If you’re looking for a 30-minute laugh then Alan Carr’s new autobiographical comedy Changing Ends might be your answer.
Based on the comedian’s own life in Northampton in the 1980’s, the six-part series follows him as he navigates puberty and self-discovery, all while under the thumb of his fourth division football manager father.
Described as a “love letter to a time and a town where things weren’t always so inclusive”, Changing Ends sees Alan play himself in present day, while rising star Oliver Savell takes on the role of his younger self.
This is what the critics had to say…
The Guardian (4 Stars)
“Changing Ends emerges as a sillier, warmer cross between Ladhood, Liam Williams’ own fourth-wall-breaking comedy about his youth, and Keeping Up Appearances. That might sound about as appealing as a Frazzle dipped in Tizer, but when he raids the bag of clothes that Ange has donated to charity, young Alan makes it clear that sometimes, clashing patterns just work.”
Radio Times (4 Stars)
“It’s a fantastic feat to have a comedy series that feels so nostalgic and familiar, while also being thoughtful, considered and funny - but Changing Ends holds up its light tone and delivers a considered representation of the attitudes of the ’80s, when being gay and expressive in your sexuality wasn’t “tolerated”, as Carr says.
“Most importantly, though, it displays how even with the persisting closed-mindedness around his teenage identity, young Alan manages to ignore those around him to live fully as his authentic self – and it’s such an undeniable joy to watch.”
The Evening Standard (3 Stars)
“The grown-up Carr’s presence is not really necessary for the show to work but it is fun to have him along for the ride. And perhaps unlike its subject, the running time is thankfully not over the top at a manageable half hour.
“If you’ve seen the superior Toast, the story of Nigel Slater, or read Robert Webb’s How Not to Be a Boy, Changing Ends will not be anything new. Fans of Carr Jr will lap it up, though, and while it’s neither as daring as Sex Education or as original as The Wonder Years, it probably beats an afternoon of watching a Northampton Town side managed by his dad.”
The Telegraph (3 Stars)
“The Carr house comes complete with stone fireplace, rustic scenes on the kitchen tiles and orange blurting from the J&G Meakin Poppy tableware. The lines are peppy too. But they’re all very obviously written in the voice of the adult Carr, which means laughs comes at the expense of distinctive character credibility. And the bubbly mood sometimes sits uncomfortably atop the bigotry, like froth on a bitter cappuccino.”
The Independent (5 Stars)
“Changing Ends, is that most joyous of things: a smart, inventive, honest and charming coming-of-age story. It’s also, in the case of Carr, the making of a national treasure.”
And here’s what viewers are saying...
Changing Ends is streaming now on ITVX.