The Change (2023– ) User Reviews

A very funny and original comedy/drama - don't miss it

[JRB-NorthernSoul · 6/10 · 23 June 2023]

I was very pleasantly suprised by how good this series was. Its written by and stars Bridget Christie who I wasn't familiar with before, but she does a terrific job in both departments. There's also a familar and talented cast with the likes of Omad Djalili, Paul Whitehouse, Lisa Tarbuck (Brilliant!) and Monica Dolen in character roles.

More than anything this was a comedy that was actually laugh out loud funny, great comic characterisation, quirky story, sharply observed and some very funny one-liners. It was also very well-paced - the 25 minute episodes zipped by.

Congrats to all involved! I know C4 are cutting budgets at the moment but I really hope this one comes back, its a little gem and truly deserves it.

Season 2 please

[fionafor · 8/10 · 29 June 2023]

I saw a few minutes of this on a social media post promoting the new drama which prompted me to check it out. So glad I did... it was sensitively written with humour, a truly believable cast and story. I binged it over 2 nights (thanks Channel 4 for having it all streamable) and now I really want/need a second series, especially after how it ended!!

Definitely appeals to "women" & specifically those of us of a certain age - those of us who do feel invisible, men take note! It's time to wake up and realise we women are just over 50% of the world population so we DO matter and should be seen and have a voice.

Trees not roads, all hail The Eel Queen, "May all your transitions be joyful"

Loved it, more please.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 1 August 2023]

Fifty year old Linda realises she's going through the menopause, the realisation makes her aware of everything else going on in her life, the fact that she's totally taken for granted. Linda ups and leaves and heads for a place she visited as a child.

What a refreshing comedy, and a subject that isn't always picked as a topic for humour. The Change is very much shown as a positive step for Linda, who realises her life is going nowhere, so she says enough is enough.

It starts off as pretty straightforwardly humour, then ventures into something a little surreal, but still funny. For me it's like Spaced meets The Whicker Man.

It does make a few political statements, but it doesn't demonise one group of another, it has a few laughs at everything. One thing it does set out to do, is to normalise the menopause, women's identities and rights to live how they want.

Bridget Christie was tremendous, I loved Linda, she's smart, sassy, she's a good person, with a conscience, she's just had enough.

A wonderful cast, Monica Dolan, Susan Lynch, Paul Whitehouse, Jim Howick are all brilliant.

I really hope there's more to come, I really did enjoy this series.

8/10.

Not very realistic

[JBLOSS · 6/10 · 3 September 2023]

Bridget Christie is obviously talented and her character is portrayed very sympathetically. However I somehow doubt she's ever been to the Forest of Dean... the locals are portrayed so so patronisingly and also Bridget Christie clearly doesn't have a clue about how planning actually works in England. People don't suddenly start building roads or chopping down ancient woodland...yes the reality is years of bureaucratic wrangling, planning applications, appeals, judicial reviews and then maybe people will start camping in trees. It's a real shame that in a well intentioned drama to highlight issues related to the menopause that Bridget Christie was happy to perpetuate other stereotypes and half truths.

Great show, loved it.

[vinl-60903 · 10/10 · 2 July 2023]

Great script and actors. Very funny and quirky. Would love a 2nd series.

Thought Bridgette was great on Taskmaster and gave it a watch and binged the lot.

It's not just about the menopause. It's relatable to all those in a relationship. The cluelessness of her husband (Omid Djalili), the disdain of her teenage children and society's general denial of older women makes her realise she is worth more. I loved that she takes back some of those 3.5 million minutes of domestic drudgery (she's been keeping careful record) and hope lots of women start doing the same and head off on their own adventures.

Magical . Funny & moving

[fieryangel2 · 10/10 · 25 June 2023]

This is an exceptional unique series and epitomises how far TV comedy has moved on from the days of Men Behaving Badly & other dire sexist comedies . This drama was beautifully written, beautifully cast and beautifully designed . All the characters are individuals and splendidly eccentric . It's feminist and all the better for that . But it has both a light touch and a serious message and is done with love . Lots of little details of modern life ring true and you think " yes that's so true !" The final episode , a gloriously costumed fantasy just begs to be continued in a second series . Let's hope it is re commissioned.

Is that jam?

[memeweaver · 9/10 · 3 July 2023]

As a (slightly) pre-menopausal male, I may not be the natural constituency for this show, but I hands-down loved it.

I've heard bits and pieces of Bridget Christie's comedy over the years, mostly on the radio, generally enjoying it but accepting it mostly as comic entertainment. This is a real step up: the writing is on point, big hearted and the larger than life West Country characters shine in every episode. There are laugh out loud moments in every episode.

The rustic folk-tinged score is a great counterpoint to the full range of tender to angry moments throughout. The central character's quest was not so different to my own mother's struggle to establish an identity as she hit her forties.

A sweet love letter to nature

[mireyagrace-71059 · 10/10 · 23 June 2023]

I watched the whole thing in one day. As a fellow west country girl who now lives in the city, I thought it was a beautiful rendition of the feeling of longing to be in the forest again. Christie's intelligent script brings the perfect amount of comedy to compliment the show's more serious themes. You will quickly fall in love with the place and the characters. It's a gentle and tender comedy-drama with middle-aged women at its heart, a group usually completely underrepresented in tv.

Lost a couple of points for me due to a slightly rushed ending but definitely left on a cliffhanger for a second season, so forgivable. At a few moments the script was perhaps a bit animated/forced but overall it was a really enjoyable show. Looking forward to seeing the loose ends tied up in a potential second season 🤞🏼

Started well. Declined rapidly.

[jjkearney-24351 · 4/10 · 1 January 2024]

We sat down to watch this series with a sense of excitement. Good cast. Good story line (or so we thought). First episode was funny. It and the next two had a Vicar of Dibley feel about it. But then it fell away. The lead character's husband and sister are painful. Their characters are overdone and hurt the feel of this series. The feminist overtones are also overdone and the male characters overall are all quite pathetic. We are currently watching the sixth and thankfully last episode. It is the worst which is saying something after the fifth episode which was ordinary. I'm sure there will be a second series. Not a chance we'll be watching it. A disappointing series that took itself far too seriously.

Great new series

[kpanesar-49339 · 9/10 · 28 June 2023]

I watched this over two days. I really enjoyed watching the story develop to see what happens to the quirky village folk.

This series is funny, witty , well written and acted .

I love the portrayal of the leading lady of a menopausal mum of two and married with a husband . I laughed at the scene at the doctors It's so true . What the woman is going through wanting to find herself get a way from life .

I think any woman going through the menopause Will totally love this series .

I found it refreshing and enjoyable to watch . Just a shame that there's not any more series. As it only had 6 episodes feel they need to Make series 2.

Relatable & funny

[menopausecafe · 10/10 · 4 July 2023]

I watched this over a week and found it incredibly funny, sad, thought provoking and relatable.

I'm a post menopausal woman at 50, the scene's really made me stop and think about the mental overload that women are expected to carry. The thankless task of non ending housework and feeling like you lose your identity once you become a parent. It was great to see her journey back into the woods to find herself and in its own way a rite of passage to come through that transition. Not all transitions are joyful all of the time but that's the point. We need to be pushed outside our comfort zones to truly discover our inner selves, our super powers.

I felt it explored these topics really well, it was beautifully written, from the heart and authentic lived experiences. There are a serious amount of witty one liners, put me downs, quotes which made me laugh out loud, a lot, much to the annoyance of the teens in my house. There were also some harsh truths and facts written into the dialogue to help the viewers and the villagers understand why menopausal women are filled with rage. I'd highly recommend watching this.

The Change: A Hilarious and Heartfelt Journey of Self-Discovery

[ergo-58534 · 10/10 · 13 July 2023]

The Change is a TV show created by and starring Bridget Christie, based on her own experiences of going through the menopause. It follows Linda, a 50-year-old mother of two, who decides to reclaim some of the time she has spent on domestic chores and family obligations, and embark on a solo adventure in the Forest of Dean, where she grew up.

The show is a comedy drama that blends sharp satire, quirky characters, and emotional moments. It tackles the issues of ageing, identity, sexuality, and feminism, with wit and honesty. It also celebrates the beauty and diversity of the British countryside, as Linda encounters various eccentric locals, such as the Eel Sisters, a pair of elderly women who live off the land; Pig Man, a mysterious hermit who befriends Linda; and The Verderer, a forest official who has a crush on her.

The show is a showcase for Christie's talent, as she delivers a brilliant performance as Linda. She portrays Linda as a relatable and sympathetic character, who is funny, smart, and vulnerable. She also provides the voice-over narration that reveals Linda's inner thoughts and feelings, adding humor and insight to the story. The show also features a great supporting cast, including Liza Tarbuck as Linda's sister Siobhain, Omid Djalili as Linda's husband Steve, Paul Whitehouse as Linda's father Tony, and Susan Lynch as Agnes, one of the Eel Sisters.

The Change is a show that will appeal to fans of Christie's stand-up comedy, as well as anyone looking for a hilarious and heartfelt story of self-discovery. The show is not afraid to tackle the taboo topic of menopause, but it also explores the universal themes of family, friendship, love, and happiness. The show is a refreshing and original take on the midlife crisis genre, that will make you laugh, cry, and think. I give it 10 stars out of 10.

This is a beautiful expression of kindness

[bondcassie · 9/10 · 2 January 2024]

My hubby and I loved this series. We hope there will be a series 2, crossing fingers!

We love this kind of quirky English humor, it sort of reminds us of the Detectorists which the whole family absolutely loved.

The naysayers, who give this series a poor rating, just don't understand the quirky humor and whimsy that this show brings.

I am sad for them as they are missing out.

Maybe one needs to have an English heritage to get it?

We acted, well scripted, poignant and charming.

Turn off your need for something slick and open your heart to the pleasure of honest, loving, funny people who are willing to be part of a village.

Disappointingly pedestrian

[cefercom · 3/10 · 29 June 2023]

Not about the menopause. Not about real people. An unoriginal skit about a bunch of stereotypes in a rural village where the same six people are the only fuctional inhabitants. Very disappointing.

Central character is two dimensional at best. With no little or no emotional development or menopausal symptoms.

There are a few good moments but that only serves to highlight how flat and unoriginal the rest of the show is. Shouty women and sulky men.

It's a waste of a really good cast and a central theme which has been largely underrepresented on tv.

Middle aged women really do hold families together and the menopause can be a hard time which causes struggles, breakdowns and/or fresh beginnings.

This is more like a lazy take on the Vicar of Dibley's world.

Hit & Miss

[GRW-28808 · 4/10 · 23 June 2023]

Saw the first two episodes on tv, and thought they were quite funny. Streamed the rest of it, and was disappointed. The whole thing rapidly descended into an anti-male diatribe- as expected, since it's Channel Four and also because having an "existential crisis" is about as middle-class as it gets, despite the title character supposedly being working class. What 'working class woman' keeps a time-sheet? They even managed to work "saving the environment" into the script, just to cover all the bases.

Yes, there were some interesting characters. And decent acting, but not enough to keep the interest up. It'll be recommissioned for another series of course, since its Channel Four.

Shame

[Grax99 · 4/10 · 23 June 2023]

Started well, as Bridget Christie is obviously quite a funny/witty individual as she showed on taskmaster, but just became an anti male, lazy comedy, displaying all the usual tropes of these 'enlightened times'.

I'm hoping that Bridget Christie had to agree to include all the above mentioned nonsense in order to get a Tv debut series commissioned & goes on to bigger & better things because she is better than his series descended into with too many 'tick list' roles.

Liza Tarbuck is great but you have to feel for some of the other actors who may have questioned their involvement as the series developed .

More sanitised comedy about the menopause.

[thedivinewoman · 2/10 · 28 June 2023]

I knew exactly what to expect when I watched this, but, who knows I could be wrong and it's a tidy little cast.

Well, turns out this is yet another sanitised, 'uplifting' bunch of nonsense about being an older woman and the menopause. Hot flushes depicted as 'Ooh, I'm hot and forgetful' and fans herself gently with her hand. Then she gets on her motorbike and heads off on an odyssey, although I would do the same if Jerome Flynn featured in it.

Sadly, for many women, myself included, the menopause is a complete sow, sure my memory is as good as ever, small mercies, but, hot flushes aren't as Christie depicts for many of us, they are more like something from the depths of Hades, overwhelming waves of suffocating internal heat. Nor does she mention itchy skin, headaches, joint pain and fatigue. But, there is no comedy to be had from that. The problem is that this gives a misleading image of the menopause and the doctor with his bicycle helmet still on? Seriously?

Decent observational comedy is dead in the UK, if you are a woman or bame and you write a 'comedy' then you are automatically the greatest comedy writer ever! Even if what you write is rubbish and this is rubbish.

If you are a woman struggling with menopause, I know we are all big babies who should suck it up, then don't watch this, it's annoyingly unrealistic. And, quite frankly, it's tedious anyway.