Quote: MattP @ August 4 2011, 1:24 PM BST

My first post and very interested to see Trollied tonight.

I submitted a supermarket sitcom to SKY in April 2010 entitled: BOGOF. Sort of 30Rock in a supermarket.

As well as the script, the logline was:
BOGOF is a workplace comedy set in a large supermarket where a deputy store manager must cope with her crazy staff, irritating customers and a brash new boss sent by Head Office to shake things up.

Sky got back within 24 hours saying they had a supermarket sitcom project already in development. Fair enough, great minds think alike. As I say, interested to see their take on the concept.

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I submitted a sitcom about a Northern supermarket to the Beeb in 2001 when I first started writing. Wasn't much good but then again 'Trollied' isn't either. It's quite devoid of laughs and has a few mildly funny characters but I think it could be a whole lot better, especially with Mark Addy and Horrocks involved.

Haven't read this thread and a new page has just started so don't know what the consensus is, but I'm really enjoying this. I suppose its reference points are easy enough to spot but for me it's a warm and subtle well observed show.

As a callow youth I worked in a retail chain so can relate to some of the characterisations and tin-pot Hiltlerisms.

Well done Sky for making something that's not 'edgy' and 'nasty' and 'cutting edge'

If this was on ITV, I bet it would be very popular

Can't get this because I don't have Sky!! But I've seen the trailers on Pick TV and I've noticed that the woman playing Margaret is the actress who played Connie on Coronation Street, who Jack Duckworth lived with a few years ago.

I like the TV show, reminds me of Monday Monday. The story lines are very good as well. Me and my girlfriend who works in a supermarket love coming in from work to watch 30 mins of TV that you don't have to think about.

Sky have order another two series, both with 13 episodes. The current run has eight episodes, plus a Christmas special.

After opening with almost two million viewers it has stabilized at just under a million, which is still pretty good for Sky 1 and currently their second most watched show behind Strike Back.

I guess it is officially a hit then. It did not win me over, but hopefully its success will encourage Sky to continue their investment in production. Along with comedy-drama Mount Pleasant their top three shows at the moment are all original ones (although Strike Back is now a co-production with HBO's Cinemax) and doing just as well as big American shows.

Yeah, slightly surprised by the news. I've quite enjoyed the show, but it hasn't bowled me over, nor has it struck me as a particular hit. Still, wonderful to see Sky taking such a bold and confident step with a home-grown comedy.

Why are both shows Northern? I don't need to watch a show to see funny Northern people use their funny Northern phrases. I'm surrounded with the buggers.

Because everything else is in London. Apparently. And the west doesn't exist, one assumes. Plus, you know those cheeky northerners...!

Quote: Leevil @ September 15 2011, 3:22 PM BST

Why are both shows Northern?

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Why not? Maybe the writers are northern. Being Northern myself, I have been in meetings where I've been asked to change the setting to up North, as apparently channels want more diverse settings for shows.

I was only joking, Matt. But being Northern yourself you've got to see the humour within Trollied is just playing on that daft sterotype. As well as the accent. I didn't see many jokes within the episode I saw, it was just "Ayup chuck, I'm going to say something a bit daft and Northern now, it's not offensive tho because I'm just a simple t'Northener". Or something along those lines.

Didn't see anything northerncentric for me. Plus there's a wee bit more to to England than just North and South.

Quote: Marc P @ September 15 2011, 10:34 PM BST

Didn't see anything northerncentric for me. Plus there's a wee bit more to to England than just North and South.

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Agree with Mr. P

Although slightly off-topic, I'm surprised at the poor quality of Sky's Sit-coms. Honestly, will any of there commissions be seen as a 'classic' in several years time?
Of course, you can get away with a Sit-com situation and call it a comedy drama, which most of these really are. With very few laughs going about.

Will anything on any channel be seen as a sitcom classic? That's a crime being perpetrated across the industry as a whole at the moment. It's more acutely obvious on Sky as they've not yet had any variation from the theme, but it's not unique.