Series synopsis
Catastrophe is a British documentary television series that premiered on Channel 4 on January 19, 2015. It ended on February 12, 2019. It was created by Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan. It stars Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney, Mark Bonnar and Ashley Jensen.
This spectacular five-part series, presented by Tony Robinson, investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence – that we are the product of catastrophe. Using the latest CGI effects and featuring scientific experts, the series reveals how the evolution of life on Earth has been shaped by lethal catastrophes that have caused mass extinctions, almost to the point of wiping out life altogether.
Premise
This spectacular five-part series, presented by Tony Robinson, investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence – that we are the product of catastrophe. Using the latest CGI effects and featuring scientific experts, the series reveals how the evolution of life on Earth has been shaped by lethal catastrophes that have caused mass extinctions, almost to the point of wiping out life altogether.
Premise: Our planet is shaped by an endless cycle of destruction and renewal.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Sharon Horgan as Sharon Morris
- Rob Delaney as Rob Norris
- Mark Bonnar as Chris
- Ashley Jensen as Fran
- Daniel Lapaine as Dave
- Jonathan Forbes as Fergal
- Seeta Indrani as Harita
- Carrie Fisher as Mia
Supporting cast
- Tobias Menzies as Dr. Harries
- Sam Spruell
- Marta Barrio as Mallandra
- Robin Sebastian as Jewellery Clerk
- Barbara Horne as Margaret
Guest cast
- Carrie Fisher as Mia
- Tobias Menzies as Dr. Harries
- Sam Spruell
- Marta Barrio as Mallandra
- Robin Sebastian as Jewellery Clerk
- Barbara Horne as Margaret
Episodes
This series spans 4 seasons with 24 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 6 | January 19, 2015 | February 23, 2015 |
| Season 2 | 6 | October 27, 2015 | December 1, 2015 |
| Season 3 | 6 | February 28, 2017 | April 4, 2017 |
| Season 4 | 6 | January 8, 2019 | February 12, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Can Sharon, 'an extraordinarily good-smelling woman', and Rob, 'a sturdy love-maker', navigate the thorny situations they find themselves in and still find time for an emergency shag in a stairwell? |
January 19, 2015 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Sharon faces the reality of having a new room-mate in the form of Rob, the man whose child she happens to be carrying. She introduces him to her brother Fergal who gives them both a royal hard time. |
January 26, 2015 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Pregnant Sharon's hormones plague her with waves of horniness and sadness and a host of other fears. Rob begins a clandestine friendship with Chris, who is married to a woman Sharon can't stand. |
February 2, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Times have changed for the turbulent lovers with their new arrival at home. A family gathering brings Rob's mother and an incident with a dog. |
October 27, 2015 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Rob faces an indecent proposal from an exotic new colleague, while Sharon suffers a tough rejection from her only 'mum friend'. |
November 3, 2015 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Rob and Sharon embark on a trip to Paris in order to galvanise their love life. Unfortunately, results are mixed at best. |
November 10, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Rob picks up where he left off last time, with an unexplained receipt for the morning after pill in his hand and a lot of questions for Sharon. Too drunk at the time to remember what she did, Sharon dodges Rob's interrogation and goes to see Nico perform with his band to find out the truth. Will she tell Rob what actually happened? The issue is unexpectedly forced when one of the kids has an accident. |
February 28, 2017 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Rob and Sharon are still on shaky ground with each other and face challenges in their work lives too. Sharon returns to teaching, leaving Rob looking for a new job while in charge of the school run, where he is immediately embroiled in playground politics. Elsewhere Sharon's brother Fergal is moving to Spain, and while Rob goes to see Dave recovering in rehab, could his own addiction issues be rearing their ugly head? |
March 7, 2017 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Rob and Sharon find themselves facing financial difficulty after hearing bad news from the estate agent. Rob's at an all-time low and tries to battle his weight gain by joining a gym. Sharon's friend Fran is also dealing with vanity issues and tries to kick start a new life with plastic surgery. A last ditch attempt to resolve their money problems results in Rob being humiliated - will it lead him crawling back to his old job? |
March 14, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A new acquaintance becomes increasingly friendly with Rob, while Sharon dabbles in a new hobby. |
January 8, 2019 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Rob's newly religious sister Sidney visits from the US, and a child's accident at school reveals a surprising teacher-pupil rapport to Sharon. |
January 15, 2019 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sharon and Rob decide to get on a fitness drive. When Sharon visits her less-than- sympathetic local GP it dawns on her she's not in the peak condition she imagined. |
January 22, 2019 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Channel 4 |
|---|---|
| First aired | January 19, 2015 |
| Last aired | February 12, 2019 |
| Runtime | 24 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday at 22:00:00 |