The Gemma Factor. Gemma (Anna Gilthorpe). Copyright: Freeform Productions
The Gemma Factor

The Gemma Factor

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC Three
  • 2010
  • 6 episodes (1 series)

Sitcom following the story of ambitious Gemma Collinge as she attempts to find fame before she reaches 21. Stars Anna Gilthorpe, Ross Adams, Emma Kearney, Angus Barnett, Gwyneth Powell and more.

Press clippings

Meet Ross Adams who plays Jeff

A chat with Ross Adams, the actor who plays Jeff, to find out what it's been like being involved in the show.

Dana Stevens, BBC, 8th April 2010

Jeff's Fashion Fix Part 2

Hello again readers! I'm back with more tips for looking sensational in spring/summer 2010.

BBC, 29th March 2010

BBC3 valiantly tries to grow new comedy talent, and The Gemma Factor is a pretty decent result of this policy. The idea is charming... Last of the Summer Wine meets The League of Gentlemen, with a satirical twist.

The Guardian, 23rd March 2010

It's cruder than it needs to be, some of the supporting characters struggle to even be one-dimensional - but I can't help smiling throughout every episode. This week, dodgy agent Angus cons Gemma and Jeff into using the village fun run as a means to promote themselves.

Scott Matthewman, The Stage, 22nd March 2010

Gemma and Jeff play Snog Marry Avoid

A chance to get a glimpse behind the scenes, as the fame-hungry pair take time-out to play a quick game of "Snog, Marry, Avoid?"

Dana Stevens, BBC, 22nd March 2010

A nicely observed comedy about a northern girl's quest for fame.

Daily Mail, 20th March 2010

The clever script and Phoenix Nights-style characters give it that extra punch.

Daily Mail, 16th March 2010

The Gemma Factor is a new sitcom about an aspiring actress/model/presenter whose irrepressible optimism remains undiminished despite the combined drawbacks of her having no discernible talents whatsoever, living in a small Yorkshire village where the nearest bright lights are Halifax, and signing with an agent who has a criminal conviction for sex trafficking.

Given its showbusiness theme, The Gemma Factor automatically loses points for its total absence of any verbal or visual references to The Stage newspaper. Hopefully this appalling omission will be rectified in future episodes.

Apart from that, The Gemma Factor was great - funny, fresh and charming. The last of these attributes is almost impossible to pull off, so congratulations to all involved.

What makes The Gemma Factor's achievements all the more remarkable is how perilously close it skates to the potentially appalling. If the show's comedy calibrations were just a few degrees out Gemma's personality would be irritating and imbecilic rather than sweet and naive, with her friends and family coming over as clumsy cliches, not cuddly and colourful. As it is I was totally seduced, even without the picture postcard shots of West Yorkshire at its sunniest and greenest.

Some of the gags do strain to be funny, and the simpleton policeman is a caricature too many, but otherwise Tony Pitts' script is spot-on. And in Anna Gilthorpe the show has found an authentic star to play the delusional wannabe of the title.

Harry Venning, The Stage, 15th March 2010

Review: The Gemma Factor

While it may not be particularly ground-breaking, The Gemma Factor is a sweet, gentle comedy with an endearing lead in Gilthorpe. Hopefully as the series progresses there will be more to Gemma than her delusions and the cotton wool diet.

Arlene Kelly, Suite 101, 15th March 2010

Keep watching because the observations are spot-on and the jokes are smart.

Heat Magazine, 13th March 2010

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