Review 55 – Derek on Channel 4

Ricky Gervais seems to spend as much time on David Letterman’s couch as he does his own. So there’s something quite sweet about him returning to Channel 4 to create, write, direct and star in Derek (Wednesdays 10pm).

Following last year’s pilot episode, the show is about the staff of a care home for the elderly. Making a low budget show, largely set in the one room for a British TV channel reminds us that Gervais has not forgotten his roots.

Unfortunately, this also proves to be the programme’s biggest flaw; nothing about Derek feels new.

For example, it’s still shot in the style of a fly-on-the-wall documentary. Still. As many before me have asked, why are these documentaries being made? Who is making them? Who are we supposed to believe is watching these? Every time Derek cuts to a talking head it’s like being transported back to The Office. Except, back in 2001 it was a novelty and slightly believable.

Arguably the best thing about the show is Karl Pilkington’s performance as Dougie, the janitor. Yet Dougie’s character appears to be entirely based on the actor’s public persona and his conversations with Derek are lifted wholesale from old radio shows and podcasts.

Finally, the show tries a little too hard to be both moving and funny at the same time (see The Office, Extras). The lingering shots of the care home’s elderly residents and the gentle piano music in the background felt incredibly forced. And, bar Pilkington’s performance, the jokes are thin on the ground.

Gervais acknowledges this to a degree and about an hour before the first episode was broadcast, he tweeted:

Derek is not really a sitcom. It’s a heartwarming drama with funny bits. Also it has a series arch & ep 6 is the best thing I’ve ever done

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 30, 2013

For those who like a series arc that builds gradually, you’ll be disappointed to know the whole thing was pretty much outlined in the opening few minutes when council inspectors visited the care home.

Of course, whilst Derek is a Gervais solo project, many of the things I’ve compared it to were jointly credited to Stephen Merchant. Over the years people have asked whether Merchant was always the more creative of the two. Perhaps. However, I’d argue neither of them has equalled – much less bettered – The Office or their XFM shows and the under-rated Cemetery Junction was their next best project.

All that said, Derek certainly isn’t down there with Life’s Too Short. I really do hope it turns out to be great and that come episode 6, I’ll be in agreement with Gervais.

Review 31 – The Playboy of the Western World, The Old Vic

 

I love going to the theatre. Yet, with so much on offer in London – and not enough time or money to see everything that takes my fancy – some tough decisions have to be made. Sometimes this involves lots of research and applied logic, sometimes other factors come into play.

The decision to book tickets for The Playboy of the Western World is a great example of the latter. Perhaps most of the audience in the Old Vic last night held an intimate knowledge of the text and attend every production. Or maybe they’d studied the reviews and decided they were on to a winner. I, on the other hand, was there because the bloke who plays Nathan in Misfits was in it.

If you haven’t seen Misfits then as far as I’m concerned you must be some kind of masochist; deliberately choosing to make your life less enjoyable by denying yourself the enormous pleasure it brings. Act fast, you’re surely just one step away from self-flagellation.

In fairness, I understand why you might not have watched it yet. Being billed as a cross between Skins and Heroes was nearly enough to put me off; I had no interest in either of those shows and certainly not their bastard love-child. However I’m glad I put my prejudices aside as it is a wonderful, wonderful programme. The ‘birth scene’ in last year’s Christmas special was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Most of the laugh out loud moments came courtesy of Nathan, played by Robert Sheehan; which brings us back to The Playboy of the Western World.

Written by John Millington Synge the play tells the story of a young man named Christy (played by Sheehan) who turns up at a village pub claiming to have killed his father and is subsequently hailed as a hero by the locals. Before a single line of dialogue was uttered I was completely transfixed by the incredible set, consisting of a huge stonewall pub (complete with chimney and fireplace) which revolves onstage to accommodate indoor and outdoor scenes.

Once the dialogue had begun I admit to being a little lost as it took some time for my ear to adjust to the thick Irish accents of the characters. Once I had tuned in, I loved every minute of this hilarious production which is brilliantly staged and features great musical interludes.

Unfortunately Robert Sheehan won’t be returning to Misfits for a third series, but I got enough of a fix last night to see me through for a good while.

For more hilarity…

Watch Misfits. Now.

Entirely unrelated but if you are forced to watch X Factor this weekend, Stuart Heritage’s blog will make it bearable.

For the record… the next theatre tickets I’ve got booked are for One Man, Two Guvnors but I can assure you that’s not because it’s got Smithy off of Gavin and Stacey in it.

Review 18 – Fresh Meat

Fresh Meat, Wednesdays 10pm, Channel 4

My last experience of a university-based comedy was 2009’s forgettable BBC Three sitcom, Off the Hook. It left a sour taste in my mouth, so I was wary about tucking into Fresh Meat on Channel 4 earlier this week.

I needn’t have been worried of course. Comparing the comedy output of BBC Three with that of virtually any other channel is like comparing Dan Brown and Charles Dickens; a waste of time.

Off the Hook started well enough, after all, university is fertile ground for creating laughs. The series began with a group of freshers arriving at their shared accomodation to discover they were a long way from Kansas.

However after an enjoyable first episode, the series inexplicably toned down the crudity and dumbed down the wit to the point it began to resemble something that would be more at home on BBC Three’s sister channel, CBBC. Unsurprisingly, Off the Hook is not well documented online and so I can only assume that the first episode was in fact a pilot that bore little resemblence to the commissioned series.

I dwell on Off the Hook because it shares a number of similarities with Fresh Meat. Aside from the obvious, they both have near idential first episode plots and feature an ‘Inbetweener’. Whereas James Buckley (Jay) blotted his copy book on the BBC series, Joe Thomas (Simon) puts in a sterling effort in Channel 4’s new show.

Thomas is one of seven housemates sharing digs at Manchester University. Ensemble casts usually mean a roll call of clearly defined, stereotyped characters: the nerd, the jock, the babe, the rich one etc… Fresh Meat is far more subtle than that and all the better for it. Nearly all of the characters introduced to date are erring on the side of awkward geek and the viewer can look forward to watching them develop as the series progresses.

Whether or not you’ve been to university, the show treads fairly familiar territory (sex, booze, assignments) but still manages to feel, well, fresh. This is largely due to the writing skills of Jess Armstrong and Sam Baines (the creators of Peep Show) who peppered the script with an equal measure of wit and crudity.

For those that want to find out what happened when The Inbetweeners went to university, Fresh Meat could be just for you.

For more teenage kicks…

Please, please, please watch Freaks and Geeks

Karl’s cryptic clue: beneath Blair’s?

For the record… my university days bore no more resemblance to Fresh Meat than my schooldays did to Skins.

Review 2: The Inbetweeners Movie

Everyone’s favourite potty-mouthed, sex-obsessed teenagers hit the silver screen last week. Watching the original E4 series, I laughed just about as hard as it is possible to laugh without falling victim to the sort of trouser-wetting embarrassment that might feature in the show itself, so I simply had to watch this film.

However, I entered the cinema with a real sense of trepidation, and not just because I’d forgotten how much it costs to see a film in WC1. Would this film sully my memories of the series? Would it live up to the hype? Would I get my £12.75’s worth?

Thinking back, I arrived at the screening already a little disillusioned thanks to series 3 of The Inbetweeners which felt like it achieved a lower standard than the first two, but I was willing to give it a go.

It’s fair to say the film isn’t a return to form of the earlier episodes. Unfortunately, some of the charm of the show is lost on a screen the size of a double-decker bus and my biggest problem was that the ‘pull back – reveal’ jokes which just didn’t work as well as they do on my trust 21 incher. You know, the ones where we’re led to believe something for a minute, then the screen fades to black, and we cut to what has actually happened; our expectations are confounded and thus we laugh. Perhaps it’s the fact the jokes aren’t up to scratch and this is exposed all the more on a large screen. Or perhaps it is because the faux naivety this joke requires isn’t earned when the scene involves lush locations and dozens of extras. Either way, I felt the film was let down by this and I hope I’ve explained that better than I did to my girlfriend when we left the cinema.

That said, the reason The Inbetweeners made such and impression on me in the first place was that the characters are incredibly likable. Sure they are offensive and self-obsessed at times but their faults are there for everyone to see and I simply cannot dislike them. So, given the opportunity to spend 90 minutes on holiday with a bunch of people whose company you enjoy, how could I not have a good time?

For a bit more Inbetweener fun, check out:

Jay, Neil, Simon and Will smash up some records – HERE

Watch the original show (UK only) – HERE

 

And let’s not forget Louise Werner et al – HERE

*For the record, my favourite sitcom turned movie is Porridge.