. It reminded me a little, as others have said, of the excellent Hebburn. I thought the extended family characters improved as the series went on, I even liked the annoying brother by the end.
It wasn't laugh-out-loud funny but amusing and had a lot of charm. I hope there's a second series.
Post 8136 at 18.50 tonight.
Looks like good news. They want a series 2, are pleased with the show and are discussing with the writer where the story could go from here in order to finalise plans.
I really hope if they do they concentrate 90% of the episodes on the main characters now, or drop the families altogether and have Judy and Leo move in together somewhere away from home.
Denise Welch continues to be a toe-curlingly bad actress and I want to throw things at the TV when she appears. Her character is rather unlikable and I don't think she's meant to be, it's her bad acting making the character seem worse than intended. I really hope they recast the role or drop her as a character. Perhaps Leo's parents get divorced and it puts a strain on he and Judy's relationship or something.
Interestingly, not only have the BBC cast a Mtf actress as a non trans character in Doctor Who and a FtM trans actor in a regular trans role in East Enders but Channel 4 have also cast a MtF trans actress as the new trans teacher in the High School in Hollyoaks.
So after a trans actress playing a trans character in a sit com we now have two trans characters in ongoing soap roles both played by trans actors.
The revolution has arrived.
Incidentally Channel 4 pointed out that Rebecca Root had filmed a small (non trans) role in Hollyoaks earlier this year. So with real trans non actress (Paris Lees) - who played herself - also in Hollyoaks this year, then they are proving to be very committed to helping that revolution along.
Did anyone see Rebecca in Hollyoaks to know what role she had?
That is good news indeed. Thanks for the update.
I felt exactly the same. Enjoyed the first episode then started to go off the programme when it began to focus on the families. But I stuck with it because the interaction and chemistry between the lead characters was so full of humour and charm.
I agree, the family members did gradually improve, particulary the father, and even the younger brother wasn't quite so obnoxious towards the end.
It wasn't a "must see" for me, but I'd welcome a second series.
I liked the two main characters and the father. A good show.
Great, i really enjoyed this.
Series 2 starts next Wednesday - July 6 - on BBC 2 at 10 pm.
Same cast as before plus a newcomer - a trans actor who plays a young trans man.
Trans activist Paris Lees guest stars as a trans group moderator.
The new Radio Times in shops now has a double page spread on Transgender Trailblazers featuring Q & As with Rebecca Root and her new trans co star and the trans actors who have joined East Enders and Hollyoaks since series 1 of Boy Meets Girl.
I gave it a try with the hope that it wouldn't be an over the top PC vehicle and enjoyed it, it was a lighthearted sitcom where the humour is just humour , it wasn't PC at all which I was pleased about as it shows you can do a subject without it coming across as a lecture and whilst it is doing that it will be educating some people.
Bitching that it wasn't funny enough means you were really hoping to watch a sitcom. My advice is to crack out the Rising Damp box set and watch that for a bit before tuning into Boy Meets Girl.
It is deliberately not written as a laugh a minute sit com but as a story of relationships with humour that is not afraid to laugh at the trans scenario.
That is why it is important that the trans characters are played by trans actors so it cannot credibly be argued it is being needlessly crass in the way that the Absolutely Fabulous movie might conceivably get accused of given some of its 'trannie jokes'.
Politically correct is a description only someone who has not watched Boy Meets Girl could offer about it from assumption based on its premise. Happily it is no such thing and was well received for series 1 by those who watched which is why it has been brought back.
A shame that the trailer on the BBC spoilers the Paris Lees/Denise Welch scene though.