Jam & Jerusalem

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Jam & Jerusalem
Image:Jamtitle.jpg Opening Credits of Jam & Jerusalem
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Dawn French Jennifer Saunders
Starring	Sue Johnston Pauline McLynn Dawn French Joanna Lumley Jennifer Saunders
Country of origin	Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
No. of episodes	9 (as of 4 January 2008)
Production
Running time	7x30 minutes 2x40 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Original airing	24 November 2006
External links
Official website
IMDb profile

Jam & Jerusalem is a British sitcom written by Jennifer Saunders and Abigail Wilson and starring Sue Johnston. The programme co-stars Saunders, Pauline McLynn, Dawn French and Joanna Lumley. In the United States, it airs as Clatterford.

The show centres on a Women's Guild in a fictional small West Country village called Clatterford St. Mary. It first aired on 24 November 2006. The second series began airing on 1 January 2008 with a 40-minute special.^[1]^[2]

1 Production
2 Cast
3 Plot
4 Episodes
5 Other countries
6 DVD releases
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Production

The first episode of Jam & Jerusalem was shot in Autumn 2005 as a pilot (not broadcast at the time), and led to the BBC commissioning of the rest of the six-part series and a Christmas Special which were filmed in Autumn 2006. It was filmed in North Tawton, Devon ^[3], on nearby Dartmoor, and in Staines.

The programme is one of a group of shows being filmed in High-Definition for a trial run in November on the BBC. The theme tune is a version of The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society sung by Kate Rusby, whose songs are also used as incidental music. Jam & Jerusalem has no laugh track as there is no studio audience.

Freya, the daughter of Jennifer Saunders' character Caroline is played by Saunders' real life daughter, Freya Edmondson. In the second series, Saunders' elder daughter Beattie also appears as Caroline's daughter Beattie.

[edit] Cast

Sue Johnston - Sal Vine
Pauline McLynn - Tip Haddem
Dawn French - Rosie Bales
Joanna Lumley - Delilah Stagg
Jennifer Saunders - Caroline Martin
Maggie Steed - Eileen Pike
David Mitchell - Dr. James Vine
Sally Phillips - Tash Vine
Doreen Mantle - Queenie
Salima Saxton - Yasmeen Vine
Patrick Barlow - Vicar
Rosie Cavaliero - Kate Bales
Suzy Aitchison - Susie
Simon Farnaby - Spike

[edit] Plot

Jam & Jerusalem is set in the small West Country village of Clatterford St. Mary^[4] and is based around Sal, a local practice nurse. The surgery's indiscreet receptionist, Tip, is also her best friend, and both are at the centre of community life. Despite this, Sal is not a member of her local Women's Guild, but after the death of husband, the local GP, and the loss of her job, she soon joins^[5]. The chairwoman of the Women's Guild is Eileen Pike, who always wears of her chains of office. Other members include lollipop lady Queenie, elderly church organist Delilah Stagg, wealthy Caroline, and Rosie, who has an alter ego called Margaret. Sal's family consist of James, her son, and his wife Yasmin. Sal's daughter, Tash, has a son of her own. Sal's friend Spike is a fellow hippie.

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Series One (2006)

#	Airdate	Overview	Viewers
1	24 November 2006	Dr Michael Vine (Hywel Bennett) dies of a heart attack, and at the funeral his son Dr. James announces that his wife will be the new practice nurse, putting his mother Sal out of a job. She then struggles to occupy her time, so joins the local Women's Guild, as does Kate Bales, a bereavement counsellor.	6.7 million ^[6]
2	1 December 2006	The women decide they want a coffee room room at the local church so they have somewhere to meet up after the morning's service. To pay for the health and safety standards, they decide to put together a bring and buy sale to raise money. Sal finally gets rid of her deceased husband's clothes, donating them to the fundraiser; as her children are unwilling to help, the Guild decide they will.	3.9 million ^[7]
3	8 December 2006	After discovering Eileen was adopted, Sal convinces Tip to use Genes Reunited to search for her birth family. The women are shocked to immediately find the contact details of a blood relative. Although initially angry, Eileen is happy when she discovers she has a brother. Tash asks Sal to take care of Ralph for six months. Rosie forgets to order the pasties for a village picnic so they have to make them themselves. Guest starring Nigel Lindsay.	5.1 million^[8]
4	15 December 2006	Delilah gets her car seat stuck. Sal and Tash have a major argument about Tash wanting to do a Circus Skills course, and refusing to get a job. However, they later make up. At the surgery, Tip devises a successful plan to get Sal her old job back, by having James' ex-headmistress Joyce Midge (Miriam Margolyes) come in for a smear. Guest starring Nigel Lindsay.	4 million ^[9]
5	22 December 2006	Rosie, Eileen and Queenie help the Vicar prepare for the harvest festival. When Rosie sees the face of Jesus in a potato, her alter-ego Margaret comes to the surface after the Vicar tells her the face isn't there. Meanwhile, the Vicar tries to get some peace and Caroline injuries herself at the pony trials.
6	26 December 2006	During Kate "Silver Surfers" group, Eileen comes in and reads a letter saying that Guild inspector Lady Anne Crump will be at their meeting that evening, which makes Eileen panic thinking they will be closed. Meanwhile, the Guild help an old man called Elijah whose wife recently died and Rosie goes on a celebrity diet.	4.8 million ^[10]

[edit] Christmas Special (2006)

Airdate	Length	Overview	Viewers
30 December 2006	40 minutes	The Guild are organising Cinderella, the village pantomime, and Tash wants to play the lead role as she always does. However, Eileen thinks that, at 36, Tash is too old. Nevertheless, Sal persuades Eileen to let Tash have the role, while James and the Vicar play the Ugly sisters. On the night, Tip goes to the pub rather than perform as the Wicked Stepmother, while Tash gets on well with Prince Charming. Meanwhile, Sal gets help when she decides how to scatter Mike's ashes.	4.5 million^[11]

[edit] Series Two (2008)

#	Airdate	Overview
1	1 January 2008	As the first anniversary of Mike's death approaches, Sal tells James how much she misses him. Sal teaches James how to be compassionate with his patients and Tash gets a job in tele sales. Meanwhile, the Guild launch a website and hold a Victorian tea so they can put the some photos on the website. However, Kate and Eileen argue over who will make the website. Deliah flies off her bike and is rushed to hospital.
2	4 January 2008	Tash and Spike plan to go to Glastonbury, but a ticketless Tash hopes to get past security by pretending to be a security guard. Caroline is also at Glastonbury to see her son perform. Meanwhile, Sal wants a quiet weekend to herself, but Susie comes round saying she thinks she is pregnant after having an affair. However, after looking at the medical records Tip soon tells Susie she can not be pregnant as the man she had the affair has had a vasectomy. Sal's quiet weekend is then ruined further when Tash and Spike come back from Glastonbury early after Tash failed to get past security.

[edit] Other countries

Jam & Jerusalem began airing in the United States under the name Clatterford in March 2007.^[12] The first series is being screened in Australia, with the pilot airing on 28 December 2007 on ABC.^[13]^[14] In late 2007, the show began to air in Canada on BBC Canada.

[edit] DVD releases

The first series and 2006 Christmas Special of Jam & Jerusalem were released in the US (Region 1), under the name Clatterford: Season 1, on 8 May 2007.^[15] The first series is due to released in the United Kingdom (Region 2) on 21 January 2008.^[16] The first series is also due for release on DVD in Australia (Region 4), on 3 January 2008.^[17]