Adrian Mole: The Complete Series [DVD]

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A pompous, misunderstood teen, Adrian nursed desires both of recognition as a poet, and school friend Pandora. Three years after The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾'s publication at the end of 1982, came both a second volume - The Growing Pains Of Adrian Mole - and an ITV adaptation. A stage adaptation was written by Sue Townsend in 1984 of the first book – The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾: The Play with music and lyrics by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley. It starred Simon Schatzberger as Adrian Mole and Sheila Steafel as Pauline Mole. It was first performed at Phoenix Arts, Leicester and went to Wyndham's Theatre, London in December 1984. Vincent, Alice (20 March 2013). "Adrian Mole diaries to come to end, says Sue Townsend". The Daily Telegraph. London. A stage musical adaptation by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary opened at Leicester's Curve Theatre in March 2015. Townsend had been working on the project at the time of her death in 2014. [7] References [ edit ] Stephen had a long and varied career both before and after Adrian Mole (Image: Joby Sessions/SFX Magazine/Future via Getty Images)

Mr Reginald 'Popeye' Scruton ( Freddie Jones) is Adrian and Pandora's abrasive and volatile headmaster, who is a huge admirer of the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Apart from the humorous events described in the diary, a lot of the book's humour originates from the unreliable narration of Mole, who naïvely, yet confidently, misinterprets events around him. George leaves the family home, and Adrian and his mum face straitened circumstances. With her Giro cheque three weeks late, Pauline takes an extreme course of action...Mr. Lambert-Fossington-Gore (né Lambert) is Adrian's form tutor. He is very kind to Adrian; he takes him to a café where he gives Adrian advice on his domestic situations, however he stops this after the entire class asks him for advice. He later marries Miss Fossington-Gore. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in law at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, Mangan took a year out to care for his mother, Mary, who died of colon cancer at age 45. Weeks after her death, he auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and went on to study there for three years. Christine Spicer-Woods represents an independent political party called S.L.A.G. (Socialist Lesbians Against Globalisation) and runs for Leicester MP in the 1997 election; she is defeated when Pandora Braithwaite wins the seat for Labour. Throughout its run, the show recast major characters, such as when Julie Walters left the show after the first series as Adrian's mother Pauline Mole, to be replaced by Scottish singing star Lulu i

Mangan's breakthrough television performance was as Adrian Mole in the six-part BBC TV show series Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years in 2001. [13] That same year he appeared in Sword of Honour on Channel 4, alongside Daniel Craig. He needn’t have gone to Specsavers. Despite the television series casting its lead bespectacled, Adrian makes no reference in his first diary to wearing spectacles nor attending opticians’ appointments. Sue said she never visualised Adrian facially; it wasn’t until she saw John Major (who was UK prime minister from 1990-97) on television that she finally realised what Adrian looked like. Adrian’s mum Pauline was just as bad as his dad, being consistently out of a job and wandering off with other partners, but things were more straightforward for those playing her. Adrian continues to battle valiantly against the slings and arrows of growing up and his own family's attempts to scar him for life. Following on from 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4', it is now 1982 and Adrian is 15.

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Hemley, Matthew (4 January 2008). "Mangan to star in theatre agent comedy for C4". The Stage . Retrieved 16 May 2016. In a 2013 interview, Townsend discussed her plans to wrap up the series in two further volumes, but also the fact that her continually declining health might make this plan impossible. [5] Like most 13 ¾ year olds, Adrian has a burgeoning interest in sex. Oddly, he takes regular measurements of his private parts and records the continually varying results in a graph, that he hides in plain sight, on his wall, marked “Norwegian Leather Exports”. Now, that’s nerdy. He seems to interpret the results as a kind of barometer of how things are going in life. On one occasion he accidentally catches a view of his neighbour’s underwear, and remarks to himself that it is surprisingly sexy for a church-going, middle-aged woman. Symbolically, this represents Adrian getting a view beneath the respectable veneer of society and its treatment of sex. His attempts to hide his top shelf “girlie” mags from his mum were another touchstone of adolescence in the 1980s. Shrewd observations such as this, on the part of Sue Townsend, are part of the reason that books were so successful. Adrian Mole ( Gian Sammarco) is the main character of the series and also serves as narrator. His character on screen is shown wearing spectacles as well as wearing ties often when not at school, points not mentioned in the book. Review: One father with two secret families. Life is complicated in the comedy 'Bliss' - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. 15 August 2018.

A theatrical adaptation has been performed in many parts of the world, e.g. by the Roo Theatre in Australia Leonard "Len" and Doreen "Dore" Legg are the proprietors of the Lendore Spa Hotel. The couple are miserable, penny-pinching people and are reluctant to give decent bar facilities to George and Pauline Mole and Sharon Bott. The couple charge a ridiculous price for the minibars in their bedrooms. They do not provide bar food after 10:30pm, and do not cook a decent breakfast. Production of sequels was interrupted by Townsend's declining health. At the time Adrian Mole – The Weapons of Mass Destruction was published in 2004, Townsend stated it would be the last Adrian Mole volume. However, in an interview on Leicester hospital station Radio Fox on 5 June 2008, Townsend said that she was in fact writing a new Mole book entitled The Prostrate Years, which was released in 2009. In October 2009 the Leicester Mercury featured an interview with Townsend where she discussed the new Mole book and her plans for future works. [2]

There’s no other place to start than with Adrian himself. Played by Northampton-born Giancarlo - Gian - Sammarco, the awkward teen was played with perfection by Gian who captured the world of Adrian, even if his glasses and ties were not part of the source material. The series was mainly filmed on location in the Braunstone and South Wigston areas of Leicester. The Moles' house and street were actually filmed in Ludlow Close, South Harrow and Adrian's school scenes at 'Neil Armstrong Comprehensive' were all filmed at Hammersmith School in West London (now Phoenix High). Whilst being set in Leicester, which is in the East Midlands, some of the characters speak with a distinct West Midlands accent (e.g. Birmingham, Coventry, etc.). Cavendish, Dominic (29 June 2012). "Birthday, Royal Court, review". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Adrian is the Head Chef in a top Soho restaurant, and currently lives in the upstairs room of the restaurant; the rest of his family live in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. He is estranged from his wife Jo Jo, a Nigerian woman who has returned to her home country following their separation, and they are in the middle of a divorce. The real love of Adrian's life is, as ever, Pandora, who is now standing for Labour MP of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. Pandora's full name is revealed as Pandora Louise Elizabeth Braithwaite in the novel.