Inspired by a time when the television sitcom was in its infancy and when
women were expected to be merely decorative or the butt of the joke, Gemma
Arterton stars as Barbara Parker - the Blackpool beauty queen who becomes a
comedy superstar. It’s the height of the swinging 60s and the newly crowned
‘Miss Blackpool’ has arrived in London to find her calling. But the London
she finds is not quite as swinging as expected. After a series of setbacks
Barbara finds herself in an audition for a TV comedy show. It turns out
Barbara’s uncompromising northern wit is the X factor that the burgeoning
television sitcom scene has been missing, taking Barbara from obscurity to
the front covers, kicking off a rollercoaster journey that brings us to
where comedy is today.
