| Changing Ends | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the first series | |
| Created by | Alan Carr |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Directed by | Dave Lambert |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | Richard Day |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Mollie Freedman Berthoud |
| Editor | Thomas Perrett |
| Production company | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITVX |
| Release | 1 June 2023 (2023-06-01) – present |
Changing Ends is a British televisionsitcom released onITVX in the UK from 1 June 2023. It is a semi-autobiographical series about comedianAlan Carr growing up inNorthampton during the 1980s, the son of a professionalfootball manager. A second series was commissioned in November 2023 and released in July 2024.
Graham Carr was a former top-flight professional footballer who was the manager ofNorthampton Town F.C. when they won theFootball League Fourth Division title in1986–87.[1] TheEast Midlands inThatcher's Britain however may have felt very different as seen through the eyes of his son, "when your family areMatch of the Day and you’re a bitMiss Marple".[2]
In February 2021 Carr andBaby Cow Productions began auditioning young actors to play himself in a sitcom that they were developing together.[3] A non-broadcast pilot was made withBBC Studios in February 2022.[4]
A six-part series was commissioned byITVX in November 2022, with Carr co-writing with Simon Carlyle and production by Baby Cow. Executive producers were Sarah Monteith, Rupert Majendie and Danny Julian, alongside Carr and Carlyle. It was announced thatOliver Savell would play the young Carr.[5]
In January 2023, it was confirmed thatShaun Dooley andNancy Sullivan would be joining the cast as Alan's parents Christine andGraham Carr, with Taylor Fay playing his younger brother Gary. The family's neighbours, Charlie and Angela, would be played by Rourke Mooney and Gabby Best, with Harry Peacock as Nigel, David Mumeni as Mr Chapman andMichael Socha as Adam.[6] Filming started that same month at an undisclosed location, but outdoor scenes were not filmed in Northampton itself.[7]
A second series of six half-hour episodes was commissioned by ITV in November 2023, with filming scheduled for early 2024.[8] In November 2024, a third series and a fourth series were commissioned by ITV.[9]
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Kick Off" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Simon Carlyle | 1 June 2023 (2023-6-1) | |
Between a Dad managing a 4th Division football club and friends ditching him for being camp, Alan wants to change. Should he go against his instincts and become a footballer? | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Big League Player" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Simon Carlyle | 1 June 2023 (2023-6-1) | |
Christine is desperate for Graham to take her on a night out. At school Alan is struggling to hide who his dad is from bullies – and there's the dread of communal showers looming. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Man On" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Simon Carlyle | 1 June 2023 (2023-6-1) | |
Graham's woes extend off the pitch and Alan gets the acting bug, but Christine is worried when he comes home from school with a black eye. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Stud" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Simon Carlyle | 1 June 2023 (2023-6-1) | |
A brilliant but troubled striker gives the Cobblers a lifeline, while keen birdwatcher Alan becomes eagle-eyed at news of a loose pelican. Then Sue's book club gets out of hand. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Sick As A Parot" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Simon Carlyle | 1 June 2023 (2023-6-1) | |
It's BCG day at Alan's school and he decides to pull a sickie. With Christine otherwise indisposed, it is up to a begrudging Graham to play nursemaid. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Fowl Play" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Simon Carlyle | 1 June 2023 (2023-6-1) | |
Things are looking up for the Carrs – the Cobblers are in the quarter finals of the Milk Cup, Alan's got a part in the school play, and Angela's marriage has taken a nose dive. | ||||||
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Baby Face" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Gabby Best | 13 July 2024 (2024-7-13) | |
It's 1987 and Northampton Town are leading Division 4, but the bullies are still making Alan's life a misery, while peer pressure forces him to accept a challenge, leading him into the murky world of fake IDs. | ||||||
| 8 | 2 | "The Party & the Pervert" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Gabby Best | 13 July 2024 (2024-7-13) | |
Knickers are being snatched and windows are being peeped in – it seems the Close has a pervert. Alan eagerly decides to play detective, even if it clashes with his 12th birthday. | ||||||
| 9 | 3 | "Mad Dogs & English Nans" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Gabby Best | 13 July 2024 (2024-7-13) | |
A vicious Alsatian on the loose forces the Carrs and Nanna Joyce to have some unexpected quality time together, while Alan's little white lie turns the place into a pressure cooker. | ||||||
| 10 | 4 | "Kissing Presumed Dead" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Gabby Best | 13 July 2024 (2024-7-13) | |
A sex education lesson strikes fear into Alan's heart while an impending testosterone-fuelled school disco gets him all hot and bothered – and not in a good way. | ||||||
| 11 | 5 | "Better the Neville You Know" | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Gabby Best | 13 July 2024 (2024-7-13) | |
With the stress of the Cobblers trying to stay top of the league taking its toll, Christine strong-arms Graham into having a caravan mini-break in Great Yarmouth. | ||||||
| 12 | 6 | "He Thinks It's All Over..." | Dave Lambert | Alan Carr & Gabby Best | 13 July 2024 (2024-7-13) | |
It's the day of reckoning – Northampton Town are all abuzz and anticipation of a promotion to the Third Division is in the air, but Alan is completely miserable. | ||||||
The series was premiered onITVX before broadcast onITV at a later date.[10]Changing Ends was made available for viewing on ITVX from 1 June.[11]
The series was ITVX’s ‘most viewed’ comedy of 2023.[12]
In February 2024, the series was nominated at theBroadcast Awards in the Best Comedy Programme category.[13] The series was also nominated for the 2025 Broadcast Awards in the Best Comedy Programme category.[14]