# The Change (TV series)

The Change is a 2023 British comedy drama series starring, written and created by Bridget Christie for Channel 4. Made by Expectation Entertainment and directed by Al Campbell, the six-part series is produced by Lisa Mitchell, and executive produced by Christie, Nerys Evans and Morwenna Gordon. Joining Christie in the cast are Liza Tarbuck, Omid Djalili, Paul Whitehouse, Monica Dolan and Jim Howick. It was renewed for a second series in May 2024.
The show's end credits music is Hares on the Mountain performed by Shirley Collins and Ian Kearey.

## Synopsis

Linda (Christie) has an existential crisis at age 50 after being informed she has started the menopause. She finds her old Triumph motorcycle and goes on a pilgrimage around her old haunts in Gloucestershire's Forest of Dean.

## Cast

* Bridget Christie as Linda
* Monica Dolan as Carmel
* Susan Lynch as Agnes
* Jim Howick as Verderer
* Omid Djalili as Steve
* Liza Tarbuck as Siobhain
* Tanya Moodie as Joy
* Paul Whitehouse as Tony
* Jerome Flynn as William (Pig Man)
* Sonny Charlton as Ryan
* Rich Keeble as Trevor
* Nicholas A. Newman as Jerry

## Episodes
### Series 1 (2023)

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | U.K. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 21 June 2023 (2023-6-21) | N/A |
| After being told she is going through the menopause, Linda heads to the Forest of Dean to find a time capsule she hid in a tree, trying to reconnect with the person she used to be. ||||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 21 June 2023 (2023-6-21) | N/A |
| Trying to locate the time capsule, Linda runs into Pig Man, who maybe knows about her more than he lets on. ||||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 28 June 2023 (2023-6-28) | N/A |
| Linda interrupts the town meeting after stumbling upon crucial information. ||||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 28 June 2023 (2023-6-28) | N/A |
| Linda receives a visit from her sister Siobhain, who is very displeased with Linda's newfound community. ||||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 5 July 2023 (2023-7-5) | N/A |
| Ahead of the town festival, Linda bonds with the Eel sisters and Joy. ||||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Al Campbell | Bridget Christie | 5 July 2023 (2023-7-5) | N/A |
| The transformed Eel Festival threatens to disrupt the delicate harmony in the village. ||||||

### Series 2 (2025)

The second series was made available prior to linear broadcast on Channel 4 on-demand for subscribers to its paid Channel 4+ tier on 11 March 2025.

## Production

The show was announced as commissioned in March 2022, produced by Lisa Mitchell, and executive produced by Bridget Christie, Nerys Evans and Morwenna Gordon. In July 2022 it was revealed that the series has started filming and that Howick, Djalili, Whitehouse, Tarbuck and Dolan had joined the cast. Later, Susan Lynch was revealed to have joined the cast as an Eel sister. Filming took place on location in the Forest of Dean. Christie was herself brought up in Gloucestershire near the Forest of Dean and had in 2021 suffered some of the symptoms explored in the series.
A second series was confirmed in May 2024 with filming locations including Chepstow in July 2024.

## Broadcast

The series began airing on Channel 4 on 21 June 2023.

## Reception
### Critical reception

The Evening Standard awarded the show four stars out of five, calling it "joyful" and observing that "[while] it is cutting both in its humour and its astute social commentary, it is also immensely warm, grounded in familial community and nostalgic in a way that is hard to define." The Guardian also gave four stars out of five, declaring it "like nothing else on TV" and identifying Christie's protagonist as "the role model we’ve all been waiting for.". Comedy website Chortle also gave it four stars, calling it 'sardonic yet surreal'
The Guardian subsequently reviewed the final episode of the first series as "gorgeous", "life-affirming", and "the most profound finale of the year."

## Accolades

In February 2024, the series was nominated at the Broadcast Awards in the Best Comedy Programme category. That month, it was also nominated in the Best TV Show category at the Chortle Awards. Christie was nominated for Best Writer - Comedy at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards. In March 2024, Christie was nominated in the Female performance in a comedy programme category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.
In August 2024, Christie won Best Actress - Comedy at the Edinburgh TV Awards at the Edinburgh International Television Festival.