Plebs (TV series)

Plebs
GenreSitcom
Created bySam Leifer
Tom Basden
Written bySam Leifer
Tom Basden
Matt Morgan
(one episode)
Directed bySam Leifer
Starring
Theme music composerOliver Julian
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series5 (+1 special)
No. of episodes39
Production
Executive producers
  • Caroline Leddy
  • Sam Leifer
ProducerTeddy Leifer
Production locationsNu Boyana Studios, Bulgaria
Running time25 minutes
Production companyRise Films
Original release
NetworkITV2
ITVX (Film Only)
Release25 March 2013 (2013-03-25) –
8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Plebs is a British sitcom broadcast on ITV2.[1] It was first broadcast in March 2013, and was produced by Tom Basden, Caroline Leddy, Sam Leifer and Teddy Leifer. It stars Tom Rosenthal, Ryan Sampson, Joel Fry (series 1–3), and Jonathan Pointing (from series 4), who play young residents of ancient Rome (plebs were ordinary non-patrician citizens of Rome). The format has been compared to The Inbetweeners, Up Pompeii and Chelmsford 123.[2] The first series, comprising six episodes, was broadcast between 25 March and 22 April 2013. Three subsequent series of eight episodes each were broadcast between 22 September and 3 November 2014, between 4 April and 16 May 2016, and between 9 April and 21 May 2018. A fifth series was commissioned with Rosenthal, Sampson and Pointing all returning.[3] The fifth series started on 30 September 2019, ending on 11 November 2019.[4] On 30 April 2020, it was confirmed the series would end with a feature-length special.[5] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filming was delayed but eventually completed in May 2022.

The show makes comical use of anachronistically modern parlance and concepts in a historical setting and uses predominantly ska/rocksteady music during all the opening and closing titles and during each episode as background music.

  1. ^ "Plebs". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  2. ^ Donaghy, James (26 March 2013). "How Plebs gets laughs from the past". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Plebs to return for fifth series". Radio Times.
  4. ^ Pointing, Jon (18 May 2019). "Well, we've actually just landed in sunny Bulgaria to start filming Monday".
  5. ^ "ITV2's Plebs will end with a feature-length special".