| Ideal | |
|---|---|
 Moz, the star of Ideal. |
|
| Format | Comedy |
| Created by | Graham Duff |
| Starring | Johnny Vegas Nicola Reynolds Graham Duff Seymour Mace |
| Country of origin | UK |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Three |
| Original run | 2005 – present |
Ideal is a British sitcom originally broadcast on digital channel BBC Three, created by Graham Duff and produced by BBC Comedy North and Baby Cow Productions. It stars Johnny Vegas as small time cannabis dealer Moz. The title of the series is a play on "I deal". The closing theme is Song of the Oss from the album composed by British band Candidate. It is set in Salford, Manchester, chosen because Duff was familiar with the area having done many stand-up gigs there during his youth. The entire series takes place in Moz's flat and the hall outside. It revolves around the eclectic array of recurring characters that come to visit Moz to buy cannabis, socialize or both. Moz himself is often seen playing video games like The Getaway on the PlayStation 2. There are no main characters except for Moz (and possibly his girlfriend Nicki), the others come and go with each episode. Many recur frequently but all are supposed to be equally integral to the plot. A fourth series will air in 2008.
Contents |
Broadcast dates
The first series originally aired on BBC Three from January 11 2005 to March 1 2005. It has since been repeated on BBC Two, and is currently being repeated on BBC Three. The second series ran between March 4 2006 and May 2 2006 on BBC Three. A special Christmas episode also aired on December 27 2005. During the second series, episodes were made available on BBC Three's web site a week before their initial TV broadcast, in common with several other BBC Three comedy shows. On November 18 2006, Ideal received the Best Comedy award at the RTS North West Comedy Awards . Filming for series three began on November 23 2006 . Series 3 began on BBC3 on Thursday March 22 2007.
Characters
- Moz: (Johnny Vegas) is a small time Cannabis dealer in Manchester. As the series progresses his life becomes more and more complicated. At the end of the first series and throughout the second he suffers from guilt over his role in Craig's murder. At the climax of series two he falls through the roof of his flat and breaks his leg. At the beginning of the third series his leg is in plaster. During series three Moz is plagued by born again Christian builders renovating his flat after the fire and pretends to share their faith but this backfires when they persuade him to propose to Nicki. In the third series finale Moz is attacked by one of the builders when he discovers Moz's real occupation.
Moz
- Nicki: (Nichola Reynolds): Moz's girlfriend. As the series progresses it becomes apparent she is cheating on him. At Moz's birthday party she has sex with Moz, PC and Kuldip and falls pregnant. When the baby is born it becomes apparent that Kuldip is the father. In the second series Nicki moves in with Sangita and they become involved, which Moz chooses to deny completely, perhaps through jealousy or because he misses Nicki so much. In series three Nicki and the baby live with Moz again. Throughout the third series she has hallucinations involving Moz's head on the shoulders of a bodybuilder and her baby.
Cartoon Head
- Cartoon Head: (James Foster, series 1 / David Sant, series 2): A man who never speaks and always wears a mask resembling a cartoon mouse). It is revealed during the first series that he is in fact a hitman. The irony with Cartoon Head, is that he has had several telephone conversations with Psycho Paul and Moz, yet he never utters a word on screen. Cartoon Head's mask was superglued to his face by his boss 'Stemroach' and it is impossible to remove. The left ear of the mask was cut off by Steve in the seventh episode of the series three but it was sellotaped back on by the following episode.
Craig / Steve
- Craig / Steve: (Seymour Mace): Craig was a recurring annoyance in the first series who begged Moz to sell him weed, although Moz sells only to friends. In the seventh episode of series one he brings a carrier bag full of weed to Moz's flat when his supplies are low and they strike up a friendship. Moz remarks that he and Cartoon Head should 'take him out' clubbing but the latter is on acid, misinterprets this and shoots Craig. In the second series Craig's identical twin Steve arrives to look for his brother and fuels Moz's paranoia and guilt over the murder of Craig. Steve joins his brother's killer and Psycho Paul in their gang. In the seventh episode of series three he attacks them both and becomes leader. Unfortunately he feels unable to maintain his status and resigns in the following episode, whereupon the others gouge out his left eye with a spoon.
Psycho Paul
- Psycho Paul: (Ryan Pope): Originally a rival dealer to Moz, Psycho Paul now works alongside Cartoon Head. He first appeared in the first series as a more violent and successful rival dealer. Shortly after PC busted Psycho Paul and gave all his weed to Moz Psycho Paul hunted Moz down and threatened to kill him if he didn't return the weed. Throughout the show Psycho Paul bullies Moz (or Morris, as he calls him), often slapping him and pressuring him into helping him out with his plots.
PC
- PC: (Tom Goodman-Hill): As the name implies, PC is a police constable for Greater Manchester Police. He supplies Moz with weed seized from other dealers during raids and they are close friends, at least initially. He sleeps with Nicki at Moz's birthday party and falls in love with her, offering to take care of her and the baby and drunkenly challenging Moz to a fight. In the second series finale he is stabbed by Stemroach's gang but takes his revenge by blackmailing Moz into setting up Stemroach in series three. Following these events he is hurt to discover that Moz has allowed Brian to be his best man. There are no direct references to PC's real name, perhaps to secure his identity, him being a policeman etc, nobody could report him as no one knows his real name. PC is one of the few characters who is important to most plot development.
- Troy: (Tony Burgess, also co-writer): Moz's brother is a strange character to say the least. In the second series he hides from his wife in Moz's airing cupboard, as he is in hiding from his wife. He is very touchy about the topic of his wife and becomes upset when people talk to him about it. He once moved out of Moz's flat to move back in with her only to return in the next episode with bruises. He is a complete contrast to Moz; loud, not very conscientious, somewhat egotistical and most notably a lot smaller than his brother. He loves Late 1980s/Early 1990s Club music and runs his own pirate radio under the name DJ Troy. Moz sees him as a pest at times yet sometimes betrays fraternal affection. Troy is also a sub-standard DJ
- Kuldip: (Ronny Jhutti): Moz's former best friend. A relatively successful DJ (much to Troy's annoyance) who was a frequent visitor to Moz's house in the first series, but only appeared in the second to find out that he is the father of Nicki's baby. In series three he returns from Barcelona to pursue Nicki and it is revealed that she has been writing to him every week and sending him photographs of baby Sanjeev.
- Judith: (Joanna Neary): Moz's timid, demure necrophiliac neighbour. They are mutually attracted but he is disgusted at the idea of her having sex with dead bodies. Judith experiments with drugs with Moz and once overdosed him with cookies filled with magic mushrooms. She has a giant clay model of Moz's head in her flat. Towards the end of the third series a wasp mask is superglued to her face but she seeks medical attention and suggests that it may eventually be removed.
- Jenny: (Sinead Matthews): A dim-witted teenager who regularly visits Moz to buy drugs while childminding and pregnant. She is also friendly with Nicki. In the third series she gives birth to a baby who is briefly taken into care by Social Services. When she regains custody she is not sure that the right baby has been returned to her but concludes that she likes the new one better.
- Felix: (Des O'Malley): The father of Jenny's baby, although technically she was childminding him when it was conceived. He appears to be overwhelmed by the idea of fatherhood and still has childlike tendencies himself. Although seemingly more intelligent than Jenny, he is indifferent to everything.
- Stemroach: (David Bradley): The terrifying boss of Cartoon Head and Psycho Paul with many illegal schemes. PC, Moz, and even Psycho Paul are afraid of him. It seems that he has a wife and a girlfriend (who had recently given birth) and the wife went 'up the wall' over the news. He can talk only through a hand held throat speaker as he has no vocal cords.
Brian
- Brian: (Graham Duff, creator and writer of the show): A very flamboyant homosexual who visits Moz regularly, accompanied by a different boyfriend every week. He is known for the line 'Inn't he scrummy?' In the third series he finally fell in love and proposed to his current beau, only to be dumped. Moz takes pity on the heartbroken Brian and allows him to be his best man, despite Derrick's hints that he would like the role and to PC's chagrin. His boyfriend turns out to be the registry officer and they are happily reunited.
Colin
- Colin: (Ben Crompton): A petty criminal, who always seems to be on probation. He isn't particularly clever, though he is somewhat crafty. Often he is a tedious annoyance to Moz.
- Carmel: (Hanne Steen): A Spanish escort, who was caught up in a kidnapping and lost her memory in the process. Colin has convinced her that she is his girlfriend.
- Sangita: (Sunetra Sarker): Nicki's best friend. During the Christmas episode Sangita convinces Nicki to leave Moz and to move in with her and the two begin an affair. Sangita suffers from multiple sclerosis.
- Yasuko: (Haruka Kuroda): A bubbly and naive Japanese woman with a cleaning compulsion. She encountered Nicki during a ménage à trois in Thailand, on the basis of which she turns up at Moz's flat seeking accommodation. Eventually she marries Moz's stultifyingly dull green-fingered friend Derrick.
Episode list
Series one
- The Rat: Nicki is getting fed up with Moz not paying her enough attention, PC turns up with a delivery, and a strange man wearing a cartoon mask lets himself into the flat. Moz also has to contend with a couple of unwelcome visitors in the shape of a rat and rival dealer Psycho Paul.
- The Seduction: While Nicki is away, Moz tries to play by attempting to seduce one of his new customers after seeing her at a nightclub where his best mate Kuldip is a DJ. However, the rat (from the previous episode), has other ideas...
- The Boyfriend: Colin (who's still on probation) tells Moz about the body found across the road with its hand cut off, China's got a new boyfriend, and Nicki returns.
- The Affair: Moz gets rid of his stalker and China has split up with her boyfriend. Meanwhile Colin tries to flog some stolen goods (even though he's still on probation) and then steals the photos of Nicki.
- The Backpacker: A face from Nicki's past arrives unexpectedly wanting to stay, the polaroids from behind the bathroom cabinet go missing and re-appear, and Moz is selling red weed.
- The Party: It's Moz's birthday, and all Nicki has bought him is a sandwich and some chocolate, so she decides to throw him a party in the flat.
- The Pregnancy: The severed hand makes a return. Moz's stalker (Craig) is back, and spends some quality time with Cartoon Head. Nicki takes a pregnancy test.
- The Body: Cartoon Head shoots Craig. Nicki tells Moz she's pregnant.
- Xmas: An Ideal Xmas where Moz's mam turns up with a karaoke machine, Nicki snogs a woman in the bathroom while reminiscing about the two men she shagged there less than nine months ago and the murdered Craig's twin brother sucks his killer's nipple.
Series two
- The Stag Do: Nicki's moved in with Sangita while Moz has a nervous new neighbour, Judith. Derrick and Yasuko are due to get married and Moz is asked to be best man. Cartoon Head has a special surprise for the stag do.
- The Landlord: Moz's landlord is coming to visit at the most inopportune time.
- The Hydroponics: Moz might be falling for his new neighbour Judith while being haunted by the ghost of Craig.
- The Séance: A plain clothes policeman gets trapped in Moz's loft, pensioner Mrs. Coneybear from downstairs performs a séance, and Judith's secret is revealed.
- The Boss: Psycho Paul's gang have a kidnap plan that they need Moz for. He won't help until he receives a visit from their boss, Stemroach.
- The Guest: A succession of unwanted guests turn up at Moz's door while a kidnap victim remains in his flat.
- The Delivery: Moz is tipped off by PC about a drugs bust and now has to remove all evidence from his flat. Nicki goes into labour.
- The Money: Moz's life is in turmoil: Nicki's just given birth to a well-tanned baby; he gets raided by the police; PC gets drunk and wants to fight him; Stemroach and gang turn up to pay him less than expected and manage to stab PC in the process; Judith offers herself to him and they end up on the roof as his flat burns below them.
Series three
Series Three began on BBC Three on Tuesday March 20 2007, with the first episode available to watch on the station's website. In the first episode of Series three, a picture on a mobile phone shows David Sant (Cartoon Head) without the mask; he is now playing Carmel's pimp.
- The Night: Moz tries to hide his dope dealing from the born again Christian builders working in his flat, and lack of sleep is making Nicki hallucinate. Judith the 'reformed' necrophiliac is seen dragging heavy sacks up the stairs into her flat.
- The Christians: The Police Constable has fallen in love with China, Nicki thinks she's losing her mind and Brian has turned into a Goth. Meanwhile, Moz is forced to perform an exorcism on Jenny the child minder.
- The Pyramid: Moz is desperate to dissuade Cartoon Head and Psycho Paul from shooting a porn film in his bathroom. His mother Sheila joins a dodgy pyramid selling scheme and Nicki and Brian are involved in a car crash.
- The Nest: Moz receives an unwelcome visit from gang leader, Stemroach. Meanwhile, the discovery of a wasp nest in the loft has disastrous consequences for the born again Christian builders.
- The Bath: Moz's attempts to enjoy a nice, warm bath are continually thwarted, initially by a steady stream of visitors requiring weed, advice and a shoulder to cry on, then by a bizarre murder.
- The Set-up: With Nicki out celebrating her hen night, Moz reluctantly agrees to help the Police Constable to set up Stemroach. Meanwhile, Cartoon Head and Psycho Paul have an evil plan all of their own.
- The Crabs: Moz is trying his best to enjoy his stag night. However, Judith has had a wasp mask super-glued to her face, three crabs have escaped in the flat and Jesus has just appeared in the loft.
- The Wedding: It's the morning of Moz's wedding and he's woken up next to another woman. Now all he has to do is get rid of her, overcome his nerves, deflect the advances of a very demanding Judith and save Brian from a psychopathic Christian.
On DVD
A boxset of series 1 (excluding the Christmas special episode) was released in the UK on November 7 2005. It includes the following extras:
- Making of Ideal
- Out-takes
- Deleted scenes
- Commentaries from Johnny Vegas (Moz), Graham Duff (creator, writer and Brian) and Henry Normal (executive producer).
The second series was released on DVD on February 19 2007 1.
References
1 Amazon.
