"In rural Britain today, studies show that young people feel more marginalised than ever. To explore this problem the BBC spent six months filming with some young people in a typical Cotswolds village."
Fly-on-the-wall mockumentary following the lives of cousins/best friends/country bumpkins Kerry Mucklowe and Lee "Kurtan" Mucklowe and their futile attempts to stave off Small Town Boredom.
Written by and starring Real Life siblings/best friends Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, the show originally aired on the BBC's online-only channel, BBC3, before popularity with viewers and critical acclaim prompted a move to BBC1. A second series was commissioned for 2018.
An American remake, Welcome to Flatch, debuted in 2021.
This Country provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Kerry's father, Martin Mucklowe, barely acknowledges his daughter's existence. Her mother, Sue Mucklowe, is perpetually angry with her, one time to the point of throwing her PlayStation out of the window. (To be fair, this was during an argument where she got mad at Kerry for landing them a very high electrical bill from being constantly on her PlayStation and was going to give it back after Kerry came up with some money until Kerry insulted her.)
- Reverend Francis mentions his father in an anecdote and it seems he was incredibly emotionally abusive, humiliating Francis in front of his father's friends, mocking his dress sense and blaming him for accidentally smashing his mother's picture frame.
- Bad Liar: Kurtan, especially during his "lying phase":
- Kurtan: "Uncle Nugget, yeah? He's called Nugget because he went in this nightclub and the DJ wouldn't play this song he requested so he got a knife, yeah? Cut off half the DJ's scratching thumb, threw it on the floor and some bloke came along who's just fucked out of his brains, picked it up and ate it cos he thought it was a chicken nugget!"Kerry: "He's called Nugget because his second name's Nuggins..."
- Martin with his relentness sexual bragging. His claim that he was a Peeping Tom on "only" two occasions is even less believable.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Reverend Francis Seaton claims his nickname at college was "Fiery Francis". This doesn't seem at all believable- until Len gets on the wrong side of him...
- Big Eater: Kerry throughout series 2:
- Sue Mucklowe: "YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER! SNUFFLIN' FOR SLOPS!"
- Bigger Is Better in Bed: Martin frequently makes this claim. Kurtan disputes it, citing rumours that Martin has "all the gear but no idea".
- Brawn Hilda:
- "Big" Mandy Harris- friend, neighbour and self-taught tattooist.
- Kerry's mum, Sue Mucklowe. While we never see what she looks like, we are informed that "she's a good fighter down the pub" and that she could "get a job as a MeatLoaf tribute act".
- Catchphrase:Sue (howling from her bed): Kerry?Kerry (shouting back): What?Sue (screaming even louder): KERRY?Kerry (shouting back, louder still): WHAT?
- Comedic Sociopathy:
- Kerry and Kurtan's vitriolic friendship in general. Their fights often get physical, and objects often get thrown.
- Steve Nuggins, Kerry and Kurtan's "Uncle Nugget". He was wrongfully incinerated- sorry, incarcerated- for "having a laugh" (translation: stealing a bus and driving it round a roundabout for four hours, with the terrified passengers still on board).
- Big Mandy:"You know that little old blind man? Well I was punching him in his face..."
- Country Mouse: Both of the protagonists, most notably when Kurtan considers leaving the village and ultimately gets cold feet and ends up staying:Kerry: "Why would you want to leave this village when it has a shop and a pub?"
- Cringe Comedy: Especially to any viewers who grew up in a small rural village themselves.
- Loving a Shadow: Parodied hilariously with Kurtan's "date" with Kayleigh, where he spends the entire thing talking nonstop while Kayleigh barely says more than three words. Afterwards an excited Kurtan is telling the camera crew, "I think I love her!"
- The Dog Bites Back: After spending most of the show trying to please her father, Kerry realises that when he says "Mucklowes look after Mucklowes", what he actually means is he expects Kerry to do everything for him for nothing in return, so Kerry eventually does testify against Martin in court, since he was perfectly fine with letting Kerry go to prison for something he did.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- When we first meet Kerry's dad he is out and about with his two other children by a different mother. He tells Kerry she can't come and visit because he's busy looking after "the kids"- he seems to have forgotten that Kerry is one of his kids too.
- In Big Mandy's first scene we see her vowing to find a little old blind man and break his legs.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Rev. Francis Seaton is only refered to by other characters as "the Vicar".
- Foreshadowing: In Mandy we meet Kerry's father, Martin Mucklowe, and see that he isn't particularly interested in her, paying more attention to her half-brothers. In Peeping Tom we learn that he never wanted a daughter and left her mother to have sons with another woman.
- In the same episode we see a hamster cage in Kerry's bedroom in which there are no signs of life. In Oven Space we learn that Kerry's pet-sitting business hasn't been doing so well...
- The Friend No One Likes: Slugs, the "friend" with a major tendency to turn up uninvited and outstay his welcome. It's possible that Kerry and Kurtan hang out with him because most of their other friends have moved on and they're bored. Also because the village is so small it's hard to avoid bumping into him.
- In a sketch filmed for Comic Relief
, Kerry and Kurtan try to raise money for the charity by running an orange squash stall, but end up raising far more after they decide to charge people for the chance to punch Slugs in the face.
- In a sketch filmed for Comic Relief
- Funny Background Event:
- In Scarecrow, Kurtan is disqualified from the scarecrow contest for crying foul play. Later the vicar learns that he was telling the truth, and to make it up to him he makes up a special new category, Best Effort, and declares Kurtan the winner... just as a shirtless Kurtan can be seen carrying a flaming pitchfork in the direction of the competitors' efforts.
- In GNVQ, Kurtan learns that his application to Swindon College has been successful. As he and the vicar discuss how he's going to break the news to Kerry, we see her through the window- play-fighting with the local children, who then run off with her trousers.
- Gag Penis: Martin will brag about the alleged size of his manhood to anyone who is forced to listen.
- Geek: Kurtan has an obsessive streak a mile wide. He develops a new obsession every week, from tracking down old classmate Robert Robinson, to winning the village's annual scarecrow contest, to keeping a blog detailing all the production errors in Emmerdale. He apparently enjoys retro comedy-horror, comparing Kerry to Beetlejuice and Uncle Fester. He enjoys playing Warhammer and is mocked by Kerry as "King of the Nerds" in the episode of the same name.
- Grumpy Old Man: Len, who always finds some excuse to berate Kerry and Kurtan- though to be fair, they often deserve it. Len's nextdoor neighbour, "Angry" Arthur, also qualifies.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Kerry. Mostly with her father, because she desperately wants to believe he's a good guy who loves his daughter, but also with Shaz, the conwoman who persuades her to join a pyramid scheme. She also finds Uncle Nugget "such a laugh" while Kurtan and Sue both see him for the sociopath he truly is.Kurtan: "When I think of Kerry Mucklowe, I think of someone who is very loyal... and very, very stupid."
- Intergenerational Friendship: Kerry and the 11 year olds she likes to hang out with. Kerry, Kurtin and the Vicar
- Lame Comeback: When Kerry and Kurtan are ecstatic to hear the news of Mr Perkins' death:
- Len: "I think it's disgusting, what you're doing, celebrating a man's death!"Kerry: "Yeah... well... I think it's disgusting you not celebrating a man's death!"
- Littlest Cancer Patient: Subverted. Slugs has survived cancer but this doesn't stop him from being "utterly annoying".
- Loser Protagonist: Two of 'em.
- Lower-Class Lout: Averted. While Kerry and Kurtan certainly dress the part, they're not bad kids (the odd scarecrow-burning aside). They even have regular chats with the vicar, who describes them as "great kids".
- It's suggested that Kerry and Kurtan's lack of employment is due to a lack of opportunities rather than for lack of trying, and we can see that they're not lazy and do make some effort to better themselves. Also while the village isn't in an affluent area, most of the residents have nice homes and seem pretty houseproud, and there appears to be a real sense of community among them.
- Manchild: Kurtan and Kerry still behave like teenagers even though they're both in their early twenties by now and Kerry in particular doesn't seem to have any friends her own age - her "gang" is mostly comprised of Year Seven kids.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Kerry only ever wears football shirts and tracksuit bottoms, her favourite village festival is the steam fair, and she loves football and "all things mechanical and technological". Kurtan is more emotional and cares more about his appearance. His favourite village festival is the scarecrow festival, and when Kerry hurt her leg playing football, he was more concerned about missing TKMaxx sales than anything else. He also seems to be more interested in romance than Kerry is.
- Mockumentary: The show was strongly inspired by fly-on-the-wall documentary series The Family.
- My Local: The Keepers Arms, or "The Keepers" for short.
- No Indoor Voice: Sue Mucklowe, who communicates with her daughter Kerry by yelling at her from her bed.
- No Theme Tune: No stings or incidental music, either.
- Not What It Looks Like: In Peeping Tom Kurtan asks Martin if his date, Kayleigh, can use the toilet in his caravan. He follows her in and seconds later she runs away across the field. A fight ensues as Martin insists he didn't peep at her. Kurtan is later humiliated to discover that she was actually running to get away from her date as she was finding him excruciatingly boring.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Deconstructed when Mandy discusses Kerry and Kurtan; Kerry, according to Mandy, looks stupid but is not as stupid as she looks, whereas Kurtan is stupider than he looks, and looks stupid.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: This being a small village, there are a few examples of the But You Screw One Goat variety:
- Martin Mucklowe protests that his reputation for peeping is undeserved and based on just two incidents, neither of which he really enjoyed.
- Martin describing his old friend:Martin Mucklowe: "The last Thursday of every month I used to play pool with Fred West. I know he done some iffy things but as a builder he was top notch."
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Kurtan is never referred to by his real name. We only know that it is "Lee Mucklowe" from the on-screen captions.
- Slugs' real name is never mentioned, and only shown in the credits: Michael "Slugs" Slugett. He is played by the Cooper's Real Life friend Michael Sleggs, and his surname may have inspired the character's nickname.
- Parental Sexuality Squick: Kurtan in response to Martin's sexual bragging:
- "Did you hear him, saying he got tossed off by his mother-in-law? She's 86! I'd rather have sex with Kerry's mum! (Beat)
...and to think he's done 'em both...!"
- Pet the Dog: Kerry and her mother have a moment like this after Kerry reveals to her that Martin was kissing his ex-wife earlier and comforts her mother as she angrily rants about Martin, before asking if she wants a cup of tea. Sue accepts and tells Kerry she's "a good girl".
- Right Behind Me:
- In Scarecrow, as Kurtan is sneering at Len's poor effort:"Len's a good scarecrow maker but he's embarrassed himself this year...alright Len..."
- Subverted in Oven Space, when Kurtan tries to fool Kerry's mum into thinking he's gone out and she embarks on a rant about him:Kurtan: "I'M STILL HERE!"
Sue Mucklowe: "I KNOW!"
- In Scarecrow, as Kurtan is sneering at Len's poor effort:
- Sadist Teacher: The late Mr Perkins. "He was a massive prick", apparently.
- Self-Made Myth: Kerry and her reputation for hardness, which crumbles week by week:
Kerry: "I got enemies in South Cerney, I got enemies in North Cerney, I got enemies in Cerney Wick. I got enemies in Bourton-on-the-Water..."
- Smalltown Boredom: The show is this trope.
- Tantrum Throwing: Kerry and Kurtan's arguments frequently end with them throwing objects- a vase, a phone, a golf club- in anger.
- Tom Boy: Kerry, complete with a gender-neutral name, Tomboyish Ponytail and a wardrobe of Swindon FC merchandise and knock-off sports clothing. A brief glimpse of an old photo shows us that she even wore a suit and tie to the school prom.
- Later we learn that her father Martin always wanted a son and was very disappointed when Kerry was born, and then left her mother and had sons with another woman, so there may be a Freudian explanation for this.
- T-Word Euphemism: The vicar frequently chastises Kerry and Kurtan for "effing and jeffing".
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Daisy May Cooper is
Acting for Two, playing both Kerry and Sue Mucklowe (well, her voice at least). - The Vicar: Reverend Francis Seaton is a none-more-typical example of an Anglican vicar, played by Paul Chahidi.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: As much as can be expected when your best friend is also a family member.
- The Voice: Sue only ever features as a voice screeching from upstairs.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Kerry with her father, who rejects her because he never wanted a daughter. When they briefly reconnect he still insists on calling her "my son", and he ends up forming a closer bond with his nephew, Kurtan. The only way Kerry could ever make him proud of her would be to go back in time and be born a boy.
- Kerry is also this to a lesser extent with her mother- in King of the Nerds she describes a fantasy of becoming one of the Dragons on Dragons' Den and how this might finally make her mother proud of her.
Episodes of this series provide examples of:
- Bottle Episode:
- The episode Oven Space is set in Kerry's mum's kitchen, over the time it takes to cook a frozen pizza and some breaded turkey dinosaurs.
- The episode The Station is set on a train station platform, as Kerry and Kurtan wait to meet the Vicar off an incoming train.
- Embarrassing Tattoo: In 'Mandy', Big Mandy claims to have qualified as a tattoo artist and offers her services to Kerry for free. Kerry declines the offer when she sees Mandy's portfolio of terrible celebrity portraits, and makes an escape when Mandy falls asleep. Mandy takes offence and Kerry ends up getting a tattoo out of fear.
- Downer Ending: In Peeping Tom Kerry is the only person who stands by her dad over the allegations. They spend some time together playing on his flight simulator and planning a "flight" where Kerry will get to play at being Captain. This means the world to Kerry as it seems she may finally be forming a bond with the father who never wanted a daughter. By the end of the episode however he has forgotten everything she's done for him- and has formed a closer bond with Kurtan. Kerry returns to the flight simulator:
- Kerry: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking... this is a solo flight...".
- The Ghost: Kerry and Kurtan spend the whole of Oven Space awaiting the arrival of Steve "Uncle Nugget" Nuggins after his release from prison. We get to know him only from their descriptions of his hilarious (ie, terrifying) escapades. We never see him because he never makes it back after he gets arrested en route for waving a samurai sword around in a supermarket
- Improv Fu: In Threatening Letters Big Mandy offers to teach Kerry some self-defence techniques and pulls out a set of nunchucks. While she clearly doesn't know how to use them and is making up all the moves, she still manages to be genuinely terrifying:Big Mandy: "See that? Pure martial arts."
- The Nicknamer: In Mandy we learn that Mr Perkins, Kerry and Kurtan's hated woodwork teacher, had rather a lot of rather unkind nicknames for them. That may be one of the reasons why they are so happy to hear that he is dead.
- Offthe Wagon: Jacob Seaton in The Vicar's Son
- The Peeping Tom: Kerry's dad, as we learn in the episode Peeping Tom:Kerry's mum: "HE PEEPED IN THE SIXTIES, HE PEEPED IN THE SEVENTIES, HE PEEPED RIGHT THROUGH THE EIGHTIES..."
- Ponzi: In King Of The Nerds Kerry gets sucked in by a pyramid selling scam.
- Power Trio: Kerry, Kurtin and the Vicar
- Produce Pelting: In Scarecrow, Kerry's house is pelted with plums by her friends and on her orders.
- Stalker with a Crush: Dan is this to Kerry in Threatening Letters.
- Too Kinky to Torture: In Threatening Letters Kerry's stalker fantasises about her beating him up, so when she finally tracks him down and threatens to beat him up he naturally responds by getting a Raging Stiffie.
