Timewasters: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:03, 30 August 2021

Revision as of 22:11, 30 August 2021

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| creator = [[Daniel Lawrence Taylor]]

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| writer = [[Daniel Lawrence Taylor]], [[Barunka O'Shaughnessy]]

| story =

| director = [[George Kane (director)|George Kane]]

| creative_director =

| starring = [[Adelayo Adedayo]], [[Daniel Lawrence Taylor]], [[Josh Cole]], [[Kadiff Kirwan]], [[Samson Kayo]]

| theme_music_composer =

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| first_aired = {{Start date|2017|10|09|df=yes}}

| last_aired = {{End date|2019|04|08|df=yes}}

| related = <!-- To be used only for remakes, spin-offs, and adaptations. If US version gets its own article, it can be linked here.-->

| website = <!-- Remove or comment out this parameter line completely if URL exists on or is moved to Wikidata; use |website_title= to change the display title. -->

| production_website = https://www.bigtalkproductions.com/production/timewasters/ <!-- use |production_website_title= to change the display title. -->

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'''''Timewasters''''' is a British satirical time-travel comedytelevision seriesprogramme, first broadcast on [[ITV2]] in 2017 with a second series broadcast in 2019. It was created by [[Daniel Lawrence Taylor]] and written by Taylor and [[Barunka O'Shaughnessy]]. It was produced for ITV Studios by Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice of [[Big Talk Productions]]. Episodes were directed by [[George Kane (director)|George Kane]]. The seriesprogramme stars Taylor, [[Adelayo Adedayo]], [[Samson Kayo]] and [[Kadiff Kirwan]] as the members of an unsuccessful all-black South London [[jazz quartet]] who time-travel to the [[1920s in jazz|1920s]], and later the [[1950s in jazz|1950s]], visiting the [[Jazz Age]] and post-war [[cool jazz]] period while experiencing culture clashes as they maneuver in the unfamiliar eras.<ref name="DeadlineIMDb"/>

Critical response to the programme was generally favourable, with praise for its originality in addressing racism through the comedic insertion of modernity into a period setting. It is also known for satirizing [[historical drama]]s and their lack of diversity. There was critical praise for the writing, direction, chemistry of the main cast, and music. Taylor won the Breakthrough Award at the 2018 [[Royal Television Society]] Programme Awards, and the programme was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the [[2018 British Academy Television Awards]].

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== Development ==

The seriesprogramme was created by Taylor, who began working on it in 2015.<ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|2:45}} He recalled that "I wanted to write a comedy for young black actors and I saw that shows such as ''[[The Inbetweeners]]'', ''[[Drifters (TV series)|Drifters]]'' and ''[[Plebs (TV series)|Plebs]]'' were doing well."<ref name="RTSHit"/> Taylor was learning to play the trumpet{{efn|Taylor had been performing as half of the comedy duo Ginger and Black,<ref name="RTSHit"/> in which his partner could play numerous instruments while he couldn't play any.<ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|3:20}}}} and this interest led him to write about a black jazz band in the 1920s.<ref name="RTSTravel"/> While acting on post-apocalyptic romantic-comedy ''[[Cockroaches (TV series)|Cockroaches]]'', Taylor decided to use a [[high concept]] and added time travel.<ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|3:50}} He wrote a [[spec script]] with the working title ''Black to the Future'',{{efn|The working title ''Black to the Future'' was changed following objections from [[Universal Pictures]], which owns the rights to ''[[Back to the Future]]''.<ref name="RTSHit"/> This film was referenced in the series two&nbsp;2 premiere, in which three of the quartet say they'd never seen it.}}<ref name="RTSHit"/> which was later changed to ''Blackwards'' and then ''Timewasters''.<ref name="BCGInterview"/> Although racial themes run throughout the seriesprogramme, Taylor has said that it is "first and foremost ... a comedy."<ref name="RTSHit"/>

''Timewasters'' is Taylor's first project writing for scripted television. He worked with an editor provided by [[Big Talk Productions]] and improved his script over a few drafts.<ref name="RTSHit"/> According to Taylor, the series came at a time when there were "discussion[s] about putting more black talent on screen".<ref name="RTSHit"/> His spec script drew interest from ITV, where he was already working on ''Cockroaches''.<ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|4:35}} They commissioned a rehearsal reading.<ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|7:10}} Casting was made through auditions; though the main cast hadn't worked together before, they had a quick chemistry and studio executives thought they were longtime friends.<ref name="RTSHit"/><ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|8:40}}

The series was produced by Big Talk Productions for ITV Studios.<ref name="DeadlineIMDb"/>

He worked with [[Barunka O'Shaughnessy]] and through a series of drafts they improved the humour and pacing of his stories.<ref name="RTSHit"/>

Taylor had already outlined and started writing a third series.<ref name="RTSHit"/><ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|44:20}}

''Timewasters'' is Taylor's first project writing for scripted television. He worked with an editor provided by [[Big Talk Productions]], who were producing ''Cockroaches'' for ITV, and improved his script over a few drafts.<ref name="RTSHit"/> According to Taylor, the programme came at a time when there were "discussion[s] about putting more black talent on screen".<ref name="RTSHit"/> His spec script drew interest from ITV,<ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|4:35}} which commissioned a rehearsal reading.<ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|7:10}} Casting was made through auditions; though the main cast hadn't worked together before, they had a quick chemistry and studio executives thought they were longtime friends.<ref name="RTSHit"/><ref name="RTSPanel"/>{{rp|8:40}} Taylor then worked with [[Barunka O'Shaughnessy]] and through a series of drafts they improved the humour and pacing of his stories for the first series.<ref name="RTSHit"/>

== Production ==

The seriesprogramme was shot in [[Liverpool]], taking advantage of the [[Georgian architecture]] in the city<ref name="HoughtonLiverpool"/><ref name="RTSHit"/> and period buildings including the [[Liverpool Athenaeum]]<ref name="BonaLiverpool"/> and [[Martins Bank Building]].<ref name="HoughtonMartins"/> Series director [[George Kane (director)|George Kane]] used a cinematic look for the high-concept sitcom. Modern-day scenes used fixed-camera shots, hard surfaces, fluorescent lights and colour schemes that wouldn't appear in earlier periods. For the past, he used handheld cameras to give a sense of unpredictability. The 1920s scenes had a cohesive colour palette for props and wardrobe, while the 1950s scenes emulated the vivid [[Technicolor]] movies of that time.<ref name="RTSHit"/>

=== Music ===

The cast took lessons to act like they could play their instruments, but don't play any music in the series.<ref name="RTSTravel"/><ref name="BCGInterview"/>

Original[[Nick musicFoster]] wasand Oli Julian composed bythe Olioriginal Julianmusic for the programme and [[Nickarranged Foster]]the jazzy covers of modern songs.<ref name="LBBscore"/> Foster posted the ''Timewasters Season One Original Soundtrack'' on his [[Soundcloud]] account.<ref name="S1OST"/> Jazzy covers of modernCover songs include "[[Hey Ya!]]", "[[Return of the Mack]]",<ref name="GizmodoReview"/> and "[[Back to Black (song)|Back to Black]]".<ref name="GGA"/>

Songs in series 2 include "[[This Is How We Do It]]" (episode 1), "[[Flowers (Sweet Female Attitude song)|Flowers (In the Pouring Rain)]]" (episode 2), "[[Brown Sugar (D'Angelo song)|Brown Sugar]]", and "[[The Cleftones|My Angel Lover]]" (episode 3), "[[Do You Really Like It?]]" (episode 4), and "[[No Letting Go (song)|No Letting Go]]" (episode 5).

== Themes ==

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Central themes in the series are race and injustices based on race, gender, and social status.<ref name="RTSRock"/> Taylor stated that setting the first series in the 1920s provided distance which made it less awkward to address racial issues.<ref name="RTSTravel"/>

Jimi Famuewa wrote for the ''[[Evening Standard]]'' that ''Timewasters'' challenged the way in which black characters are portrayed in period dramas.<ref name="FamuewaPeriod"/>

== Release ==

The seriesprogramme premiered on 9 October 2017 on ITV2.<ref name="KhaleeliSubverted"/> The second series was first broadcast 11&nbsp;March to 8&nbsp;April 2019 on ITV2.<ref name="RT2"/>

The seriesprogramme had its North American premiere streaming on [[CBC Gem]] in May&nbsp;2020,<ref name="Gem1"/> with the second series available in September&nbsp;2020.<ref name="Gem2"/> The seriesIt premiered in the US on Amazon streaming service [[IMDb&nbsp;TV]] on 11&nbsp;June 2021.<ref name="DeadlineIMDb"/><ref name="NewYorker"/>

== Reception ==

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=== Critical response ===

Joel Keller of ''[[Decider (website)|Decider]]'' recommended the programme, finding it to have unexpected humour in the way it treats racism "head on without taking itself ... seriously".<ref name="Decider"/> Homa Khaleeli wrote for ''[[The Guardian]]'' that ''Timewasters'' challenges the archetypes and lack of diversity in period dramas.<ref name="KhaleeliSubverted"/> Cheryl Eddy of ''[[Gizmodo]]'' described the series as a sharply satirical comedy which expertly draws humour from racism. She praised the writing, the music, and the chemistry between the four lead actors.<ref name="GizmodoReview"/> Melody McCune of ''Geek Girl Authority'' wrote that the series "deftly and brilliantly doles out social commentary" of systemic racism in life and in media. She praised the writing, the chemistry of the leads, and the music.<ref name="GGA"/>

Homa Khaleeli wrote for ''[[The Guardian]]'' that ''Timewasters'' challenges the archetypes and lack of diversity in period dramas.<ref name="KhaleeliSubverted"/>

Angelica Guarino of [[Common Sense Media]] thoroughly enjoyed the programme, calling it "harmoniously ambitious, off-beat, and fast paced," with uniform story arcs. She particularly praised Taylor's performance, and encouraged parents to discuss with their children the racial issues raised and how it can be "empowering to make jokes about serious topics".<ref name="CSM"/>

Cheryl Eddy of ''[[Gizmodo]]'' described the series as a sharply satirical comedy which expertly draws humour from racism. She praised the writing, the music, and the chemistry between the four lead actors.<ref name="GizmodoReview"/>

Noah Berlatsky of [[NBC News]] wrote that the "wonderful comedy ... subvert[s] heroic white narratives" of genre productions, using "hypervisible" outsider underdog characters who eschew expectations as their endeavours backfire, while broadly mocking the white characters who believe themselves special.<ref name="NBCreview"/> Agathe Devionot of ''Just Focus'' felt that the series was a perfect fusion of comedy with the modernity of the main characters encountering cultural shock in the time-travel scenario. Devionot praised the "comic genius" of the main cast and the collaboration between writer and director.<ref name="JustFocus"/>

Melody McCune of ''Geek Girl Authority'' wrote that the series "deftly and brilliantly doles out social commentary" of systemic racism in life and in media. She praised the writing, the chemistry of the leads, and the music.<ref name="GGA"/>

The series was praised by members of the [[Royal Television Society]] (RTS): Ed Gove noted the rarity of an all-black central cast on British TV, and summed up the programme's attitude toward race with a joke from the pilot: "People like us never get to time travel – it's what white people do, like skiing or brunch."<ref name="RTSTravel"/> Matthew Bell compared ''Timewasters'' to ''[[Derry Girls]]'' and ''[[Home (British TV series)|Home]]'', for finding humour in dark subject matter.<ref name="RTSHit"/> Kate Holman wrote that the programme "challenges the traditional period drama" and expertly draws comedy from the juxtaposition of past and present prejudices.<ref name="RTSRock"/>

Angelica Guarino of [[Common Sense Media]] thoroughly enjoyed the series, calling it "harmoniously ambitious, off-beat, and fast paced," with uniform story arcs. She particularly praised Taylor's performance, and encouraged parents to discuss with their children the racial issues raised and how it can be "empowering to make jokes about serious topics".<ref name="CSM"/>

On 3 April 2019, RTS London presented a livestreamed panel discussion, ''Timewasters: Production Focus'', in which the programme was discussed by Adedayo, Kane, Kayo and Taylor. [[British Film Institute]] lead programmer and event chair Justin Johnson<ref name="RTSHit"/><ref name="RTSFocus"/> opened by stating that ''Timewasters'' "successfully combined a science fiction premise with a period setting [and] a full-on comedy."<ref name="RTSPanel"/>

Noah Berlatsky of [[NBC News]] wrote that the "wonderful comedy ... subvert[s] heroic white narratives" of genre productions, using "hypervisible" outsider underdog characters who eschew expectations as their endeavours backfire, while broadly mocking the white characters who believe themselves special.<ref name="NBCreview"/>

Joel Keller of [[Decider (website)|Decider]] recommended the series, finding it to have unexpected humour in the way it treats racism "head on without taking itself ... seriously".<ref name="Decider"/>

Agathe Devionot of ''Just Focus'' felt that the series was a perfect fusion of comedy with the modernity of the main characters encountering cultural shock in the time-travel scenario. Devionot praised the "comic genius" of the main cast and the collaboration between writer and director.<ref name="JustFocus"/>

Ed Gove of the [[Royal Television Society]] (RTS) noted the rarity of an all-black central cast on British TV, and summed up the show's attitude toward race with a joke from the pilot: "People like us never get to time travel – it's what white people do, like skiing or brunch."<ref name="RTSTravel"/> Also writing for RTS, Matthew Bell of the [[Royal Television Society]] (RTS) compared ''Timewasters'' to ''[[Derry Girls]]'' and ''[[Home (British TV series)|Home]]'', for finding humour in dark subject matter.<ref name="RTSHit"/> Kate Holman wrote for RTS that the series "challenges the traditional period drama" and expertly draws comedy from the juxtaposition of past and present prejudices.<ref name="RTSRock"/>

On 3 April 2019, RTS London presented a livestreamed panel discussion on the series, ''Timewasters: Production Focus'', in which the series was discussed by Adedayo, Kane, Kayo and Taylor. [[British Film Institute]] lead programmer and event chair Justin Johnson<ref name="RTSHit"/><ref name="RTSFocus"/> opened by stating that ''Timewasters'' "successfully combined a science fiction premise with a period setting [and] a full-on comedy."<ref name="RTSPanel"/>

=== Nominations and awards ===

The programme was recognized at several national awards ceremonies. Taylor won the Breakthrough Award at the 2018 RTS Programme Awards.<ref name="RTSHit"/> The series was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the [[2018 British Academy Television Awards]]<ref name="HuffBafta"/> and Taylor and O'Shaughnessy were nominated for Best Comedy Writing on Television at the 2018 [[British Screenwriters' Awards]].<ref name="BSA"/>

The series was nominated for Best Scripted Comedy at the [[2018 British Academy Television Awards]].<ref name="HuffBafta"/>

Taylor and O'Shaughnessy were nominated for Best Comedy Writing on Television at the 2018 British Screenwriters' Awards.<ref name="BSA"/>

Taylor was nominated for Best Breakthrough Talent at the 2018 [[Edinburgh International Television Festival]] Awards.<ref name="ETVA"/>

On the Best Comedy Programme 'shortlist' for the 2019 Broadcast Digital Awards.<ref name="BCG-BDA"/><ref name="BDA"/>

''Timewasters'' series&nbsp;2 won Best Comedy Programme at the 2019 RTS North West Awards; Kayo won for Best Performance in a Comedy, a category in which Taylor was also nominated.<ref name="RTSnorthwest"/>

{| class="wikitable"

‘Timewasters’ in 2017 won Taylor the RTS Breakthrough Award and a BAFTA-nomination for Best Scripted Comedy. The second series, which aired in March this year, has already garnered multiple nominations at the RTS North West Awards, MViSAs and Screen Nation Awards.{{cn}}

|-

! style="text-align:center;"|Year

! style="text-align:center;"|Ceremony

! style="text-align:center;"|Category

! style="text-align:center;"|Nominee or recipient

! style="text-align:center;"|Result

! style="text-align:center;"|Ref

|-

| rowspan="4" | 2018

| RTS Programme Awards

| Breakthrough Award

| [[Daniel Lawrence Taylor]]

| {{won}}

| <ref name="RTSHit"/>

|-

| [[2018 British Academy Television Awards|British Academy Television Awards]]

| Best Scripted Comedy

| ''Timewasters'' series&nbsp;1

| {{nom}}

| <ref name="HuffBafta"/>

|-

| [[British Screenwriters' Awards]]

| Best Comedy Writing on Television

| Daniel Lawrence Taylor and [[Barunka O'Shaughnessy]]

| {{nom}}

|<ref name="BSA"/>

|-

| [[Edinburgh International Television Festival]]

| Best Breakthrough Talent

| Daniel Lawrence Taylor

| {{nom}}

| <ref name="ETVA"/>

|-

| rowspan="4" | 2019

| Broadcast Digital Awards

| Best Comedy Programme

| ''Timewasters'' series&nbsp;2

| {{nom|Shortlisted}}

| <ref name="BCG-BDA"/><ref name="BDA"/>

|-

| rowspan="3" | RTS North West Awards

| Best Comedy Programme

| ''Timewasters'' series&nbsp;2

| {{won}}

| rowspan="3" | <ref name="RTSnorthwest"/>

|-

| rowspan="2" | Best Performance in a Comedy

| [[Samson Kayo]]

| {{won}}

|-

| Daniel Lawrence Taylor

| {{nom}}

|}

== Planned US remake ==

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In 2019, Taylor stated that he was in talks with [[LL Cool J]] as a potential producer for a US remake of the series for CBS.<ref name="RTSHit"/><ref name="CarsonRenaissance"/>

In early 2021, it was announced that a US remake of ''Timewasters'' was in deveopmentdevelopment at [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], under showrunner [[Lauren Ashley Smith]] with Lawrence Taylor, Kenton Allen and Matthew Justice (Big Talk Productions) also executive producing. The remake would be set in New York City and explore the [[Harlem Renaissance]] while contrasting the black experience of 2021 with that of 1926.<ref name="DeadlineRemake"/><ref name="NewYorker"/>

==See also==

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<ref name="BTP2">{{cite web |title=Timewasters |url=https://www.bigtalkproductions.com/production/timewasters/ |publisher=[[Big Talk Productions]] |access-date=29 August 2021 }}</ref>

<ref name="JustFocus">{{cite web |first=Agathe |last=Devionot |date=13 June 2021 |title=Critique Timewasters Episode 1: la série britannique à l'univers so jazzy |language=fr |trans-title=Timewasters Episode 1 review: the British series with a so jazzy universe |url=https://www.justfocus.fr/series/critique-series/critique-timewasters-episode-1-la-serie-britannique-a-lunivers-so-jazzy.html |website=Just Focus }}</ref>

<ref name="S1OST">{{cite web |url=https://soundcloud.com/nickfostermusic/sets/timewasters-season-one-ost-oli-julian-nick-foster |title=Stream Nick Foster {{!}} Listen to Timewasters Season One OST |access-date=30 August 2021 |website=Soundcloud }}</ref>

<ref name="LBBscore">{{cite web |url=https://www.lbbonline.com/news/manners-mcdades-nick-foster-and-oli-julian-score-new-comedy-series-timewasters |title=Manners McDade's Nick Foster and Oli Julian Score New Comedy Series "Timewasters' |access-date=30 August 2021 |publisher=Little Black Book}}</ref>

}}