British Comedy Guide
Grafters. Copyright: Granada Television
Grafters

Grafters

  • TV comedy drama
  • ITV1
  • 1998 - 1999
  • 16 episodes (2 series)

Comedy about a pair of brothers and their building firm. Stars Robson Green, Stephen Tompkinson, Darren Morfitt, Emily Joyce, Neil Stuke and more.

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Grafters. Copyright: Granada Television

Key details

Genre
Comedy Drama
Broadcast
1998 - 1999
Channel
ITV
Episodes
16 (2 series)
Creator
Michael Chaplin
Stars
Robson Green, Stephen Tompkinson, Darren Morfitt, Emily Joyce, Neil Stuke, Lesley Vickerage, Will Parker, Katherine Wogan and more
Writer
Michael Chaplin
Directors
David Richards, David Tucker, Stephen Whittaker, David Thacker, Dominic Brigstocke and Paul Harrison
Producers
Helen Gregory, Jonathan Curling, Susan Hogg, Sandra Jobling, Simon Lewis, Julie Clark and Charles Hubbard
Company

Geordie brothers Joe and Trevor Purvis talk themselves into a major building job in London. They are to convert a house for yuppie couple Paul and Laura, but soon realise they've bitten off more than they can chew. Trevor, after all, is not even a qualified builder: he's just filling in time after losing his office job. He is, naturally, rather concerned - unlike his super confident older brother, who can charm the birds out of the trees.

Both brothers have a chequered past, with offspring from previous relationships to worry them. They also look like having a chequered future, as both enter a relationship with the unfaithful Laura. Even with the help of a rowdy young cousin Simon, the end of this particular job seems a long way off. This provides many opportunities for exploring relationships within the complex Purvis family that extends to father Lennie and his affluent building-society manager brother Alan.

In the second series, the setting is Brighton, where the boys live in a camper van on the beach and Joe has set his sights on making a fortune by converting a derelict school. He has recruited a divorced architect, Viv Casey, to his cause (and to his bed), and befriended her 10 year old son, but trouble is on the horizon, not least from rival developer Nick Costello, whose sister, Clare, becomes the object of the romantic Trevor's attentions.

Additional details

Production
Location
Camera set-up
Single camera
Picture
Colour
Soundtrack
Theme music by Robert Lockhart.

Website links

Broadcast details

First broadcast
Tuesday 27th October 1998 at 9pm on ITV1

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