Almost Never (TV series)

Almost Never is a British musical dramedy series that premiered on CBBC on 15 January 2019. The series details the experiences of two fictional bands after their appearances on a reality television competition and features performances from cast members in each episode. Almost Never stars Nathaniel Dass, Harry Still, Oakley Orchard, Mya-Lecia Naylor and Kimberly Wyatt. In 2020, it was announced that Almost Never had been renewed for a third season, which premiered in July 2021. After the third season the show has been cancelled and will not renew for a 4th season.

Almost Never
Genre	Musical Drama Comedy
Created by	Paul Rose Jeremy Salsby
Directed by	Ben Kellett Jack Casey Akaash Meeda
Starring	Nathaniel Dass Harry Still Oakley Orchard Kimberly Wyatt Mya-Lecia Naylor Miriam Nyarko Lola Moxom Lilly Stanion Tillie Amartey Aston Merrygold Tyra Rayne
Music by	Marcos D'Cruze Ale Martí
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	36 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jeremy Salsby Jed Leventhall
Cinematography	Steve Lawes
Editor	Mark Lawrence
Camera setup	Single camera
Running time	26 minutes
Production companies	Saltbeef TV Dynamic Television Cutting Edge Group
Original release
Network	CBBC (United Kingdom)
Release	15 January 2019 (2019-01-15) – 14 July 2021 (2021-07-14)

Premise

Almost Never follows the lives of two bands, the Wonderland and Girls Here First, following their appearance on the fictional music competition series The Spotlight.^[1]

Cast and characters

Main

• Nathaniel Dass as Nate, the lead singer and songwriter of the Wonderland.
• Harry Still as Harry, a guitarist in the Wonderland and the older brother of Oakley.
• Oakley Orchard as Oakley, a guitarist in the Wonderland and the younger brother of Harry.
• Kimberly Wyatt as Sasha, the controlling manager of Girls Here First.
• Mya-Lecia Naylor as Mya, a member of Girls Here First who begins a relationship with Oakley. (series 1)
• Miriam Nyarko as Miriam, a member of Girls Here First.
• Lola Moxom as Lola, a member of Girls Here First.
• Lilly Stanion as Lilly, a member of Girls Here First.
• Tillie Amartey as Chloe, a vlogger and the social media manager of the Wonderland.
• Aston Merrygold as Jordan, the manager of the Wonderland. (series 2–3)
• Tyra Rayne as Tyra, a waitress at the Palais restaurant who is asked to be a new member of Girls Here First. (series 2–3)

Recurring

• Colin Hoult as AJ, the father of Harry and Oakley who manages the Wonderland until they are signed to Coleen's company.
• Emily Atack as Meg, the mother of Harry and Oakley.
• Simran Rakar as Molly, the younger sister of Nate.
• Imogen Chadwick as Elena, the best friend of Molly and eventual social media manager of the Wonderland.
• Zina Badran as Anika, the mother of Nate and Molly. (series 1–2)
• Ryan Early as Dan, the owner of the Palais restaurant.
• Michelle Gayle as Coleen, the boss of Sasha. She signs the Wonderland to her management company. (series 1–2)
• Luke Fetherston as Fabio, Sasha's assistant and the eventual manager of Girls Here First.
• Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Dev, the father of Nate and Molly. (series 2)
• Victoria Ekanoye as Ashley, the boss of Coleen. (series 2)
• Alexis Strum as Helen, the mother of Lola. (series 3)
• Amber Davies as Jess, Dan's younger sister and Lola's coach. (series 3)

Production

The first series of Almost Never filmed in Belfast from 12 August to 15 November 2018.^[2] The series was announced on 18 December 2018.^[3] Three months after the debut of the first series, it was announced that cast member Mya-Lecia Naylor had died by misadventure.^[4][5][6] For the second series, the part of Mya was not recast; instead, her absence was explained by her having left Girls Here First following the group's disastrous European tour.^[7]

The cast was increased in the second series, with the additions of Aston Merrygold^[8] and Tyra Richardson,^[9] as well as Stephen Rahman-Hughes and Victoria Ekanoye in recurring capacities.^[10] On 2 January 2020, it was announced that CBBC has renewed Almost Never for a third series.^[11] On 29 May 2020, the Almost Never Instagram account uploaded an open casting call for children aged between 13 and 17 to audition for the third series.^[12]

International broadcast

In August 2021, it was announced that Almost Never had been acquired by Disney Channel; the series began airing in the United States on 4 September 2021.^[13]

Episodes

Main article: List of Almost Never episodes

Series	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	13		15 January 2019 (2019-01-15)
2	13		29 October 2019 (2019-10-29)	31 December 2019 (2019-12-31)
3	10		14 July 2021 (2021-07-14)

Music

Main article: List of songs featured on Almost Never

Title	Details	Ref.
Almost Never	Released: 18 January 2019 Format: Digital download, streaming	[14]
Almost Never 2	Released: 3 January 2020 Format: Digital download, streaming	[15]
Almost Never 3	Released: 9 July 2021 Format: Digital download, streaming	[16]

References

1. "Pitchy resting face: why CBBC's musical drama Almost Never disappoints". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
2. "Emily Atack to star in CBBC show filming in Belfast this month". Belfast Live. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
3. Harp, Justin (6 December 2018). "I'm a Celeb's Emily Atack and Fleur East are ALREADY teaming up again for a new TV show". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
4. "Mya-Lecia Naylor: CBBC star dies suddenly aged 16". BBC News. 17 April 2019. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
5. Busby, Mattha (18 April 2019). "CBBC star Mya-Lecia Naylor dies suddenly aged 16". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
6. Kelly, Emma (9 September 2019). "CBBC star Mya-Lecia Naylor, 16, died by hanging, inquest rules". Metro. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
7. "Aston Merrygold unveils role in CBBC series Almost Never". The Irish News. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
8. "Aston Merrygold joins cast of CBBC's Almost Never". BBC Media Centre. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
9. "Almost Never - what time is it on TV? Episode 2 Series 2 cast list and preview". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
10. "X Factor: Celebrity's Victoria Ekanoye breaks silence since being axed and regrets not singing original song". Metro. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
11. Almost Never (2 January 2020). "Enough of the whispering Nate, let's shout about it now! Almost Never is coming back for SEASON 3 🥳 🎉 💃 #AlmostNever #AlmostNeverShow". Instagram. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
12. Almost Never (29 May 2020). "💥FABIO IS ON A MISSION 💥 Can you help him complete the mission?🤔Calling all you talented peeps get at and tag @robkellycast with your talent videos 🤩⭐️ @lukefethers @kimberlywyatt @astonmerrygold @officialharrystill @nathaniel.dass @oakleyorchard @tillie_thalia". Instagram. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
13. Stalcup, Jamie. "Disney Channel picks up Almost Never". World Screen. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
14. "Almost Never - Album by The Wonderland". Spotify. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
15. "Almost Never 2 - Album by The Wonderland". Spotify. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
16. "Almost Never 3 (Music from "Almost Never" Season 3)". Spotify. Retrieved 20 January 2022.

External links

• Almost Never at BBC Online
• Almost Never at IMDb