Cleaning Up is a British television drama series written and created by Mark Marlow. The six-part series premiered on ITV on 9 January 2019. It stars Sheridan Smith as Sam, a single mother and office cleaner who resorts to insider trading in order to pay her debts.[1][2]
| Cleaning Up | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Mark Marlow |
| Written by | Mark Marlow |
| Directed by | Lewis Arnold |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Jane Featherstone Chris Fry |
| Producer | Karen Lewis |
| Cinematography | Ollie Downey |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 9 January – 13 February 2019 |
| Related | |
| Cleaning Up (South Korean adaptation) | |
Plot
editSam Cook is a cleaner at Kramer Lowe, a financial company in Canary Wharf. Struggling to get by on her zero-hour contract with contractor Xenco Clean, she is drowning in debt, addicted to gambling, and faces her ex-husband trying to get full-time custody of their two daughters. After overhearing a stockbroker who is being blackmailed into insider trading, she plunges herself into a shady world of finance.
Cast
edit- Sheridan Smith as Sam Cook, a cleaner for Xenco Clean
- Jade Anouka as Jess, Sam's friend and colleague
- Kristy Philipps as Alice Cook, Sam and Dave's 15-year-old daughter
- Ben Bailey Smith as Blake, a Kramer Lowe stockbroker engaging in insider trading
- Uriel Emil as Viktor, Sam's boss at Xenco Clean
- Robert Emms as Glynn, a lodger at Sam's house
- Branka Katić as Mina, a cleaner for Xenco Clean
- Neil Maskell as Warren, a debt collector Sam owes money
- Anya McKenna-Bruce as Lily Cook, Sam and Dave's 8-year-old daughter
- Matthew McNulty as Dave Cook, Sam's ex-husband
- Hero Fiennes-Tiffin as Jake, Alice's boyfriend
- Rosie Cavaliero as Frances Howard, Head of Compliance for Kramer Lowe
- Lloyd Owen as Dominic Swanson, a corporate lawyer blackmailing Blake
- Angela Wynter as Amber, Jess's mother and cafe owner
- Milanka Brooks as Daniela, a cleaner for Xenco Clean
- Con O'Neill as Graham, CEO of Westavaris Incorporated, and head of the insider trading network
Production
editMarlow, who had no previous credits in television, had been struggling to get an original series produced. Inspired by Oliver Stone's Wall Street, he developed a script around office cleaners, who are often unnoticed. The script was eventually passed onto Featherstone, who commissioned the programme.[3]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [4] | U.K. viewers (millions) [5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Lewis Arnold | Mark Marlow | January 9, 2019 | 8.68 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Lewis Arnold | Mark Marlow | January 16, 2019 | 7.69 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Lewis Arnold | Mark Marlow | January 23, 2019 | 6.98 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Lewis Arnold | Mark Marlow | January 30, 2019 | 6.51 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Robert McKillop | Mark Marlow | February 6, 2019 | 6.47 |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Robert McKillop | Mark Marlow | February 13, 2019 | 6.61 |
Reception
editThe first episode of Cleaning Up received three out of five stars from The Guardian's Lucy Mangan, who was critical of weak story development but complimentary of the concept and actors, writing that "... overall, this is the kind of solid, well-made nonsense that is such a rare and precious joy. Indispensable to it are the actors, who throw themselves uncynically into it with their whole hearts. This is always Smith's greatest gift, and here she is surrounded by a supporting cast doing likewise."[6]
References
edit- ^ "When does Cleaning Up start on ITV? What's it about and who's in the cast?". Radio Times. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ "Sheridan Smith to star in new ITV series about insider trading". Radio Times. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ "Cleaning up Q&A with cast and crew".
- ^ "Cleaning Up - Listings". Next Episode. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Four-screen dashboard | BARB". Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (9 January 2019). "Cleaning Up review: Sheridan Smith's stock keeps on rising". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
External links
edit- Cleaning Up at IMDb
- Official website Archived 13 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine
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