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Completely Staged: The Complete Illustrated Scripts
Starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen, along with A-list guests, the award-winning and critically acclaimed British television comedy series Staged was an instant hit. Launched during the global coronavirus pandemic, the show follows the two thespians playing fictionalised versions of themselves as they try to rehearse a play during lockdown... over Zoom.
Completely Staged presents the complete text of the BBC screenplays from Staged’s writer and director Simon Evans and co-creator Phin Glynn, illustrated throughout in full colour with stills from the show, original drawings, sheet music for the theme tune, Georgia Tennant's carrot cake recipe, tips on how to draw a pineapple and much more.
This treasure trove is a must-have for every fan of Staged, a show which perfectly combines comedy and poignancy to encapsulate the collective feelings of a reluctantly virtual world.
Completely Staged presents the complete text of the BBC screenplays from Staged’s writer and director Simon Evans and co-creator Phin Glynn, illustrated throughout in full colour with stills from the show, original drawings, sheet music for the theme tune, Georgia Tennant's carrot cake recipe, tips on how to draw a pineapple and much more.
This treasure trove is a must-have for every fan of Staged, a show which perfectly combines comedy and poignancy to encapsulate the collective feelings of a reluctantly virtual world.
403 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 26, 2021
13 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 6, 2022
Absolutely loved the show and reading the scripts was a joy. If anything, I think the written word just shows that Georgia Tennant is probably the funniest member of the cast!
The only reason I haven't given this five stars is that I'm a bit disappointed that the scripts are only for the as-aired series, and don't include the additional scenes from the DVD or Netflix. Likewise, the 'extras' contained within the book are a little lacklustre; with the exception of GTs carrot cake recipe, which I will definitely be trying (sans alcohol because I'm really boring), I feel like they've missed a trick here.
The only reason I haven't given this five stars is that I'm a bit disappointed that the scripts are only for the as-aired series, and don't include the additional scenes from the DVD or Netflix. Likewise, the 'extras' contained within the book are a little lacklustre; with the exception of GTs carrot cake recipe, which I will definitely be trying (sans alcohol because I'm really boring), I feel like they've missed a trick here.
April 17, 2024
Loved the series... thoroughly enjoyed the book.
October 5, 2021
This is exactly what it says on the title. It was crowdfunded and published by Unbound. I am pleased to say I contributed and have my name in the back. The first time I have an acknoweldegement in a book. This is not why I rated it 5 stars.
The book is beautiful. It comes with both the front and back inside covers the same as the wallpaper in the kitchen of the Tennant's house(this is different now as seen on Georgia's instagram,)It also has a ribbon to use as a book mark which I haven't but have put in the pages where the recipe for carrot cake is. Georgia's recipe which I am tempted to try sometime. I like the way it's written and agree with it.
It is the script of every episode. I read it as it is and really enjoyed it. I may read it sometime while watching the series. It also has little extra sections in; lots of photographs and illustrations by Chris Glynn. I won't say anymore as that would spoil it. It has high ratings. Half at 5 stars and half at 4.
I did a YouTube video as I unboxed it.
The book is beautiful. It comes with both the front and back inside covers the same as the wallpaper in the kitchen of the Tennant's house(this is different now as seen on Georgia's instagram,)It also has a ribbon to use as a book mark which I haven't but have put in the pages where the recipe for carrot cake is. Georgia's recipe which I am tempted to try sometime. I like the way it's written and agree with it.
It is the script of every episode. I read it as it is and really enjoyed it. I may read it sometime while watching the series. It also has little extra sections in; lots of photographs and illustrations by Chris Glynn. I won't say anymore as that would spoil it. It has high ratings. Half at 5 stars and half at 4.
I did a YouTube video as I unboxed it.
September 22, 2024
Scripts, by their nature of being scripts, don’t move me in the same way that prose novels do. This is an unavoidable problem with reading published screenplays; they can be interesting to read but never leave an emotional impression on you.
The Staged scripts, though, are minimalist - really minimalist. They’re written by the director, so perhaps this explains why there’s so little description of pretty much anything - that and the fact they were likely planning on waiting until the shoot to figure out what to do and how to do it. Having seen the series, it really does demonstrate how much can be created from so little. If this is all they needed, why write more?
The actors add a lot to words that are written on the page. Not being an actor, I often don’t know how to interpret certain lines or understand the implied tone of a scene - what the joke is sub-textually or what the characters are thinking. Of course, that’s not something you can just write into a script but something the actors have to see for themselves. Reading scripts (for anything, really) will make you appreciate actors more because, to the viewer, there seems to be so little there.
There are some odd formatting choices, though. Sometimes, a character’s dialogue will continue after some description without the character’s name being stated again - which is, generally, what’s supposed to happen. Similarly, sometimes the dialogue block will have a paragraph break. These are unconventional - or, at least, uncommon - choices. They’re the kind of things that might be picked-up on in a screenwriting class, though one assumes it worked for the production because everyone understood the scripts nevertheless. For the first series filmed (mostly) over webcams, there may not have been the need for the traditional screenplay format. In the end, this is what they went with and it worked for them.
Reading the script helped me understand the substance of the series as well. Amongst all the gags, it can be easy to forget about the story, yet, reading it written down, I became more aware of the narrative through-line and the overall concept linking each episode.
However, I do find myself wondering whether these really are the shooting scripts or if they were rewritten for the book after the fact.
There are plenty of jokes in season two about how much of season one was improvised, yet every scene and joke is in the scripts. Whether it was a lot or a little, there was some improvisation in season one but the book presents everything as having been written beforehand. Every time a character stammers or repeats themselves, it’s in there, word perfect. Is any finished production ever completely word perfect to the script?
Even the gag at the end of season two that breaks the fourth wall is included. In the episode, it’s presented as an outtake that they kept in as a way of capping-off the series, yet the script has it in there, implying it was already planned and rehearsed and isn’t an outtake at all.
Surely these can’t be the shooting scripts? Surely these have been written after the production for the book. But then - if that is the case - why bother? What’s the point of publishing the scripts if they’re not the actual scripts you were working from? It’s essentially the equivalent of a transcript on the Internet. You do still have the shootings scripts, do you not? What is wrong with just publishing those as they are?
The Staged scripts, though, are minimalist - really minimalist. They’re written by the director, so perhaps this explains why there’s so little description of pretty much anything - that and the fact they were likely planning on waiting until the shoot to figure out what to do and how to do it. Having seen the series, it really does demonstrate how much can be created from so little. If this is all they needed, why write more?
The actors add a lot to words that are written on the page. Not being an actor, I often don’t know how to interpret certain lines or understand the implied tone of a scene - what the joke is sub-textually or what the characters are thinking. Of course, that’s not something you can just write into a script but something the actors have to see for themselves. Reading scripts (for anything, really) will make you appreciate actors more because, to the viewer, there seems to be so little there.
There are some odd formatting choices, though. Sometimes, a character’s dialogue will continue after some description without the character’s name being stated again - which is, generally, what’s supposed to happen. Similarly, sometimes the dialogue block will have a paragraph break. These are unconventional - or, at least, uncommon - choices. They’re the kind of things that might be picked-up on in a screenwriting class, though one assumes it worked for the production because everyone understood the scripts nevertheless. For the first series filmed (mostly) over webcams, there may not have been the need for the traditional screenplay format. In the end, this is what they went with and it worked for them.
Reading the script helped me understand the substance of the series as well. Amongst all the gags, it can be easy to forget about the story, yet, reading it written down, I became more aware of the narrative through-line and the overall concept linking each episode.
However, I do find myself wondering whether these really are the shooting scripts or if they were rewritten for the book after the fact.
There are plenty of jokes in season two about how much of season one was improvised, yet every scene and joke is in the scripts. Whether it was a lot or a little, there was some improvisation in season one but the book presents everything as having been written beforehand. Every time a character stammers or repeats themselves, it’s in there, word perfect. Is any finished production ever completely word perfect to the script?
Even the gag at the end of season two that breaks the fourth wall is included. In the episode, it’s presented as an outtake that they kept in as a way of capping-off the series, yet the script has it in there, implying it was already planned and rehearsed and isn’t an outtake at all.
Surely these can’t be the shooting scripts? Surely these have been written after the production for the book. But then - if that is the case - why bother? What’s the point of publishing the scripts if they’re not the actual scripts you were working from? It’s essentially the equivalent of a transcript on the Internet. You do still have the shootings scripts, do you not? What is wrong with just publishing those as they are?
February 7, 2022
Odd, interesting but without having seen bits of the actual performances with David Tennant and Michael Sheen so that I could picture them and hear them as I read...I think it would have fallen very flat. For someone who not only didn't see the show and/or know and love the actors...it would make even less sense. It is a collector's piece, a niche article.
September 5, 2023
Set on Zoom. 404 pp. The book is exactly what it promises. I love Staged, so this is definitely the book for me!
Completely Staged: The Complete Illustrated Scripts
Completely Staged: The Complete Illustrated Scripts
January 9, 2022
Fantastic. A modern day word play that those of Beckett Waiting for Godot or Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead will very much enjoy.
Quick paced like the show and the illustrations and added in content is a great bonus.
Would definitely read again.
Quick paced like the show and the illustrations and added in content is a great bonus.
Would definitely read again.
October 26, 2021
Pure joy - I dragged out the reading of this as I didn’t want it to end. Time to rewatch the series!
January 6, 2022
My god I love staged
January 12, 2022
A warm hug in book form.
August 11, 2023
I LOVE David Tennant, I love Michael Sheen, I love this show, and I love books; not much to dislike about the book version of the show I really like that has David Tennant and Michael Sheen in it!
September 26, 2023
The script is just amazingly funny and drama-filled. I just love it. This is one of my favorite things
February 16, 2022
I loved the show, and reading it in script form really showed how well written it is. The humour shines through, highlights the wonderful blend of commentary on a number of relevant topics in the episodes. Staged is truly a gem.
June 9, 2022
vaya puta maravilla.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews