Pete Versus Life

Pete

Well meaning but emotionally immature, Pete is a struggling sports journalist who lacks the necessary social antenna even when trying to do the right thing.

Pete's love of sport, although genuine, is equally motivated by his fear of the real world. Sport represents an escape from the grown up arena of difficult decisions and adult responsibilities. Navigating the game of life, with all its nuances, requires emotional skills way beyond his grasp.

Due to his regular social faux pas and poor decision making, Pete seems to have little luck keeping a girlfriend.

Colin King

Colin King is a professional sports commentator and anchor man. Although perhaps a little fusty and straight laced, Colin's commitment to broadcasting over the last two decades has made him a household name and a much loved national institution.

Colin heads up the commentary on Pete's life, often calling up statistics or slow-motion replays to help the viewer see where Pete is going wrong with his life.

Terry McIlroy

Terry McIlroy sits alongside Colin King as they narrate Pete's life and analyse its mistakes.

An ex-international professional footballer and unreconstructed male, Terry is a broadcaster's nightmare. Often speaking before thinking, he has a wealth of past anecdotes and ex-wives to plunder for an inappropriate story and/or tenuous metaphor.

Rob

Likeable, cheery, generous of spirit and loyal, Rob is one of Pete's friends from university.

Rob, like Pete, has a passion for sport, but his overriding love is for his fiancée Anna - he is very committed to Anna and tells her everything. He even invites Anna on his stag do. Pete is not happy that his mate is so focused on his girlfriend.

Anna

Rob's fiancée Anna appears bossy, domineering and self obsessed. But she is also forgiving and likes to think the best of people, almost to the point of being naïve.

Perhaps as a result of a sheltered upbringing, Anna, like Pete, is emotionally immature. She approaches her relationship with Rob with the expectations and attitude of a teenage girl.

Pete doesn't like Anna - he probably should just tell her so, it would save him having to keep trying to dodge her in public. Instead Pete pretends to like Anna and so has to keep coming up with increasingly big lies as to why he appears to be avoiding talking to her.

Manfred (Series 2)

Manfred is Pete's new flatmate. Manfred, like previous flatmate Kurt, is from Zimbabwe.

He's also - like Kurt - blunt, overly direct and shares too much information about himself. Laid-back Manfred's always got an opinion, and sometimes a good idea to help Pete get out of trouble.

Frank

Frank is Pete's disapproving Dad. He always managed to come across his son in the most embarrassing moments. Recently, due to a mis-understanding, he thought Pete was a Heroin addict and so locked him in his room.

Frank is not particularly happily married and even looks to take a break from his marriage at one point.

Noreen

Noreen is Pete's loving mother. She thinks the world of her son and mainly manages to ignore or miss most of his indiscretions and weaknesses.

Pete can be very lazy when he is around his parents house as Noreen fusses around helping him out in whatever way she can.

Jake

Jake shared a flat with Pete at university but is now Pete's mortal enemy... even if he doesn't realise it.

Jake is heavily committed to environmental issues. Earnest, charming and good looking, Jake is everything Pete despises, particularly as people warm to Jake immediately in a way they never do to Pete.

Essentially a nice man, Jake can also come across as smug and self satisfied, a reflection that he's one of life's natural winners.

Chloe

Delightful, warm natured and very attractive, Chloe is also a little naïve and unworldly. Her commitment to green issues for example, is as much about being fashionable as it is about saving the planet.

For Pete, Chloe represents 'the one that got away'. He might even be in love with her, if he ever matures enough to realise it.

Ollie (Series 1)

Ollie is Pete's best mate from university. He comes from a wealthy and privileged background and is charming and attractive.

Ollie is someone who always lands on his feet. Accomplished and diplomatic, he is extremely popular. His friendship with Pete is genuine and because Ollie finds life easy, he's able to forgive Pete's foibles. For Ollie, Pete is sometimes like an amusing pet.

Pete is lucky to have Ollie as a friend as Ollie often manages to get him out of trouble.

Kurt (Series 1)

Kurt was Pete's housemate in Series 1. Hailing from Zimbabwe, he is blunt and overly direct - he makes Pete look like a diplomat!

Kurt lacks wit, insight and imagination. But he is also committed to being an old fashioned 'new man', and embraces political correctness with a fervor. He enjoys attending his men's group where he can share his feelings.