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DVD Description
From the creator of Gimme Gimme Gimme and the producer of Absolutely Fabulous comes Beautiful People, a six-part comedy series for BBC Two exploring what it's truly like for all of us to be fabulous via starry ambition, youthful optimism and one very loving, yet very dysfunctional, family. Beautiful People is written by Jonathan Harvey (Gimme Gimme Gimme, Beautiful Thing) and based on the best-selling wild childhood memoirs of Simon Doonan, Creative Director of Barneys, New York. This glittering and hilarious series delves inside Simon's youthful memories and his desire to escape suburban Reading and live amongst the "beautiful people" - from his perspective as a window dresser in a New York department store. Surrounded by dreams of the big and all the beautiful people that go with it, 13-year-old Simon (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) can't open a fridge door without belting out a show tune. But such behaviour will always fall flat on a family even more eccentric than Simon's latest attempts to be fabulous. The Britain of 1997 might be changing, but the Doonan clan remain consistently nuts.
Synopsis
Beautiful People is not your average family sitcom because the Doonans are not your average family. The show is the story of a dream, the dream that one day Simon would leave suburban Reading and move to London to be with the beautiful people. In fact he moved to New York to become the creative director of Barneys, an uber-chic fashion store, and to write the memoir on which this hugely exuberant comedy is based. It has song, dance, jokes, bitch-fighting, drunken hairdressers, black posh spice dolls, exploding baked bean cans causing death and a soundtrack featuring Dannii and Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis Bextor, The Pet Shop Boys, Sam Wood and Dan Gillespie Sells of The Feeling. Mum and Dad drink homemade wine, Simon hangs out with his best friend Kyle, better known as Kylie, working on dance moves to 90s floor fillers; his sister Ashlene wants to look like Heather Small and "hang with the hood", whilst his aunty Hayley is blind, feisty and eating nuts. Gran meanwhile used to be the nicest woman in the world and has now turned very nasty.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As a child of the 1990s (four years older than Simon), I found this to be nostalgic yet also fresh. Consistently amusing, there are also some scenes of emotional depth, so that no particular aspect becomes irritating. This sitcom is different in that a) there is no canned laughter, and b) it is eternally upbeat and full of hope.
The casting is superb, and the commitment of the younger members of the cast is to be commended. The soundtrack (available separately) is equally superb. Please BBC - let there be more!
The casting is superb, and the commitment of the younger members of the cast is to be commended. The soundtrack (available separately) is equally superb. Please BBC - let there be more!
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
When I heard that Simon Doonan's book had been turned into a mini-series and set in the 90s instead of the 60s I was a little concerned. After watching it, all fears of it being misplaced were gone, and I was left wanting more. I won't bore you with the plot, as that has been covered more than adequately by the DVD description above, but the stamp of quality that the creators and writers of Gimme Gimme Gimme, Absolutely Fabulous and Beautiful Thing bring to this production are to be seen everywhere.
The casting could not have been improved upon, with an hysterical cameo by Brenda Fricker as Gran (or Narg - the backwards version awarded her). The two young leads (Luke Ward-Wilkinson & Layton Williams) are extraordinary in their complete command of their roles. Their comic timing and their singing, dancing and outrageous camping-up are truly amazing achievements. The rest of the ensemble will have you in stitches, however if you have seen the movie Beautiful Thing Beautiful Thing [DVD] [1996] you might be somewhat disappointed or bemused. Tameka Empson gives almost a mirror-image performance, with every mannerism making you think she walked straight from the set of Beautiful Thing onto the set of Beautiful People. She is obviously one of Jonathan Harvey's faves (writer of both films), as is Meera Syal, who thankfully throws her all into being a blind bean-eating hippie in this series, leaving no reference to Beautiful Thing. Olivia Coleman is touching as Debbie, the naive slapper mother ("Gin, Gin, where do I begin ? 'aving you inside me is like an old friend popping in"), and Aidan McArdle is the father everyone would like to have - amiable, if a little dim. Add Sarah Niles as Reba, Kylie's Mum, and you have the slap-fest of all times.
Messers Harvey and Plowman make full use of major events of the times, and the production values are extremely high. Add a fun soundtrack Beautiful People and you have the makings of an excellent series. Calls for another series may be a mistake - why mess with perfection.
The casting could not have been improved upon, with an hysterical cameo by Brenda Fricker as Gran (or Narg - the backwards version awarded her). The two young leads (Luke Ward-Wilkinson & Layton Williams) are extraordinary in their complete command of their roles. Their comic timing and their singing, dancing and outrageous camping-up are truly amazing achievements. The rest of the ensemble will have you in stitches, however if you have seen the movie Beautiful Thing Beautiful Thing [DVD] [1996] you might be somewhat disappointed or bemused. Tameka Empson gives almost a mirror-image performance, with every mannerism making you think she walked straight from the set of Beautiful Thing onto the set of Beautiful People. She is obviously one of Jonathan Harvey's faves (writer of both films), as is Meera Syal, who thankfully throws her all into being a blind bean-eating hippie in this series, leaving no reference to Beautiful Thing. Olivia Coleman is touching as Debbie, the naive slapper mother ("Gin, Gin, where do I begin ? 'aving you inside me is like an old friend popping in"), and Aidan McArdle is the father everyone would like to have - amiable, if a little dim. Add Sarah Niles as Reba, Kylie's Mum, and you have the slap-fest of all times.
Messers Harvey and Plowman make full use of major events of the times, and the production values are extremely high. Add a fun soundtrack Beautiful People and you have the makings of an excellent series. Calls for another series may be a mistake - why mess with perfection.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I just finished watching the dvd, and am so happy I got it. The series is showing just now over in the U.S. on Logo, but with commercials and edits, so we decided to get the dvd. There is nothing quite this delightful on American TV (we have some really good stuff, but this is lovely). I just saw a second series is being produced this year. I can't wait - the cast is perfect, the scripts are so intelligent and witty, and the production feels both fresh and nostalgic at the same time. It will be such a joy to spend more time with these characters. It just warms my heart how the sexuality of the characters is the least problematic issue dealt with. And now I can walk by Barney's here in NYC and feel a whole different connection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Funny show that needs a US release!
I bought this DVD for my nephew who is 14 and dealing with coming out to his family and friends. He really loved the show and related to many of the episodes. Read more
Published 8 months ago by N. Schneider
Screaming queen.
I gave it to my mate who thought it great. I personally was irritated by the lead character, his mother, the sing songs, most of it really. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Patch
How I got my Beautiful People DVD
I was almost tempted to make a video review of this DVD, inspired by the series, however I will settle for the restrictive use of text and hope that the delightful campness of this... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr President
Marvelous Show
I have been watching Beautiful People on US television and was really disappointed when it wasn't available on DVD in this country. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Judith A. Warner
original and refreshing
I liked a lot the first episode, I couldn't believe it was so good. 2nd and 3 a bit less, but it remains a brilliant series! Television at his best with a lot of irony an music. Read more
Published 20 months ago by mc
Go girlfriend!
This is a series inspired by Reading boy turned New York window dresser Simon Doonan and his autobiography of the same name. Read more
Published on 22 April 2010 by GeekZilla
Beautiful People
We loved this series and so did our friends. Saw an episode on tellie and decided we wanted to see it, so bought the series. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2010 by A. Heslop
PLEASE, SIR, I WANT SOME MORE!
Inventive, hilarious, a joy all the way through. Meet Simon Doonan, windowdresser in New York, sundry prized possessions reminding him of his early teens in 1990's Reading. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by Mr. D. L. Rees
hilarious series with good storyline
I viewed a couple of episodes on tv and liked it from the instant. It's got very good characters and very funny turnes. My favorite character is aunty. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2010 by P. Zijlstra
Beautiful people, funny video
I caught the second series by accident via iPlayer and had to get hold of series one. Brilliantly funny and sensitive at the same time. Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2010 by saffron skye
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