Bridget Christie is a genius. Honestly. If you haven't seen her 2023 Channel 4 masterpiece yet, you’re missing out on a show that treats the "change of life" not as a tragic medical event, but as a weird, folk-horror-adjacent awakening. The Change TV series is basically what happens when you take the biological chaos of the menopause and drop it into the middle of the Forest of Dean. It’s funny. It’s gritty. It’s occasionally very, very strange.
Most TV shows treat women over 50 as background noise. They’re the moms, the nagging wives, or the stern bosses who exist only to move a younger protagonist’s plot along. Bridget Christie, who wrote and stars in the show, decided to flip that. She plays Linda, a woman who realizes she’s spent decades doing all the invisible labor for her family. When she gets her menopause diagnosis, she doesn't cry. She gets on her old Triumph motorbike and leaves.
She heads back to the forest to find a time capsule she hid as a child. It sounds like the setup for a cliché "finding yourself" drama, but it’s way more punk rock than that.
What Actually Happens in The Change TV Series?
Linda is a human calculator of domestic drudgery. The opening scene of The Change TV series shows her meticulously logging every second she spends doing things for her husband and kids. It’s agonizingly relatable. When her doctor tells her she’s started the menopause, something in her brain just... snaps. Or maybe it uncurls.
She tells her husband she’s going away. He thinks it’s a weekend. She stays much longer.
The Forest of Dean isn't just a backdrop here; it's practically a character. It feels ancient. The people she meets there—played by an incredible cast including Monica Dolan, Liza Tarbuck, and Jerome Flynn—are eccentric in a way that feels deeply British. You’ve got the Eel Sisters, who are exactly as unsettling as they sound. There’s a community of "Forest People" who feel like they’ve stepped out of a 1970s folk-horror flick.
Why the Menopause Narrative Matters Here
We’ve seen plenty of "midlife crisis" stories. Usually, it’s a guy buying a Porsche he can’t afford. In The Change TV series, the crisis is internal and chemical. Linda isn't just running away from her chores; she’s rediscovering a version of herself that existed before she became "Mum."
🔗 Read more: A Simple Favor Blake Lively: Why Emily Nelson Is Still the Ultimate Screen Mystery
Christie uses the concept of the "Eel" as a metaphor throughout the show. Eels are strange creatures. They live in fresh water for years, then undergo a massive biological shift—their eyes grow, their skin changes, and they head back to the Sargasso Sea to spawn. It’s a messy, transformative process. Just like the menopause.
The writing avoids being preachy. It’s far too weird for that. Instead of a lecture on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), we get scenes of Linda trying to explain her "brain fog" to local woodsmen who barely understand what a woman is.
The Weird Folk-Horror Vibe You Didn't Expect
One of the best things about the show is how it leans into "The Eel Festival." This isn't some polished, Hallmark-style village fair. It’s damp. It’s muddy. It involves masks that look like they were made in a basement in 1974.
The Forest of Dean is known for its "Verderers" and its own unique set of ancient laws. Christie taps into this local history to make Linda’s journey feel less like a vacation and more like a pilgrimage. There’s a constant sense of tension between the "outsiders" and the locals, but Linda finds she fits in with the freaks and the outcasts better than she ever did in her suburban kitchen.
- The Eel Sisters: Terrifying but somehow comforting.
- The Pig Man: A local legend that may or may not be real.
- The Motorbike: A symbol of freedom that Linda actually knows how to fix.
It’s refreshing to see a woman on screen who is physically capable. She’s not a damsel. She’s just a person who forgot she was a person.
The Cast Is Low-Key Legendary
You can’t talk about The Change TV series without mentioning the heavy hitters in the supporting cast. Monica Dolan plays Linda’s sister, and their chemistry is pricklier than a gorse bush. It’s that specific kind of sibling relationship where they love each other but also kind of hate each other’s life choices.
💡 You might also like: The A Wrinkle in Time Cast: Why This Massive Star Power Didn't Save the Movie
Jerome Flynn (yes, Bronn from Game of Thrones) shows up as a local who is surprisingly sensitive for a man who spends most of his time in the woods. Then you have Paul Whitehouse. He plays a regular at the local pub who represents the "old school" masculine confusion about why women are suddenly allowed to have opinions. Their interactions are some of the funniest, most awkward bits of dialogue on television.
It's a short series—only six episodes. That’s the British way. They don't bloat the story with filler. Every minute serves the purpose of showing Linda's slow-burn reclamation of her own identity.
Is This Just for Women?
Honestly? No. If you think The Change TV series is only for women going through the menopause, you’re wrong. It’s a show about memory. It’s about how we treat our environment. It’s about the sheer absurdity of modern life versus the raw, unwashed reality of nature.
Men should watch it because it explains the "invisible work" better than any sociology textbook ever could. Children of aging parents should watch it to see the person behind the "parent" label. Plus, the jokes are just top-tier. Christie’s stand-up background shines through in the rhythmic, slightly surreal dialogue.
There’s a specific scene where Linda talks about her "brain fog" as if she’s losing bits of her soul. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s also handled with a lightness that prevents it from becoming a "misery memoir."
Why It Ranks as a Top Tier Comedy-Drama
The show currently sits with high ratings on platforms like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb for a reason. It feels authentic. It doesn't look like it was filmed in a studio with perfect lighting. The Forest of Dean looks wet. The pubs look sticky. Linda looks tired.
📖 Related: Cuba Gooding Jr OJ: Why the Performance Everyone Hated Was Actually Genius
In a world of highly polished Netflix dramas, The Change TV series feels like something you found in a dusty attic. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but it’s got a heart that beats louder than anything else on the air.
What Most People Get Wrong About The Change
A lot of people expected a standard sitcom. You know, "Oh no, I’m having a hot flush at a wedding!" humor. This isn't that. It’s much more atmospheric. It’s more The Wicker Man than Miranda.
The "change" in the title refers to the menopause, sure. But it also refers to the change in how Linda sees the world. Once you realize you don't have to follow the rules anymore—once you realize your biological "clock" has stopped ticking in that specific way—you become dangerous. In a good way.
How to Watch and What to Do Next
If you haven't seen it, you can find it on Channel 4’s streaming service (formerly All 4) in the UK. For those in the US or elsewhere, it has been making its way to various international platforms like BritBox.
Actionable Steps for Viewers:
- Watch the opening sequence twice. Notice the "Log Book." It sets the tone for everything Linda is running away from.
- Look up the Forest of Dean. The locations are real. The history of the "Free Miners" and the "Verderers" mentioned in the show is actual British history.
- Pay attention to the sound design. The forest sounds alive. It’s meant to contrast with the sterile sounds of Linda’s home life.
- Check out Bridget Christie’s stand-up. If you like the humor here, her special Stand Up for Her covers some of these themes with even more bite.
The show doesn't end with a neat little bow. Life doesn't either. But by the time the credits roll on the final episode, you’ll feel a lot better about the idea of getting older. Or at least, you'll want to buy a motorbike and go live in a forest for a while. That’s the power of The Change TV series. It makes the "scary" part of life look like the most interesting part.