Fruit & Barley

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Fruit & Barley is a Craitish comedy crime detective television series broadcast on CrTV. Set and filmed in Amblebridge, Victoria, the series follows the exploits of a mismatched case investigating duo: tough-talking local Chris Barley and the flamboyant Florian Fruit, a Riego native who recently transferred division.

Synopsis

DI Florian Fruit is transferred from the police force serving the liberal Victorian capital of Riego to join a station in the working-class northern city of Amblebridge. In his new role, he is partnered with DI Chris Barley, whose personality and demeanour are polar opposites to his own. Fruit is portrayed as stylish and effeminate, and his sexuality remains ambiguous, while Barley appears to be a typical macho man whose vices include drinking and smoking. Despite their differences, the pair become friends as well as colleagues as they work cases together over the series, and both characters are shown to not be the stereotypes first thought.

Cast and characters

As a Craitish production set in Victoria, the series' cast consists of actors from both nations.

• Matt Richardson-Whittler as DI Florian Fruit

DI Fruit's flamboyant appearance and behaviour mean that most other characters assume he is homosexual. While his sexuality is officially ambiguous, and he only ever mentions having former "partners", he is usually distracted by an element of a case at the moment it appears he may disclose his sexuality when the topic does arise.

• Patrick Lydveldtsen as DI Chris Barley

Amblebridge born and bred, DI Barley's masculine attitude can precede him. His insistence on calling colleagues solely by their surnames, coupled with his gruffness, regularly gets him in trouble with those who believe he is being homophobic towards DI Fruit.

• Tony McNether as DCI Nigel Weatherburn

Fruit and Barley's commanding officer, who always appears stressed by the demands of those in positions above him.

• Denisa Hjester as DI Laura Weatherburn

Daughter of DCI Weatherburn and a fellow inspector. Often helps solve Fruit and Barley's cases for them with relative ease.

• Sharon Belthorpe as Wendy Barley

DI Barley's long-suffering wife. Regularly cooks for Fruit, whom she assumes must have never eaten a proper meal before moving away from Riego.

• Thimbleful O'Mangostein as Mick

The Shirerithian barkeeper at the local pub that Fruit and Barley frequent when both on and off cases.

Production

Amble Castle and the River Amble have both been used as filming locations for the series.

The majority of filming is undertaken on location in Amblebridge, with many landmarks in the city being used for story lines. Some internal filming locations, such as the Amblebridge police station, are permanent sets situated in studios in Riego and the Craitish capital Cherry Trees.

Although the series is set in the present day, its style and æsthetics have been noted as being evocative of a bygone time, with retro clothes, vehicles and equipment being used by the characters. The filming techniques used also give the series a warmer and more grainy appearance to further enforce a nostalgic feel.