S2-E4 : THE PURGEWe first learned back in March (via a snippet in The Sun) that Lee was to appear, as himself, in the second series of popular comedy Motherland on BBC Two. Asked about it in a Q&A at his Pheasantry gigs, Lee added that the Motherland version of himself has a small dog and a huge mansion... so not entirely true to life, then!
The new series started this evening, Monday 7 October, and the BBC simutaneously released the whole series on iPlayer which found me fast-forwarding (so to speak) to Episode 4, which will air (provisionally) on Monday 28 October 2019, at 10.00pm on BBC Two (11.15pm on BBC Two Northern Ireland).
The script played beautifully on the whole 'Lofty / Lee Mead / who's he? / Joseph / Lee MEAD' scenario that will be familiar to many a fan, not to mention a significant degree of hotness, and Lee absolutely nailed the tricky character of... himself! The dog was a cute accessory, the 'mansion' an unexplored backdrop and the dropped-jawed grins (can you grin with jaw dropped? I think you probably can!) from the gathered mothers that greeted Lee's final appearance no doubt a familiar image to Lee himself, and to any who've watched a crowd of 'first-timers' at the stage door! The perfect cameo.
Synopsis: Kevin reluctantly agrees to host a last minute Halloween party despite the fact that he's had no time to prepare. Meanwhile at the school gates the mums are all talking about a celebrity who has moved into the neighbourhood... Lee Mead from Holby.
As this is Julia's favourite programme she is determined to meet him and decides to take all the kids trick or treating hoping that they will find his house. Liz tags along as she has been stood up by a date and Anne is in attendance trying to make sure that the kids are safe. However by the time they reach Kevin's one of the kids is missing, Amanda's little boy Manus. Despite the fact that the happy teatime trick or treat atmosphere has now turned violent and terrifying Liz, Kevin and Julia must venture back out into the streets to search for him through terrifying hordes of teenage zombies and mutant nuns.
The full episode can be viewed on BBC iPlayer until 11 December 2019 while below, with my apologies to those of the cast who have hit the cutting room floor, is the Meady edit...
Published: 27/09/2019; last updated: 08/10/2019