| Genre: | Drama |
| Creator: | Kay Mellor |
| Runtime: | 45 minutes (per episode) |
| Opentheme: | "Perfect 10", performed by The Beautiful South |
| Network: | ITV |
| Composer: | Mark Russell |
| Language: | English |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Num Series: | 4 |
| Num Episodes: | 25 |
Fat Friends is a British drama that aired on ITV from 12 October 2000 to 24 March 2005, consisting of 25 episodes over four series. Set in Leeds, the series explores the lives of several slimming club members, with a focus on the various ways their weight has impacted upon them.
The series was created by Kay Mellor and made by Rollem Productions in association with Tiger Aspect Productions and Yorkshire Television.
Fat Friends is set around a slimming club in the Headingley district of Leeds. The club is run by the formidable Carol (Janet Dibley), who fruitlessly tries to persuade the members of the group to follow the "Super Slimmers" diet. The characters who attend the club are from various backgrounds and of various weights. While some plots continue throughout all four series, each episode focuses on one particular character.
| Episode No. | Airdate | Total Viewers[1] | ITV Weekly Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | 12 October 2000 | 10,370,000 | 13 | |
| 1.2 | 19 October 2000 | 8,660,000 | 16 | |
| 1.3 | 26 October 2000 | 9,190,000 | 16 | |
| 1.4 | 2 November 2000 | 9,140,000 | 15 | |
| 1.5 | 9 November 2000 | 8,790,000 | 16 | |
| 1.6 | 16 November 2000 | 9,610,000 | 16 |
| Episode No. | Airdate | Total Viewers | ITV Weekly Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | 5 September 2002 | 7,810,000 | 16 | |
| 2.2 | 12 September 2002 | 7,260,000 | 14 | |
| 2.3 | 19 September 2002 | 7,280,000 | 12 | |
| 2.4 | 26 September 2002 | 6,610,000 | 16 | |
| 2.5 | 3 October 2002 | 6,450,000 | 18 | |
| 2.6 | 10 October 2002 | 6,990,000 | 15 | |
| 2.7 | 17 October 2002 | 7,020,000 | 16 |
| Episode No. | Airdate | Total Viewers | ITV Weekly Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | 1 January 2004 | 6,470,000 | 23 | |
| 3.2 | 7 January 2004 | 7,360,000 | 19 | |
| 3.3 | 14 January 2004 | 7,470,000 | 18 | |
| 3.4 | 21 January 2004 | 7,540,000 | 17 | |
| 3.5 | 28 January 2004 | 8,690,000 | 22 | |
| 3.6 | 4 February 2004 | 7,240,000 | 22 |
| Episode No. | Airdate | Total Viewers | ITV Weekly Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 17 February 2005 | 6,560,000 | 18 | |
| 4.2 | 24 February 2005 | 7,510,000 | 15 | |
| 4.3 | 3 March 2005 | 7,030,000 | 19 | |
| 4.4 | 10 March 2005 | 5,600,000 | 20 | |
| 4.5 | 17 March 2005 | 6,050,000 | 20 | |
| 4.6 | 24 March 2005 | 5,790,000 | 19 |
Fat Friends was originally released on VHS for its first series, and was the only series to be released in the format. This was followed by a DVD release of the first series, as well as box set comprising the first three series, in March 2005, while the second and third series were made available individually in April 2005. Distribution rights were held by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in the UK, however all DVD releases are now out-of-print. The fourth series has never been released on DVD.
The first series was also released in Australia in 2005, via Shock Records, and in the United States, from Alchemy / Millennium in 2007.
| Series | Release date | No. of discs | Rating | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VHS (UK) | Region 1 DVD | Region 2 DVD | Region 4 DVD | BBFC | ACB | |||
| Series 1 | 24 June 2002 | 13 February 2007[2] | 21 March 2005[3] | 19 September 2005[4] | 2 | 15[5] | MA15+[6] | |
| Series 2 | 18 April 2005[7] | 2 | 15 | |||||
| Series 3 | 18 April 2005[8] | 2 | 15 | |||||
| Series 1, 2 & 3 | 21 March 2005[9] | 6 | 15 | |||||
A stage musical adaptation of the series directed and written by original creator, Kay Mellor, with music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber made its world premiere at the Grand Theatre in Leeds on 7 November 2017 before embarking on a UK tour, starring Jodie Prenger as Kelly Stevenson.[10]
