Booze Cruise, The (ITV 2003, Martin Clunes, Neil Pearson)

In The Booze Cruise a group of five neighbours, who would not normally have much to do with each other, get up at the crack of dawn and venture off to a French hypermarket.

Organiser Dave (Mark Benton) and his mate Rob (Neil Pearson) have done this before, but this time they are joined by Clive Rainer (Martin Clunes) and his prospective son-in-law Daniel (Ben Whishaw). Clive wants to buy cheap champagne for his daughter Chloe’s forthcoming wedding. Completing the team is Maurice (Brian Murphy), an opinionated xenophobe who is at war with Rob over a row of trees and a garden shed.

From the start things go horribly and hysterically wrong. Daniel becomes separated from the group, meets a beautiful French mademoiselle and discovers that maybe Chloe is not the only girl in the world. Chloe herself is finding happiness in the arms of
another – to her mother’s annoyance since she is planning the wedding of the year.

Rob finds himself arrested by the gendarmes over a minor incident, which Maurice manages to turn into a major incident, Clive’s credit cards start bouncing and Maurice discovers an indelible mark on his bald head. Back in England, the wives and girlfriends’ day is also full of drama

2 sequels followed, The Booze Cruise II (25 December 2005) and The Booze Cruise (21 May 2006), Martin Clunes was only in the first of them.

production details
UK /ITV1 – Yorkshire / 1×100 minute episode / Broadcast 7 September 2003

Writer: Brian Leveseon, Paul Minett / Executive Producers: David Reynolds and Tim Hancock / Producer: Roy Gould / Director: Paul Seed

cast
Martin Clunes as Clive Rainer
Neil Pearson as Rob Sewell
Brian Murphy as Maurice
Mark Benton as Dave Bolton
Anne Reid as Grace
Marsha Fitzalan as Ruth Rainer
Karen Henthorne as Cath Bolton
Louise Callaghan as Chloe Rainer
Claire Skinner as Leone Sewell
Ben Whishaw as Daniel
Jalaal Hartley as Dominic
Suzy Cooper as Jackie