Jam and Jerusalem: An Introduction
I thought I'd share with you all a little look at one of my favourite women-centric TV shows, Jam and Jerusalem. It's a brilliant piece of television full of warm and subtle characterisation and complex relationships. It's a crime that it doesn't have a bigger fandom!
What's Jam and Jerusalem?
Also known as Clatterford, Jam and Jerusalem is a sweet, funny and sometimes uncomfortably accurate look at life in a small village, focusing on practice nurse Sal and her friends in the Women's Guild of Clatterford St Mary, a small Devon town.
Why Should You Watch It?
* The main characters are mostly older women, and even the minor characters are well-drawn, three-dimensional, funny, sympathetic and interesting.
* It passes the Bechdel Test every single episode.
* It stars some huge names in British comedy and drama, including Sue Johnstone, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and David Mitchell.
* There's only ten hours of it, so you can watch the whole series over one cosy weekend
* It has an incredibly hummable soundtrack by Kate Rusby
* You can ship it every-which-way
"There isn't a course on what I do well, Mike, which is giving a shit!"
This is Sal. She's the main character. She's the practice nurse at the local doctor's surgery where her husband Mike is the doctor, until Mike dies and their son James takes over. Bored and at a loose end, Sal finally agrees to join the local Women' Guild. With only slight reluctance, she more or less looks after the whole village in one way or another.
"Now what's the problem? No, I'm not a doctor, but you might as well tell me now cause I'm going to know anyway."
Tip is Sal's best friend. She's the receptionist at the surgery and knows everything there is to know about everyone in the village. She's rude and dismissive, a gossiping know-it-all, and not shy when it comes to expressing negative opinions. But she'll do anything to help someone in trouble, especially if Sal tells her to.
"Hole have breathing down our necks ever since they got a Tesco Metro!"
Eileen is chairwoman of the Women's Guild, and takes her position very seriously. The Guild is her life, and she spends almost all of her time in Guild-related pursuits. She keeps an eye on Rosie whenever she can. She's lonely sometimes, but the Guild generally keeps her busy.
"It's a sign from God, Vicar! Just like to Noah you know, like the holy seagull that brought the olives!"
Rosie is a key member of the Guild - a regular at the meetings, the only person to actually enjoy Pauline's talks, and the bowls team's secret weapon. Where Rosie is sweet and friendly, her alter ego Margaret is nasty and condescending, but with Sal's help Rosie keeps her mostly under control.
"I wonder what that says about us?" "I think it just means that we're better than everyone else."
Caroline and Susie are rarely apart, and always sit together at Guild meetings. Caroline has a very busy schedule, what with attending equestrian events, entertaining visiting rock stars and doing the school run, and Susie is always happy to help in whatever way she can, and doesn't ask for anything in return. She also tactfully corrects Caroline's vocabulary mistakes, saving her from many an embarrassing situation.
"Sorry... I'm just trying to remember how many million bicycles there are in Beijing..."
Kate is obliviously over-earnest, gullible and rather hard work. While Kate's around, the Guild live in constant fear of group hugs and little chats about their feelings. She's useless in a crisis and can't make decisions. But the Guild wouldn't be the same without her.
"Do you find this whole silly religion business is getting in the way of a perfectly nice coffee morning?"
The vicar is grumpy, misanthropic and unkind, especially when he hasn't taken his medication. He can usually be relied upon to do the right thing in the end, though, and as scornful as he is about the Guild, he often lends a hand when necessary.
"Mum, am I an idealist or an anarchist?"
Sal's daughter Tash is lazy, aimless, and leaves much of the work of raising her son Raph to Sal while she learns to juggle and tries to sneak into music festivals without paying. She's lots of fun, though.
"Leftovers? The mind boggles as to the nature of the original meal..."
James is Sal's son, and the local GP. He's serious, prudish and constantly embarrassed by the antics of his mother and sister. He has trouble talking about feelings, but he loves his family, deep down. Very deep down, in Tash's case.
"Can we go back to the swabbing part again?"
Yasmeen is James' wife, and the new practice nurse. She's incredibly squeamish about bodily fluids, ear hair and giving injections. She can't even say the word 'smear'. She gets by somehow, and in her off hours, she helps out the Guild, although she's definitely not a member.
As for the rest:
There's Delilah, who plays the church organ and once shook hands with Hitler; Pauline, who has a variety of talks and presentations for any occasion; Queenie, whose husband divorced her when she had an affair with a maid; Jock, newcomer to the village; Spike, a trustafarian with an appreciation for yoghurt; Raph, Tash's son who likes dogs and wears fairy wings around the house; Marcus, a conservationist with a nice singing voice; Colin, Tip's farmer husband; Freya and Beattie, Caroline's argumentative daughters; Janine, the moody but kind-hearted teenager who works in the Spar; and Megan, a pillar of the community who nevertheless resists joining the Guild.
Where Can I Watch It?
The whole series comes in a very pretty box set. Alternatively, it's possible to find it on *cough* popular video sites. Here are some promos to get you started:
What's Jam and Jerusalem?
Also known as Clatterford, Jam and Jerusalem is a sweet, funny and sometimes uncomfortably accurate look at life in a small village, focusing on practice nurse Sal and her friends in the Women's Guild of Clatterford St Mary, a small Devon town.
Why Should You Watch It?
* The main characters are mostly older women, and even the minor characters are well-drawn, three-dimensional, funny, sympathetic and interesting.
* It passes the Bechdel Test every single episode.
* It stars some huge names in British comedy and drama, including Sue Johnstone, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and David Mitchell.
* There's only ten hours of it, so you can watch the whole series over one cosy weekend
* It has an incredibly hummable soundtrack by Kate Rusby
* You can ship it every-which-way
"There isn't a course on what I do well, Mike, which is giving a shit!"
This is Sal. She's the main character. She's the practice nurse at the local doctor's surgery where her husband Mike is the doctor, until Mike dies and their son James takes over. Bored and at a loose end, Sal finally agrees to join the local Women' Guild. With only slight reluctance, she more or less looks after the whole village in one way or another.
"Now what's the problem? No, I'm not a doctor, but you might as well tell me now cause I'm going to know anyway."
Tip is Sal's best friend. She's the receptionist at the surgery and knows everything there is to know about everyone in the village. She's rude and dismissive, a gossiping know-it-all, and not shy when it comes to expressing negative opinions. But she'll do anything to help someone in trouble, especially if Sal tells her to.
"Hole have breathing down our necks ever since they got a Tesco Metro!"
Eileen is chairwoman of the Women's Guild, and takes her position very seriously. The Guild is her life, and she spends almost all of her time in Guild-related pursuits. She keeps an eye on Rosie whenever she can. She's lonely sometimes, but the Guild generally keeps her busy.
"It's a sign from God, Vicar! Just like to Noah you know, like the holy seagull that brought the olives!"
Rosie is a key member of the Guild - a regular at the meetings, the only person to actually enjoy Pauline's talks, and the bowls team's secret weapon. Where Rosie is sweet and friendly, her alter ego Margaret is nasty and condescending, but with Sal's help Rosie keeps her mostly under control.
"I wonder what that says about us?" "I think it just means that we're better than everyone else."
Caroline and Susie are rarely apart, and always sit together at Guild meetings. Caroline has a very busy schedule, what with attending equestrian events, entertaining visiting rock stars and doing the school run, and Susie is always happy to help in whatever way she can, and doesn't ask for anything in return. She also tactfully corrects Caroline's vocabulary mistakes, saving her from many an embarrassing situation.
"Sorry... I'm just trying to remember how many million bicycles there are in Beijing..."
Kate is obliviously over-earnest, gullible and rather hard work. While Kate's around, the Guild live in constant fear of group hugs and little chats about their feelings. She's useless in a crisis and can't make decisions. But the Guild wouldn't be the same without her.
"Do you find this whole silly religion business is getting in the way of a perfectly nice coffee morning?"
The vicar is grumpy, misanthropic and unkind, especially when he hasn't taken his medication. He can usually be relied upon to do the right thing in the end, though, and as scornful as he is about the Guild, he often lends a hand when necessary.
"Mum, am I an idealist or an anarchist?"
Sal's daughter Tash is lazy, aimless, and leaves much of the work of raising her son Raph to Sal while she learns to juggle and tries to sneak into music festivals without paying. She's lots of fun, though.
"Leftovers? The mind boggles as to the nature of the original meal..."
James is Sal's son, and the local GP. He's serious, prudish and constantly embarrassed by the antics of his mother and sister. He has trouble talking about feelings, but he loves his family, deep down. Very deep down, in Tash's case.
"Can we go back to the swabbing part again?"
Yasmeen is James' wife, and the new practice nurse. She's incredibly squeamish about bodily fluids, ear hair and giving injections. She can't even say the word 'smear'. She gets by somehow, and in her off hours, she helps out the Guild, although she's definitely not a member.
As for the rest:
There's Delilah, who plays the church organ and once shook hands with Hitler; Pauline, who has a variety of talks and presentations for any occasion; Queenie, whose husband divorced her when she had an affair with a maid; Jock, newcomer to the village; Spike, a trustafarian with an appreciation for yoghurt; Raph, Tash's son who likes dogs and wears fairy wings around the house; Marcus, a conservationist with a nice singing voice; Colin, Tip's farmer husband; Freya and Beattie, Caroline's argumentative daughters; Janine, the moody but kind-hearted teenager who works in the Spar; and Megan, a pillar of the community who nevertheless resists joining the Guild.
Where Can I Watch It?
The whole series comes in a very pretty box set. Alternatively, it's possible to find it on *cough* popular video sites. Here are some promos to get you started:
Click to view