No matter what role she takes on, Olivia Colman always manages to amaze us. From the compassionate DS Ellie Miller in Broadchurch to the formidable intelligence officer Angela Burr in The Night Manager, she steals the show. We've been working our way through her back catalogue and uncovered one of her most overlooked gems - Mr Sloane. In our humble opinion, it's Olivia Colman at her best - and you can watch the whole thing this week.
The series, which first aired on Sky Atlantic in 2014, is a bittersweet romantic comedy about Jeremy Sloane (Nick Frost), a buttoned-down man having a midlife crisis. Olivia stars as his estranged wife Janet, who continues to haunt him through a series of flashbacks and fantasies. Will they be able to fix their broken marriage?
With the series available to watch this week, here’s everything you need to know about Mr. Sloane, including the cast, plot and how to watch it.
What is Mr. Sloane about?
The six-part series, Mr Sloane, takes us back to Watford in the late 1960s, where we meet Jeremy Sloane (Nick Frost) who is stuck in a rut. He’s recently lost his teaching job and his wife Janet (Olivia Colman) has left him.
To say Jeremy is a creature of habit would be an understatement. Every night he heads to the same pub with his three childhood friends: Ross (Peter Serafinowicz); Beans (Lawry Lewin), who still lives at home with his mother; and Reggie (Brendan Patricks), the group’s womaniser.
But when he meets the exciting, fast rising young actress Robin (Ophelia Lovibond) in his local ironmongers, she might just be the spark of excitement he desperately needs. Jeremy tirelessly pursues her, from fixing her leaky tap to meeting her in a trendy nightclub. But is Robin just a crush to distract him from the breakdown of his marriage?
Despite their estrangement, Janet remains a constant presence in his life. The hapless hero must choose between chasing Robin and giving his marriage another go.
Who’s in the cast of Mr. Sloane?
The cast of Mr Sloane includes:
- Nick Frost (Why Women Kill) as Jeremy Sloane
- Olivia Colman (Rev., Broadchurch) as Janet Sloane
- Peter Serafinowicz (The Tick) as Ross
- Ophelia Lovibond (Minx) as Robin
- Brendan Patricks (The Ghost Writer) as Reggie
- Lawry Lewin (Horrible Histories) as Beans
Is there a trailer for Mr. Sloane?
While there isn’t a full trailer for Mr Sloane you can get a flavour of the series from the clip below.
Is Mr. Sloane any good?
It’s a wholesome and relatable comfort watch, and the perfect series to cosy up with at the end of a long day. Nick Frost is charming as the eternally unlucky Mr Sloane, whom you can’t help but root for, while Olivia Colman is wonderful as Janet, who’s grown to resent her husband’s predictable ways. Olivia brings enormous warmth to the role, and rather than painting Janet as the villain for leaving Jeremy, you feel sympathy for both parties. Their scenes together are poignant and add real emotional weight to the comedy.
How can I watch Mr. Sloane?
You can watch Mr. Sloane now on NOW TV.
What other Olivia Colman dramas can I watch now?
If you're after a fun period drama, we suggest Wicked Little Letters. Set in an English seaside town in the 1920s, two neighbours, Edith Swan (Olivia) and Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley), go to war over a mysterious letter scandal. Edith is deeply conservative, while Rose is a rebellious single mother. Wicked Little Letters is available to watch now on Channel 4. For a more emotional watch, we’d suggest Mothering Sunday. The heartbreaking film about post-war grief and forbidden love sees Olivia play a grief-stricken mother and her performance is truly brilliant. Mothering Sunday is available to watch now on Channel 4.
