Catastrophe is one of those rare series that can leave you crying with laughter one minute and deeply touched the next. Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney co-wrote the Channel 4 show about strangers who, after a fling results in an unexpected pregnancy, decide to try to make the relationship work. Over the course of four seasons, the frank, funny and perceptive series straddles the line between drama and comedy, offering a brutally honest meditation on life and love.

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Where can I watch Catastrophe?

Catastrophe series 1-4 are available to stream on All 4, YouTube and iTunes. Series 1-3 are also available on Amazon Prime. You can also purchase the complete series on DVD.

How many seasons of Catastrophe are there?

There are four series of Catastrophe, each with six episodes.

What is Catastrophe about?

On a business trip, American advertising executive Rob has a fling with Irish primary schoolteacher Sharon, who he meets in a bar. Sharon is soon shocked to discover she is pregnant and calls Rob to break the news.

Even more surprisingly, Rob offers to move to London to try to make it work with Sharon, who has opted to keep the baby, and the two decide to get married.

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The newlyweds must navigate living together, impending parenthood, culture shock, work, and a rotating cast of idiosyncratic friends and family, all while getting to know each other.

The affecting series follows the couple from their first meeting and over the course of several years of their tumultuous marriage, deftly exploring sometimes serious subjects through sharp, perceptive comedy. Catastrophe’s success relies in large part to the dynamic chemistry between lead actors and co-writers Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan.

Who is in the cast of Catastrophe?

Irish writer and actor Sharon Horgan stars as secondary school teacher Sharon Morris, who meets American ad executive Rob Norris at a bar.

Sharon (Sharlon Horgan)
Sharon (Sharon Horgan)

Rob Norris is played by American stand-up comedian and actor Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2).

Catastrophe-Rob

Agatha Raisin, aka Ashley Jensen, plays Sharon’s gossipy, competitive friend Fran. Her dry-witted, aloof husband is played by Casualty’s Mark Bonnar.

Ashley Jensen as Fran and Mark Bonnar as Chris in Catastrophe (C4)
Ashley Jensen as Fran and Mark Bonnar as Chris in Catastrophe (C4)

Carrie Fisher—yes, that Carrie Fisher—features as Rob’s larger-than-life mother, Mia.

Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney and Carrie Fisher in Catastrophe (Channel 4, HF)
Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney and Carrie Fisher in Catastrophe (Channel 4)

Irish actor Jonathan Forbes (Fearless) plays Sharon’s brother Fergal.

Rob’s drug-addled, womanising friend Dave is played by Australian Daniel Lapaine (Zero Dark Thirty, Versailles).

Where is Catastrophe set? Where is Catastrophe filmed?

Catastrophe is both set and filmed in and around London, including locations in Ealing and central. In the final series, the coastal Kent town of Whitstable stood in for Boston, Massachusetts.

Who wrote Catastrophe?

Catastrophe, Channel 4
Catastrophe, Channel 4

Catastrophe was written by series stars Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, who won the BAFTA for best comedy writing in 2016 for their work on the show. Though the characters share the writers’ first names, the show is fictional.

The pair first met on Twitter, the platform that launched Delaney’s career. An early adopter, Delaney now has 1.5 million followers and was named one of the ten funniest people on Twitter in 2010.

Seven-time BAFTA nominee Horgan previously starred in BBC Three comedies Pulling and Dead Boss, and also co-wrote the latter. She now stars alongside fellow Irish comedian Aisling Bea in Channel 4’s This Way Up.


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