The Fattest Man in Britain

Reliable, solid performance as usual from Timothy Spall. As one who looks forward to uplifting dramas especially during these current times of economic recession, I found the last 2 minutes of what was billed as a comedy drama very uplifting – particularly after sitting through 2 hours of this. A word of congratulations must go to Jeff Pope and Caroline Aherne who seemed to have managed with ease to release Bobby Ball from his Christian beliefs by prolonged use of his foul language - quite a contrast from an earlier appearance he made on 'Songs of Praise.' It was billed as a comedy drama. I missed the comedy part. Is this what we really want on weekend prime time television in the UK?

The Fattest Man in Britain(2009) (YouTube, full film ) It centres on the life of Georgie Godwin (Timothy Spall) , housebound for 23 years Georgie is the fattest man in Britain, and is loosely based on a real life fatty. Featuring lots of TV faces, namely Bobby Ball and written by Caroline Ahearne. It does plod the same path as The Royal Family in that the sentimentality does overwhelm what could have been a very dark story, playing it for laughs when the reality could and I presume would have been far too glum. It being comedic drama this sort of programme would no longer be made, Channel 5 and the like would now have a reality TV series for us to gawp at the fatties (I'm paraphrasing any potential sales pitch) Its worth a watch, but only to see how our collective taste have changed and not necessarily for the better. A timepiece. 4/10.

The story of Britain's fattest man Georgie Godwin, inspired by real life events. A man who's seemingly proud of his huge stature, but totally taken advantage of

I have had weight issues personally, so this drama is very special to me, when it first aired, I had lost a massive amount of weight, it all went back on, having lost the bulk of it again, I felt able to watch this again.

This is a magical one off drama, it's funny, it's heartfelt, it's moving, and it's fairly motivational to the right person as well.

Tommy from Burnley's funeral is one of the funniest things I have ever seen, and the scene between Joyce and The Vicar is an absolute scream fest, it is always wonderful to see Mrs Brown out of uniform.

The acting is sublime, Timothy Spall can do no wrong in my eyes, he is quite literally one of the best there is, he is fabulous, as is the makeup he's in, quite remarkable. Bobby Ball, the late legend is also on the top of his game, throw in the gorgeous Frances Barber, and you get something this good.

The music is tremendous here too.

Fabulous, 10/10.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In a day and age where fame comes to the talentless quite easily, there are people getting noticed all the time for their comically over-sized bodies who are always appearing in the papers for being a sideshow or not being able to work and claiming benefits...So being such a current affairs matter, the renowned Timothy Spall has donned a super-size fat suit to play one such spectacle, Georgie Godwin, who we learn through-out the course of this TV film has become super-morbidly obese not entirely through his own fault, and has survived through years of being a sideshow and cash cow to his so-called best mate Morris (Bobby Ball) only for a new friendship with a young girl to save his salvation again.

The lighting is a little too grey and bleak for what was meant to be such light entertainment, not to mention the script throwing up some heavy content and strong language knocking out the family market. But at it's heart it's still a good natured, gentle piece that strikes just the right balance between hilarious and heart warming. Ball is a surprise return after being away for so long, and even more surprising (and relevant) is the appearance of real life Birmingham fat man Barry Austin, as Georgie's rival in a local 'super fat' contest. ***

Was looking forward to this from the start and i wasn't disappointed! The whole cast were brilliant, especially Bobby Ball playing the dirty, foul mouthed manager (hope we get to see his character again in the future), Wonderfully shot,great script with both laughter and enough tender moments to keep it from turning farcical.

Well done to everyone involved. The make up was really good for a T.V drama, location was spot on, Badly Drawn Boys music was perfect for the show.

I just hope we can see more of this quirky style of television soon.

Loved it!!!