Netflix users are loving binging noughties TV show Fat Friends
All four series are on Netflix now
If you cast your minds back to the early noughties, you'll no doubt remember Kay Mellor's genius TV drama Fat Friends, which focuses on a factual slimming club in Headingley, Leeds.
With a star-studded cast including James Corden, Lisa Riley, Ruth Jones, Gaynor Faye, Alison Steadman, Janet Dibley and Jonathan Ryland, the show was made up of four series, airing between 2000-2005.
But fast-forward 20 years since the first episode, and all four series have now landed on Netflix, and viewers are loving the nostalgic vibes.
After actress Lisa Riley posted about the show being made available on the streaming platform, writing: '💛👏🏼💛Thank you, thank you, for all your GORGEOUS messages, regarding “Fat Friends” going to @netflixuk @netflix and it’s riding very very high in the charts, as it’s gone straight in at number 2.
'Which proves you are all watching it and binging away!!! It’s the series that everyone needs, you feel good, you relate to the characters, you see real life struggles, and you have the most wonderful group of loyal friends to pick you up. All the ingredients that #kaymellor @rollemprodco poured into this fantastic series. Keep enjoying it. Me and James @j_corden sat here TWENTY TWO BLOODY YEARS AGO!!! getting old!!! 😳😳😳 #fatfriends #lisariley #netflix #netflixseries #bingewatching #charts #tv #recommended #thankyou'. (sic)
Fans were quick to comment on the page, with many expressing their love for the series.
One wrote: 'Absolutely brilliant, best programme ever 👏', with another commenting: 'I’m binging it as I loved it the first time round ❤️'. A third wrote: 'Absolutely loved watching it and glad it’s back on tv To watch again'. (sic)
Another the wrote: 'I've only just heard this.. found my weekend binge fest, I loved fat friends!', with a fifth adding: 'I started watching it last night - I remember it from years back , but great to watch again'. (sic)
Check out which other TV shows we'd love to make a comeback:
Footballers' Wives
Broadcasting between 2002-2006, Footballers' Wives followed fictional Premier League football club Earls Park, as well as all of the drama from both the players and their fiery wives!
Bad Girls
Set inside a fictional women's prison, Bad Girls aired on ITV between 1996-2006 and featured some very famous faces, including Claire King and Debra Stephenson.
The Bill
First broadcast in 1983, police drama The Bill certainly proved popular, airing until 2010. The show focused on the lives and work of police officers and starred well-known actors such as Trudie Goodwin, Graham Cole and Mark Wingett.
Outnumbered
Although all of the kids from BBC sitcom Outnumbered are now grown up (Tyger Drew-Honey is now 26), we'd love to see a remake of the hilarious programme, which followed the lives of a mother and father who were outnumbered by their three children.
Of course, the mum and dad are now officially a couple in real life!
Don't Try This At Home
Who remembers sitting down in front of the TV on a Saturday night, watching on as Davina McCall helped members of the public take on tough and fearful challenges?
This needs to come back!
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
She was confident, funny, magical AND she had a talking cat. Sabrina made us all want to be a witch!
The show was also rebooted between 2018 and 2020 as a Netflix series called Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Ugly Betty
Believe it or not, it's been a massive 16 years since Ugly Betty last aired on our screens! The show, which featured actress America Ferrera, followed a character called Betty Suarez, who despite her lack of 'style', landed a job at a very prestigious fashion magazine.
Where The Heart Is
The British drama, which was filmed in the Yorkshire town of Skelthwaite, proved very popular with viewers between 1997-2006, showcasing the lives of a group of district nurses and their families.
It's a Knockout
It was stupid, it was crazy, but it was certainly fun! It's a Knockout started way back in 1966, but the show made a number of returns on BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5!
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
We'd love to see Will Smith get back into his character alongside Carlton Banks, however we got the next best thing earlier this year, with the Fresh Prince reboot called Bel Air, which was released earlier this year where Jabari Banks played Will Smith.
Stars In Their Eyes
A true classic! Stars In Their Eyes, originally hosted by Leslie Crowther, first aired in 1990 with Matthew Kelly taking over in 1993. The show did make a return with Harry Hill in 2015, but it didn't quite take off!
The Queen's Nose
Who would have thought that rubbing a 50p coin would be so interesting? We used to love watching the adventures of Harmony as she used up her magic wishes.
Gossip Girl
Although the show was given a reboot in 2021 with a brand new cast, it didn't live up to expectations of the original series, which aired between 2007-2012.
Fun House
We used to love watching two schools battle each other in three rounds of madness. Bring back the gunge and Pat Sharp's crazy hairstyles!
Grange Hill
Despite being at school all day, we loved to come home and watch other people be at school. Strange. But gripping story lines and relatable characters had us glued to our screens.
London's Burning
Airing between 1988 and 2002, London's Burning documented the lives of a fictional London Fire Brigade Blue Watch at the fictional Blackwall fire station.
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory was on TV from 2007 until 2019. The show centred around two physicists who shared an apartment, Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter and Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, and their friendship with Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, who lived opposite.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones lasted for eight seasons between 2011 – 2019. The show starred Sean Bean as Eddard 'Ned' Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.
House of Dragons is the new prequel but we really wish we'd have gotten more (or another ending) to the original Game of Thrones TV show. Who knows, maybe when the last book is out they might make some more episodes…
Fat Friends was written by the late Kay Mellor, alongside her daughter Gaynor Faye, Debbie Oats and Jayne Daniels.
Actress Janet Dibley played the lead role of slimming club leader Carol, who runs the class to help members of the group lose weight by following the super slimmer's diet. All episodes throughout the four series focused on one particular character.
After four series and 24 episodes, the last episode of Fat Friends aired in March 2005, leaving viewers gutted.
In 2017, the show was adapted into a stage musical, with Jodie Prenger playing the main role.
Fat Friends is available on Netflix now.
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