Region 2, South African releases
Excellent condition
From the creator of Gimme Gimme Gimme and the producer of Absolutely Fabulous comes Beautiful People, a comedy series for BBC Two exploring what it's truly like for all of us to be fabulous via starry ambition, youthful optimism and one very loving, yet very dysfunctional, family.
Beautiful People is written by Jonathan Harvey (Gimme Gimme Gimme, Beautiful Thing) and based on the best-selling wild childhood memoirs of Simon Doonan, Creative Director of Barneys, New York.
This glittering and hilarious series delves inside Simon's youthful memories and his desire to escape suburban Reading and live amongst the "beautiful people" - from his perspective as a window dresser in a New York department store.
Surrounded by dreams of the big and all the beautiful people that go with it, 13-year-old Simon (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) can't open a fridge door without belting out a show tune.
But such behaviour will always fall flat on a family even more eccentric than Simon's latest attempts to be fabulous. The Britain of 1997 might be changing, but the Doonan clan remain consistently nuts.
Main cast:
Simon Doonan (Luke Ward-Wilkinson), an effeminate 14-year-old schoolboy who longs to escape 1990s Reading for the glamour of London. Played by Samuel Barnett in present-day scenes.
Kylie Parkinson (Layton Williams), Simon's best friend, whose real name is Kyle. Similarly gay, he is obsessed with Kylie Minogue and idolises Princess Diana. Played by Howard Charles in a present-day scene, but is voiced by Williams.
Debbie Doonan (Olivia Colman), Simon's mother, a brash barmaid who speaks her mind and has a slight drinking problem.
Andy Doonan (Aidan McArdle), Simon's father, a hardworking Irish plumber.
Ashlene Doonan (Sophie Ash), Simon's sister, known to be promiscuous.
Aunty Hayley (Meera Syal), Simon's blind "aunt" and Debbie's best friend, who lodges with the Doonans
Reba Parkinson (Sarah Niles), Kylie's mother, the Doonans' neighbour, and Debbie's rival.
Guest stars in Season 2 include Elaine Paige, Dana International and Dannii Minogue
Season 1
In 2008 New York City, Simon Doonan, a window-dresser at Barneys, tells his boyfriend Sacha various tales from his childhood in Reading. Most of Simon's stories center around how he came to own some of his most treasured possessions, which he finds a place for in his eccentric window displays. Over the course of the series, young Simon struggles to express his love of music, theatre, and fashion in a working class community, with local hooligans hounding him at school and a supportive but quirky family squashing his efforts at home. While it is implied, sexuality is not relevant.
Season 2
The second series of Beautiful People was broadcast in 2009, when Simon returns to Reading to mend his heart after breaking up with his boyfriend Sacha. As in the first series, Simon recounts stories from his childhood in Reading, but speaks directly to the viewer instead of to Sacha. Simon and Kylie's sexuality becomes more overt in the second series as the two lads become more comfortable with themselves. In the series finale, Simon finds himself attracted to a new boy at school, prompting him to come out to his mother after being dissuaded from running away from home.
