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Beautiful People

TV·2008–2009·2 seasons, 12 episodes·BBC Two·Drama, Comedy·29m

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Beautiful People is a British comedy drama television series based on the memoirs of Barneys creative director Simon Doonan. The series takes place in Reading, Berkshire, in 1997, where thirteen-year-old Simon Doonan and his best friend Kylie dream of escaping their dreary suburban surroundings and moving to cosmopolitan London "to live amongst the beautiful people." The first episode aired on BBC Two on 2 October 2008 and recorded overnight ratings of 1.5 million viewers and positive critical reaction. Episodes are self-contained, but do follow a loose story arc throughout the course of each series. The second and final series finished airing on 18 December 2009.

Highest-rated episodes all ranked

  1. 01Beautiful People S02E01How I Got My GroomS02E01 · 9.0Simon returns to Reading and recalls a school project that led to him unearthing a terrible secret about his parents' marriage and his sister revealing some devastating news.
  2. 02Beautiful People S02E04How I Got My CampS02E04 · 9.0The Doonans plan a holiday abroad, but a plumbing disaster spoils everything. Meanwhile across the road, Kylie's father meets his match in the form of a snarling dog called Madonna. Warning: contains Bette Midler impersonations and a replica Eiffel Tower.
  3. 03Beautiful People S02E06How I Got My GashS02E06 · 9.0Simon is plagued by school bullies and decides to leave home to be with The Beautiful People. But as usual, nothing goes according to plan. Debbie, convinced that she's destined for stardom, becomes to talk of Melody Crescent. AS our favourite characters converge in the front room for Debbie's TV premiere, three questions remain: Will Kylie ever get out of the closet? Who is Puff Daddy's daddy? and... Will Simon meet his match?

Cast

Luke Ward-WilkinsonLuke Ward-WilkinsonSimon DoonanLayton WilliamsLayton WilliamsKylie ParkinsonOlivia ColmanOlivia ColmanDebbie DoonanAidan McArdleAidan McArdleAndy DoonanSamuel BarnettSamuel BarnettAdult Simon DoonanSophie AshSophie AshAshlene DoonanSarah NilesSarah NilesReba ParkinsonMeera SyalMeera SyalAunty Hayley

Episodes by season

Season01Episode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes2008Aired 7.9Season avg
  1. S01E01Beautiful People S01E01How I Got My VaseOctober 2, 2008 7.3While at Kylie's, Simon steals one of Reba's dresses and tries it on back at home. Ashlene takes a Polaroid photo of him wearing it and thre
  2. S01E02Beautiful People S01E02Season's bestHow I Got My NoseOctober 9, 2008 8.0Simon Doonan, now living in New York, remembers the time auditioning for the school play led to his mother being arrested for assault and th
  3. S01E03Beautiful People S01E03How I Got My BeadsOctober 16, 2008 8.0Simon remembers his mother's experiments with the occult and his grandmother's return from a mental hospital, which saw her change rather ra
  4. S01E04Beautiful People S01E04How I Got My PoshOctober 23, 2008 8.0Birthdays have ever been easy for Simon, especially when the whole school finds out what he really really wants. Meanwhile, Ashlene meets a
  5. S01E05Beautiful People S01E05How I Got My TongsOctober 30, 2008 8.0A trip to the hairdresser and a fabulous pair of shimmering golden hair tongs prompts Simon's decision to turn Kylie into Princess Diana.
  6. S01E06Beautiful People S01E06How I Got My GlobeNovember 6, 2008 8.0A new teacher arrives at school who really may be one of the Beautiful People. Can this really be true? Simon and Kylie finally try to leave

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

Season02Best seasonEpisode ratings across the season — the gold bar is its best episode6Episodes2009Aired 8.5Season avg
  1. S02E01Beautiful People S02E01Season's bestHow I Got My GroomNovember 13, 2009 9.0Simon returns to Reading and recalls a school project that led to him unearthing a terrible secret about his parents' marriage and his siste
  2. S02E02Beautiful People S02E02How I Got My PlumesNovember 20, 2009 8.0In 1998 Simon and Kylie form a pop band called E-male and hunky music teacher Mr. Carr offers to manage them. To Simon's surprise, when his
  3. S02E03Beautiful People S02E03How I Got My Water FeatureNovember 27, 2009 8.0It's 1998, and Ground Force is at its height and Simon feels a desperate need for a water feature. Meanwhile, the women of Melody Crescent f
  4. S02E04Beautiful People S02E04How I Got My CampDecember 4, 2009 9.0The Doonans plan a holiday abroad, but a plumbing disaster spoils everything. Meanwhile across the road, Kylie's father meets his match in t
  5. S02E05Beautiful People S02E05How I Got My TurnerDecember 11, 2009 8.0The Doonans go deep into the world of Brit Art when they meet rabble rouser Stacey Bile near the Kate Winslet memorial roundabout. This lead
  6. S02E06Beautiful People S02E06How I Got My GashDecember 18, 2009 9.0Simon is plagued by school bullies and decides to leave home to be with The Beautiful People. But as usual, nothing goes according to plan.

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

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