Brassic, Series 5 - AD Introduction

Brassic is a comedy-drama which takes place largely in the fictional small town of Hawley and the surrounding moorland area in the north of England.  Hawley looks like a once-prosperous mill-town that seems to have fallen on leaner times. Among its attractions are ‘The Crow’s Nest’, a traditional boozer that sometimes hosts entertainment nights and ‘The Rat and Cutter’, a self-styled ‘Gentlemen’s Club’ featuring loud music and pole-dancing. Another location of note is ‘The Shack’ - an old railway carriage converted into a cosy living space for Vinny who lives alone. Just outside of town, The Shack stands isolated in an area of woodland.

The main characters are a gang of lads and lasses who although now in their 30s, are still game for a laugh, regularly getting embroiled in unlikely adventures mostly with the aim of generating money. They usually dress in tracksuit and trainers or casual shirts and jeans. Most of them are either unemployed or in precarious jobs and have a complicated web of relationships with each other and the law. One of their long-running money-making schemes is a weed-farm which they have discreetly set up in a disused building in town. Their main mode of transport is a tiny Bedford Rascal van.

The main characters who are generally referred to by their first names or nicknames are as follows:

Vinny is the main character. Thin to the point of being gaunt, he is white with severely short hair, matching stubble, tattoos and a mournful expression. He’s been known to dye his hair and it’s been both dark and peroxide blonde. He usually dresses in unspectacular casuals but occasionally rocks a hot pink puffer jacket or canary yellow tracksuit. With a history of emotional issues for which he is regularly consulting Dr Chris, he is prone to dark moods and self—doubt; but he is also the ‘ideas-man’ for the gang and is the originator of many of the escapades in which they get involved. He lives alone in The Shack but has an 11-year-old son, Tyler – the result of a drunken one-night stand with Erin. Vinny is still besotted with Erin with whom he maintains a close relationship. Vinny’s childhood was unhappy and is sometimes referred to in flashbacks. His mother is deceased; his father is an alcoholic. Although a complete rogue, Vinny has a big heart and is constantly helping those less fortunate than himself. Dylan is his best friend.

Erin is white with long flowing dark hair, full lips, dark eyes and a perfect figure. Often wearing a casual tracksuit, she can also dress to impress if the occasion demands and has a wardrobe of smart clothes. She is the mother of Tyler and has held down different jobs including managing The Rat and Cutter for local criminal Terence McCann. She was formerly in a long-term relationship with Dylan but is now single although she is extremely close with Tyler’s father Vinny. Erin and Tyler live in a council house on an estate. Erin does not suffer fools and is one of the few gang members with a firm grasp on common sense.

Dylan might be the cleverest member of the gang. He is white, tall with short thick fair hair which he combs to the side. He works as a barman in The Crow’s Nest. Formerly in a relationship with Erin, he harbours a deep unrequited desire to get back with her. More recently Dylan has disappeared from Hawley due to a run-in with local crime family the McDonaghs. 

Short of stature, Tommo is white with a moustache and short dark hair styled in a quiff. Of all the gang members he seems to be the one most interested in clothes and often dresses in loud shirts and/or tracksuits or smart bomber jackets and chinos. He usually has a cigarette in his hand and drugs in his pockets. He has had a long-term involvement in the sex trade, formerly running a sex-dungeon in a basement which has recently been taken mobile, relocating to a custom-fitted former bus.

Ash is a musclebound mixed-race man with closely cropped dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He is from a family of travellers and is a former boxer who knows how to look after himself. He is openly gay with his friends but has not come out to his family. He is Carol’s cousin.

Cardi is white with short brown hair and carries a bit of excess weight, a result of his fondness for junk food.  Big-hearted but not the brightest, he stammers when he’s nervous and in the gang is usually given jobs he can’t mess up. He is married to Carol with whom he lives in a flat in Hawley. He keeps a pet pigeon called Nigel.

JJ is of South Asian heritage. Tall and slim with short black hair, dark eyes, an aquiline nose and a dusting of stubble, he runs his own car-mechanic’s business in Hawley. He has a wealth of knowledge on many subjects, a sensible head on his shoulders except when it comes to the law and is the boyfriend of Sugar.

Carol is in her forties - petite and white with dark hair which she often wears tied-back in a ponytail accentuating her extremely expressive face. She has an earthy sense of humour and is married to Cardy who is her junior by several years. She is Ash’s cousin.

Farmer Jim – In his 60s, Jim is white with unkempt curly white hair, bushy beard and worn-out working clothes that usually include a moth-eaten sweater, weather-beaten beanie-hat and a pair of wellies. With politically incorrect views on pretty much everything, he is a potty-mouthed malcontent who lives alone on a farm just outside Hawley. This farm used to be the location for the weed-farm and Jim is often involved in the gang’s adventures. He is fond of his beer and conducts a bitter war of attrition with the neighbouring farmer Paslowski aka Goldilocks aka Shirley.

Dr Chris – White and in his forties, he is a GP in the Hawley practice. He is tall and handsome with short dark hair, a charming smile and is a big ladies-man. At their regular appointments in the surgery, Dr Chris constantly regales Vinny with the sexual escapades to which he appears to be addicted.

Brassic, Series 5 is available on Sky Max from Thursday 28th September.

Introduction narrated and and written by Ciaran McLaughlin