My Left Nut
Genre
Based onMy Left Nut stageplay
by Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
Written by
  • Michael Patrick
  • Oisín Kearney
Directed by
Starring
Country of originNorthern Ireland
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producers
ProducerSian Palfrey
Production location
Editor
  • Natasha Wilkinson
Running time24–32 minutes
Production company
  • Rollem Productions
Original release
Network
Release1 March 2020 (2020-03-01)

My Left Nut is a Northern Irish comedy-drama television miniseries produced by Rollem Productions for BBC Three.[1][2] Based on the stage-play of the same name by Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney,[3] and drawing heavily on Patrick's own teenage years,[4] the series follows 15-year old Mick (Nathan Quinn O'Rawe) as he discovers a swelling on his left testicle. The series was written by Patrick and Kearney and directed by Paul Gay.[5]

The series was released on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2020,[6] followed by weekly airings on BBC One.

Premise

The series follows teenager Mick as he attempts to deal with his home and school life after discovering a swelling on his left testicle. His father having died years previously, Mick confides in his mother (Sinead Keenan) as he plucks up the courage to go to the doctor - all whilst trying to keep his swollen testicle from his friends Tommy and Conor, and his prospective girlfriend Rachael.

Cast

  • Nathan Quinn O'Rawe as Michael "Mick" Campbell.
  • Sinead Keenan as Patricia Campbell, Mick's mother.
  • Brian Milligan as Jimmy Campbell, Mick's dead father.
  • Jessica Reynolds as Rachael, Mick's prospective girlfriend.
  • Levi O'Sullivan as Conor, Mick's friend.
  • Oliver Anthony as Tommy, Mick's friend.
  • Sade Malone as Siobhan, Rachael's friend.
  • Lola Petticrew as Lucy, Mick's sister.
  • Jay Duffy as Danny, Lucy's boyfriend.
  • Odhran Carlin as Finn, Mick's brother.
  • Roger Thomson as Dr Gibbon, Mick's GP
  • Gerard Jordan as Tommy's da.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten by
1Episode 1Paul GayMichael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
Mick discovers a swelling on his left testicle. He decides not to tell anyone about it, tries out some home remedies in an attempt to reduce the swelling, and goes on his first date with Rachael.
2Episode 2Paul GayMichael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
A nasty rumour goes around school about Mick and Rachael. Mick gets in a fight with his mother over a razor. After reconciling, he tells her about the swelling in his testicle, and he begins the process of going to the doctor.
3Episode 3Paul GayMichael Patrick & Oisín Kearney
Mick awaits the result of his ultrasound scan. At Tommy's houseparty, Mick drinks too much and reveals to his friends that he thinks he has cancer.

Production

Micheal Patrick and Oisín Kearney originally wrote My Left Nut as a one man show through the 'Show in a Bag' initiative run by Fishamble: The New Play Company in partnership with Dublin Fringe Festival and The Irish Theatre Institute.[7] The theatre play was a semi-fictionalised version of Patrick's teenage years growing up in Belfast with a swollen testicle,[8] it premiered at the Dublin Fringe 2017 before showing at Summerhall as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018.[9][10] At the same time, Patrick and Kearney were part of BBC Writers' Room Belfast Voices, through which they pitched the idea of adapting their play for television to Rollem Productions.[3]

Principal photography began on location in Belfast in August 2019. Specific locations in Belfast included St Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, the Strand Cinema, Belfast Harbour and Ormeau Road.[11]

Reception

The show received generally positive critical reviews, getting particular praise for its blend of comedy and drama, being described as "equal parts charmingly funny and strangely sincere" by The Guardian,[12] and being compared favourably to similar series such as Derry Girls and The Inbetweeners. Liam Fay in The Sunday Times said: "There are echoes of everything from The Inbetweeners to Derry Girls, but the show has its own distinctive voice."[13]

My Left Nut won Best Drama at the 2020 Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards [14] and won Best Drama, Best Writers (Michael Patrick & Oisín Kearney) and Best Actor (Nathan Quinn O'Rawe) at the 2021 Royal Television Society Yorkshire Awards.[15] It was also nominated for Best Drama at the 2020 Broadcast Digital Awards.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "My Left Nut". Rollem Productions.
  2. ↑ "BBC Three - My Left Nut". BBC.
  3. 1 2 "My Left Nut". 27 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Day, Harvey (1 March 2020). "My Left Nut: 'My testicle was like a giant avocado'". BBC Three.
  5. ↑ "BBC - BBC Three announces new comedy drama My Left Nut - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ↑ "BBC Three Sets Premiere Date for 'My Left Nut'". 7 February 2020.
  7. ↑ "My Left Nut". www.irishplayography.com. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Wiegand, Chris (6 September 2018). "'My testicle was so big, you could play it like a bongo'". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  9. ↑ "My Left Nut".
  10. ↑ Guide, British Comedy. "My Left Nut - Edinburgh Fringe 2018". British Comedy Guide.
  11. ↑ Meredith, Robbie (23 August 2019). "Belfast teen has star role in men's health film". BBC News.
  12. ↑ Guide, The (28 February 2020). "This week's best home entertainment: from Noughts and Crosses to The Trip". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  13. ↑ Fay, Liam. "TV review: My Left Nut; You, Me and Surrogacy; Big Life Fix" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  14. ↑ "RTS NI reveals winners of 2020 Programme Awards". 13 November 2020.
  15. ↑ "RTS Yorkshire Awards 2021". 4 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "Broadcast Digital Awards 2020".
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