The Lakes (TV series)

The Lakes
Genre	Drama
Created by	Jimmy McGovern
Written by	Joe Ainsworth William Gaminara Julie Rutterford
Directed by	David Blair Bill Anderson Sallie Aprahamian David Moore Roberto Bangura
Starring	John Simm Emma Cunniffe Kaye Wragg Mary Jo Randle Paul Copley Robert Pugh Charles Dale Kevin Doyle Elizabeth Rider
Composer	Nina Humphreys
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	14 (list of episodes) Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox television with "list_episodes" parameter using self-link. See Infobox instructions and MOS:INFOBOXPURPOSE.
Production
Executive producers	Charles Pattinson George Faber Suzan Harrison Lynn Horsford
Producer	Matthew Bird
Cinematography	Andy Collins
Editor	Luke Dunkley
Running time	90 minutes (pilot) 50 minutes (Series 1) 40 minutes (Series 2)
Production company	Company Pictures
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	14 September 1997 (1997-09-14) – 14 March 1999 (1999-03-14)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Lakes is a British television drama series, created and principally written by Jimmy McGovern, first broadcast on BBC1 on 14 September 1997.^[1] The series, which was principally filmed in and around Patterdale and The Ullswater Hotel, Glenridding,^[2] stars John Simm as Danny Kavanagh, a hotel porter, compulsive gambler, and philanderer who escapes from the dole queues in Liverpool to live in the Lake District. After he meets and marries local girl Emma Quinlan (Emma Cunniffe), they move back to Liverpool. However, the consequences of Danny's gambling habit results in Emma moving back to the Lakes. Months later, Danny also returns, and takes up a job looking after a rowing boat concession, and starts to patch up his relationship with Emma.^[3]

Two series were broadcast. The first, made of four episodes including a feature-length pilot, aired during September and October 1997. A second series, extended to ten episodes, broadcast from January to March 1999. McGovern described the series as "partially autobiographical", having also been a gambling addict and having met his wife Eileen while working at a hotel in Cumbria.^[4] McGovern's involvement in the second series was heavily reduced, with a number of co-writers contributing to the series, including Joe Ainsworth, William Gaminara and Julie Rutterford. The series was critically acclaimed when first broadcast, although it caused controversy due to the hard-hitting portrayal of an immoral British sub-culture, and scenes of sex and violence. The series was considered a springboard for many members of the cast, including Kaye Wragg, James Thornton, Kevin Doyle and Elizabeth Berrington.^[5]