James Corden stars in Mammals, a dark comedy with an all-star cast – and a very unexpected special guest!
In the Amazon Prime series, James Corden plays a restaurant chef who discovers his wife’s terrible secret.
The launch comes hot-on-the-heels of James being banned from a New York restaurant over alleged “abusive behaviour” (for which he apologised).
So what’s the plot, how many episodes are there, and why is it called Mammals?
And, perhaps more importantly, do you need to be a James Corden fan to like it?
Here’s everything you need to know…
What is James Corden comedy Mammals about?
Mammals is essentially about the perils of marriage and infidelity.
James Corden, 44, plays Jamie Buckingham, a confident, successful chef who adores his pregnant wife Amandine (Melia Kreiling).
He even names his new restaurant after her.
Then he accidentally discovers Amandine’s terrible secret – and the shock eats away at him (pun intended!).
Soon all that matters to Jamie is finding out exactly what she’s been hiding…
And the truth is worse than he imagined.
Who else is in the cast of Mammals?
As well as James Corden, The Borgias actress Melia Kreiling, 32, plays Amandine, Jamie’s French wife.
The character was previously engaged to a billionaire. Then she met Jamie.
Amandine was living the high life with super-yachts and flashy parties. Jamie couldn’t offer her that – but they fell in love anyway.
She’s still showy and glamorous. But a tragic loss in episode 1 sets off a chain of events that reveal the terrible truth about her life.
Amandine couldn’t be more different to Jamie’s gentle sister Lue, played by 46-year-old Paddington star Sally Hawkins.
She runs the family farm, but feels trapped in a lonely marriage.
So Lue escapes into a fantasy world.
In her imagination, she works with Coco Chanel in 1920s Paris.
Merlin actor Colin Morgan, 36, plays Lue’s husband Jeff, who is also Jamie’s best friend.
Jeff throws himself into helping Jamie find out more about Amandine’s secrets.
But underneath his idyllic life, Jeff is becoming more and more dependent on booze.
Marriage star Henry Lloyd-Hughes, 37, plays flamboyant billionaire Jack.
Another Life actor Samuel Anderson, 40, stars as Dan, Amandine’s impossibly handsome violin teacher.
There’s also a very unexpected guest in episode one!
How many episodes of Mammals are there?
Mammals has six episodes.
Each episode is half an hour long.
All the episodes stream on Amazon Prime Video from Friday November 11 2022.
So it’s the perfect length to binge in one sitting!
Is James Corden series Mammals a comedy?
There are plenty of funny moments, but the humour is very dark indeed.
Mammals is not Gavin & Stacey!
It’s a dark comedy-drama which looks at grief, loss and marriage.
Then the series gets progressively darker as it goes on.
Writer Jez Butterworth co-wrote James Bond’s Spectre and co-created the historical fantasy-drama series Britannia.
He says he finds almost everything funny.
“I don’t try and write jokes,” says Jez. “There’s situations, relationships I’ve been in where at the time it seemed like the biggest, most tragic thing, but it’s always funny.
“It always ends up being absurd.
“So though there aren’t may jokes in this, it’s a funny situation.”
Where did they film Mammals?
Mammals is filmed in west London, Cambridge, Cornwall and Monaco.
The scenes on a super-yacht in Monaco – where Jamie was working as a chef – serve up brilliant blue sky and azure sea!
But, as the stunning opening scenes show, you don’t have to head to the Med for that.
They’re at Cornwall’s Millook Beach, near Bude.
Later, Cambridge’s colleges serve as the backdrop for Jeff (Three Families actor Colin Morgan), who is a Professor of veterinary science.
Why is it called Mammals?
So why is the series called Mammals? It’s to show that, as human beings, we think we are so important when in fact we’re just one of billions of animals on the planet.
“Jez (Butterworth, the writer) wanted to call it Mammals,” says James Corden. “Human beings seem to have forgotten that we are just a species.
“We are just mammals, and species get wiped out.
“I think Jez is fascinated by the fact that we as a group of mammals don’t always recognise what might be best for us.”
Do I need to be a James Corden fan to enjoy it?
There’s no doubting James Corden is a “Marmite” character.
But, even if you find him annoying or smug in real-life, Mammals is worth a watch.
Yes, he plays exactly the type of character you’d expect.
But the plot takes plenty of unexpected twists and turns, and there’s essentially a whole separate storyline featuring the brilliant Sally Hawkins.
Plus, it’s worth sticking around for the arrival of Henry Lloyd-Hughes as billionaire Jack on his super-yacht.
Mammals start date
Mammals starts on Friday November 11 2022.
All six episodes will stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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All six episodes of Mammals are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video from Friday November 11 2022.
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