science

My Mad Fat Diary

My Mad Fat Diary is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand My Mad Fat Diary rather than just read about it. In short: My Mad Fat Diary is a British period teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl.

Key takeaways

My Mad Fat Diary belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect My Mad Fat Diary to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of My Mad Fat Diary from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

My Mad Fat Diary is a British period teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl. The second series started on 19 February 2014 and ended on 31 March 2014, with each episode posted on 4oD a week prior to the television release. In November 2014, it was announced that a final three-episode third series would be made, set in 1998. After three series and sixteen episodes, My Mad Fat Diary broadcast its final episode on 6 July 2015. The series was nominated for multiple BAFTA awards, with Sharon Rooney winning in 2015 for Best Drama Actress.

Plot Set in Stamford, Lincolnshire in the mid-1990s, My Mad Fat Diary follows the story of 16-year-old, 16 stone (106 kg; 233 lb) girl, Rae Earl, who has just left a psychiatric hospital, where she has spent four months. She begins to reconnect with her best friend, Chloe, who is unaware of Rae's mental health and body image problems, believing she has been in France for the past four months. Rae attempts to keep this information from her while also trying to impress Chloe's friends Finn, Archie, Izzy and Chop.

Cast and characters

Main cast Sharon Rooney as Rachel "Rae" Earl, a 16-year-old who has spent four months in a psychiatric hospital. She struggles to hide her mental health and body image problems from her new friends and finds it hard to fit in. Claire Rushbrook as Linda Earl-Bouchtat, Rae's mum. Ian Hart as Kester Gill, Rae's therapist who helps her deal with her issues. Dan Cohen as Archie, Rae's close friend, whom she briefly dates before he comes out as gay. Jodie Comer as Chloe Gemell, Rae's attractive, popular best friend from childhood. Nico Mirallegro as Finley "Finn" Nelson, a boy whom Rae clashes with at first, but who later becomes her main love interest. Jordan Murphy as Arnold "Chop" Peters, the party animal of their group of friends. He begins a relationship with Izzy at the end of series one. Initially uncomfortable with Archie's homosexuality, the two reconcile when Chop stands up for Archie when the latter gets picked on at the pub. Ciara Baxendale as Izzy, the sweet but ditzy girl of the group. Often cheerful and optimistic, Rae describes her as never having a negative thought. She eventually begins a relationship with Chop. Keith Allen as Victor Earl (series 2–3), Rae's father.

Recurring cast Sophie Wright as Tix (series 1, 3), a resident of the psychiatric hospital and Rae's other best friend. In the series 2 opener, it is revealed that she had died due to over-exercising and refusing to eat at the end of the previous series. She makes a cameo appearance in the final episode of series 3 as Rae reflects on her teenage years and when Rae sees everyone in the reflection of the train window. Darren Evans as Danny Two Hats, a resident of the psychiatric hospital and later, due to the death of Tix at the end of series one, Rae's friend. Bamshad Abedi-Amin as Karim Bouchtat, the Tunisian undocumented immigrant boyfriend, and later husband, of Rae's mum. Shazad Latif as Nick Kassar (series 1), a doctor at the psychiatric hospital. Eliot Otis Brown Walters as Big G (series 1–2), a bully who often picks on Rae, calling her Jabba. Cameron Moore as Stephen Carrisford (series 1–2), a PE Teacher in Rae's school. Sacha Parkinson as Stacey Stringfellow (series 2), a popular girl who used to date Finn and bullies other girls. Susie Potter as Amy Malone (series 2), a tough girl in Stacey's clique. She falls out with Stacey after she says she looked 'proper rough'. She later ends up dating Liam and even threatens Rae whenever she sees her with Liam. Jodie Hamblet as Vicky (series 2), a popular girl in Stacey's clique. She has a skin condition, although she dislikes talking about it. She later becomes an enemy of Rae and Chloe, regularly insulting them at school. Kirsty Armstrong as Lois (series 2–3), a sweet girl in Stacey's clique. She is revealed to be Archie's "girlfriend". After Rae "outs" Archie to Lois, she threatens to tell her friends that Archie is gay if he doesn't tell everyone first. Turlough Convery as Liam Owen (series 2–3), Rae's new friend/love interest who attends group therapy with her in Series 2. He makes a cameo appearance in the final episode of series 3 when Rae sees everyone in the reflection of the train window. Sophie Stanton as Principal Dixon (series 2–3), Rae’s firm but fair headteacher at college who gives her several ‘second chances’ and encourages her to go to Bristol University. Tony Pitts as Chloe’s dad (series 2–3). Debra Stephenson as Chloe’s mum (series 2–3). Faye Marsay as Katie Springer (series 3), a former student at Rae's school who comes back to Stamford to speak about her experiences at university. Karl Davies as Rob (series 3), Rae's boss in a record shop and Archie's lover. Lolita Chakrabarti as Dr Juliet Allen (series 3), Kester’s replacement.

Episodes

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with My Mad Fat Diary

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what My Mad Fat Diary claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to My Mad Fat Diary before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about My Mad Fat Diary ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of My Mad Fat Diary

In research: My Mad Fat Diary appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses My Mad Fat Diary in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: My Mad Fat Diary is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2010s British comedy-drama television series, 2013 British television series debuts, 2013 English-language television series debuts, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for My Mad Fat Diary outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study My Mad Fat Diary in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what My Mad Fat Diary means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain My Mad Fat Diary out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is My Mad Fat Diary in simple terms?

My Mad Fat Diary is a British period teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary by Rae Earl.

Why does My Mad Fat Diary matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study My Mad Fat Diary?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on My Mad Fat Diary.