ITV do drama really well (Broadchurch, Mr Selfridge), and this year they're beginning to do comedy really well (Birds of a Feather), so when I saw that ITV were ready to launch a brand new comedy drama, set in Margate, I was intrigued.
And after watching just fifteen minutes of Edge of Heaven, I knew it would be right up my street, and I really hope it's up yours too. It's got her from Him & Her, not the actual her, but another her, Camille Coduri, him from The Inbetweeners, Blake Harrison, her from EastEnders, Louisa Lytton and him from Celebrity Juice, Nitin Kundra aka Indian Keith as well as Adrian Scarborough, Marcia Warren, Justine Cain, Robert Evans and Laura Checkley - so it's safe to say that we're in safe hands.
Edge of Heaven is set in, and I quote "Margate's finest 80's themed B&B", run by Wham! loving Judy (Camille Coduri). The B&B also doubles up as her home, where she lives with her husband Tandeep (Nitin Kundra), and her two grown-up kids, Alfie (Blake Harrison) and Ann-Marie (Laura Checkley). Judy is everyone's best friend, and it's clear to see why, she's fun, she's friendly and she knows how to have a good time. Basically it takes her just five minutes into episode one to fall around the pub clutching a massive inflatable penis. Oh yeah - she went there. And just as well Judy is the way she is really, having to run an 80's themed B&B.
Then there's Judy's husband, Tandeep who rather refreshingly doesn't fall into the regular Indian stereotype. Something Nitin Kundra, who plays Tandeep, touches upon himself, saying "There is no reference to the fact that he is Indian and I think that is a really great thing."
This is quite a different role for Nitin as perhaps most people will know him better for playing Indian Keith on Celebrity Juice. Tandeep is not Indian Keith, that's for sure. He's just basically an all around nice guy; he loves to cook the breakfast and loves to love Judy.
Then there's Judy's son Alfie, played by Blake Harrison, who we first meet hours away from his stag do, the night before he's due to get married to his first real love Carly, played by Justin Cain (Some Girls).
Or will he? Things go from good to bad pretty quickly, as Alfie spots Carly kissing another guy on the night of his stag do. Could this spell the end for love's young dream? Well apparently not, not for Alfie anyway, who is so in love with his childhood sweetheart that he decides to go ahead with the wedding, and visits Carly at work the next day to talk about how he wants them to forget about anything that he may have seen the night before and move on.
Despite being in the wrong, Carly's not too sure about going through with the wedding, "I don't want to get married if there's something missing" she tells him. Poor Alfie is all I can say.
So yes, you guessed it, on the day of the wedding Carly decides to leave Alfie at the alter leaving him distraught, not quite being able to believe what has just happened to him.
She must be feeling bad too though right? Wrong. Carly is more worried about her two-week honeymoon in Ibiza and luckily for her it's not long before she's heading off to the sunny island, not with Alfie, but with Alfie's friend Michelle, who helps her forget all about Alfie. There's no going back for Carly when she returns to the UK as one quick glance at her Facebook profile will tell you, that and the fact that she managed to sell her wedding dress whilst on the honeymoon that never really was.
Blake has been in a few programmes since The Inbetweeners, but seems to have really found his feet with Edge of Heaven, and I feel he really suits its feel-good nature. Justine Cain is a great new talent too, having already appeared in WPC 56 and BBC Three's Some Girls it seems her career is on the up and Edge of Heaven sees her thrust into the primetime spotlight. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of Justine Cain soon.
Michelle is played by Louisa Lytton (EastEnders, The Bill), and despite being friends with Alfie for years, there may be another reason she's keen to help Carly get over Alfie. Michelle has fancied Alfie for as long as she can remember., although she wouldn't admit that to anyone - "we had one date when we were 12."So could this be the right time to give things a go? Will they go from friends to... well, more than friend? Only time will tell, but if the trailer is anything to go by there may well be a snog or too along the way.
I really like Louisa Lytton, OK, I went to school with her so I'm a little bit biased, but aside from that, she's always played very likeable girl-next-door type characters and Michelle is just that with an extra dollop of cheerful on the side. There's never a dull moment when Michelle's around. She the one they all go and talk to, she's the voice of reason.
I can't help thinking that if Stella, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm were to get together and have a baby, Edge of Heaven would probably be the result. Don't get me wrong though, it's not 'The new..." any one of those but there are similarities that are worth mentioning.
If you're staying in on a Friday night, Edge of Heaven is a perfect show to watch and I'm really excited to see how the series progresses and where it takes each of the characters. There appears to be great chemistry between all of the characters on screen and I'm sure the same can be said for off-screen too. It's also refreshing to see something that's not set in London or one of the UK's other big cities, but rather the seaside town of Margate in Kent.
Basically, Edge of Heaven is loud, colourful and brilliantly character driven that means you're bound to find at least one character to fall in love with. And if you happen to be out on a Friday night, it's the perfect show to nurse that Saturday morning hangover too!