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 51 – How I Escaped my Certain Fate by Stewart Lee

One of the golden rules of comedy is “if you have to explain a joke, it isn’t funny.”

It’s fair to say that whilst Stewart Lee is one of the most established comedians around, he isn’t a stickler for the rules. Lee doesn’t do panel shows, he’s never tried to fill the O2, he doesn’t seem to like his audience much and boy does he go to great lengths to explain his jokes.

How I Escaped My Certain Fate is the first of two volumes Lee has released that feature heavily annotated transcripts of his stand up shows.

In fact, heavily annotated is an understatement. On the average page, just a quarter will be taken up with a snippet of the show. The rest will be a lengthy footnote that stretches onto and devours the next page too.

(As an aside, I remember feeling very grown-up the first time I read a book that had footnotes. They said ‘sophistication’, ‘intelligence’ and  ‘academia’. Or rather, that’s the impression they left with me. I don’t actually remember what the footnotes were.

So How I Escaped My Certain Fate isn’t the most natural way to experience a stand up show, but it is a great read and an incredibly insightful glimpse behind the comedian’s curtain.

Lee doesn’t do one-liners or observational skits. His routine is built around a general cynicism and knowing dislike of everyone he comes into contact with – including his audience. He’s well known for lengthy repetition, holding imaginary conversations with himself and ending his shows curled up in a far corner of the stage rocking back and forth.

Not only is his style incredibly refreshing – and very funny – it’s the result of a hell of a lot of graft.

The annotations and footnotes reveal in great detail how much thought, hard work and fine-tuning goes into creating each show. What can seem like a very chaotic routine is a carefully mapped out voyage, expertly captained by Lee.

Whilst How I Escaped My Certain Fate is most likely to appeal to Lee’s loyal fanbase, I also think there’s plenty in it for those that aren’t fans or indeed, actively dislike him. Very few comedians would have the skill, patience or inclination to produce a similar tome, so if you’re after a sophisticated, intelligent and academic study of comedy, Lee is your man.

(A further volume is planned based on his BBC Two series, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. Given the publishing date has already slipped from last year to this autumn, one can only imagine it will again be a thoroughly rewarding read.)

Review 49 – Getting On

In a TV schedule overrun with procedural crime dramas, reality shows and Jack Whitehall, Getting On was all too easy to miss. But for those who did catch the third series on BBC Four last year, they’ll have enjoyed a superbly dark and very funny sitcom.

I’ll pause while the blogosphere shouts in unison “there’s a BBC Four?!?” and goes to dig out an old TV guide from the recycling bin.

Are you back? Good.

I’m just teasing of course, but when flicking through the channels it’s very easy to lose all will to live when you reach BBC Three and decide your TV would be better off buried in the back garden alongside Gnasher the hamster. With your ex-flat screen pushing up the daisies, you’ll miss out on all of BBC Four’s gems.

Set in an NHS hospital, Getting On revolves around the staff and patients in a care of the elderly – geriatric – ward. It’s primarily told from the point of view of the nurses and ward sisters, which is quite refreshing given how often TV shows set in the medical world focus on doctors.

Much of the humour arrives from the bureaucracy and politics of the NHS where new initiatives are constantly being dreamt up to distract the staff from patient care. And yet whilst this could make for a very cynical show, it can be incredibly warm and tender.

This is largely due to the interplay between the excellent leads; Jo Brand, Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine – who also share the writing credits. There are some heart-wrenching scenes, though as I mentioned earlier, the sadness is often played to darkly coming effect – perhaps inevitable given the setting.

Yet, there are two potential barriers to getting on with Getting On.

One: it’s so blue.

In appearance that is, not language. Whilst the colour palette of washed out blues does mirror the aging population of the ward, I’d prefer it if things looked a little brighter.

Two: shakey-cam.

Shot with handheld cameras there are lots of jump-cuts and random zooms. I watched an episode after an evening in the pub and the two pints of ale resting in my stomach suddenly felt like half a bottle of whiskey.

Having said that, whilst it does take me a moment to get used to the above as I sit down to each episode, I soon forgot and become totally engrossed. What’s more, Getting On is further proof that Jo Brand is a national treasure.

Whilst the series isn’t on the box at present, you can pick up DVDs or download episodes from the usual suspects.

Review 41 – This week’s telly

I don’t generally think of myself as a telly addict, but I’ve been incredibly excited ever  since I flicked through the TV listings on Saturday.

Yes, we all know that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will be making their return to BBC2 this Thursday with Life’s Too Short, but it was actually the arrival three other shows that caught my eye.

First of all, Masterchef: The Professionals and figuring out when you can watch the next episode doesn’t get tougher than this. The first went out on Monday at 8.30pm. On Tuesday it switched to 7pm before it moves to 8pm for Wednesday and Thursday. Next week’s transmission times are a closely guarded secret but boffins are dusting off the machines at Bletchley Park in the hope of catching Greg Wallace performing unspeakable acts with a spoon.

Watching the first episode proved to be very distressing, and not just because Monica has a stare that could turn stone to stone. For some reason the voiceover who has been making Masterchef her own for the past six years, India Fisher, has been replaced by some bloke. This one small change has – to my mind – changed the programme beyond all recognition. I felt as though I was watching a badly dubbed version Masterchef originally intended for a distant land. It remains to be seen whether this new chap will rise to the occassion or sink like so many souffles.

Returning for a second series on Thursday night is Rev. (BBC2 9pm), the sitcom about an inner-city Church of England parish. The first series was bloody marvelous, though perhaps unsurprisingly given the subject, gained a small (but loyal) audience. However it did receive a good PR boost when the following photo taken during filming went viral. I await the return of Tom Hollander, Olivia Coleman and Miles Jupp with much anticipation.

Last and by no means least, this week saw the return of Gareth Malone with his new series The Choir – Military Wives. I appreciate I’ve already ventured into homoerotic territory this week with my ramblings about my hairdresser, but I make no apology for my adoration of Mr Malone.

The basic premise of every series is that Gareth will form a choir in an unlikely or disjointed community leaving everyone with big smiles on their faces and warm fuzzy feelings inside. This time he has set up camp on a military base and created a choir from  the wives and girlfriends left behind whilst the men are on duty in Afghanistan.

As the episode began, I wondered whether what is basically a well-trodden formula could survive another outing. I became further concerned when I noticed more and more cliches spilling out of Malone’s mouth. Then the narrator started to get on my nerves. By now, I was getting very worried that my love affair with The Choir was reaching an end.

And then the choir sang their first song and all my fears were put to rest. It’s not that they were amazing, but it’s a simply beautiful watching these people coming together to sing. Thank you Mr Malone, once again you’ve made me a very happy man.

For more choir fun…

My favourite choir from The Choir.

Who thought watching loads of youngsters singing about feeling suicidal could be so sweet?

For the record, I’ve just noticed that each one of the programmes I’ve mentioned is on BBC2. That is delivering quality first, not cutting back on creativity.

Review 29 – Winning the Lottery

It’s pretty unfashionable to like observational stand-up comedians at the moment. That’s not to say that they aren’t popular, but when has popularity ever had anything to do with fashion?

The level of commercial success achieved by the likes of Michael McIntyre and Peter Kay has – rightly or wrongly – led to a great deal of criticism and resentment from critics and their peers. This in turn has made observational comedy ‘uncool’ as it’s now associated with comics who appear keener to sell tickets (and t-shirts, mugs, souvenir tea towels etc…) than to write new jokes.

Why do I mention all this? Well, last Friday I’m ashamed to admit I became a living, breathing observational comedy skit when I spent two quid on a Euromillions lottery ticket.

I hadn’t bought one a fortnight ago when the jackpot was £41million, nor a week later when it had risen to £86million. I held on to my £2 until the jackpot was a staggering £101million; a prize worth winning. (© Peter Kay, Michael McIntyre et al)

As it turns out, I did win.

On first glance I reckoned I had two numbers and was about to theatrically tear my ticket to shreds. On closer inspection, I actually had three numbers. I decided immediately that I would tick the box saying I that I didn’t want publicity; there was no way I was posing for a photo whilst a giant cheque was handed to me.

Now three numbers – as everyone knows – wins you a tenner on the National Lottery, so what sort of wild riches could I expect from a lottery with a jackpot ten times the size of the UK one? I feverishly searched the website for some hint as to what my prize would be, all the time imagining how much manure I could afford to buy and dump on Peter Kay’s doorstep with the winnings.

I had won £8.20. It doesn’t sound like much. That’s because it isn’t. I’ve kept my feet firmly on the ground and will continue as before, at least until the next £100m+ jackpot comes along.

For more lottery related fun…

Who remembers Mystic Meg?

This time next year we’ll be millionaires.

For the record, my secret lottery tip is, buy a lucky dip. Or don’t buy a ticket at all.

Review 21 – @ThisisPartridge

Aha! One of the first public figure to suggest high-visibility clothing for people manning temporary car parks is now on Twitter.

“It’s Alan Partridge here, booming a big shout-up to the MySpace Generation. Twit me.”

It may have taken him a little longer than some of his talkshow rivals to join the tweeting revolution (Jonathan Ross joined nearly 4 years ago and even Michael Parkinson has had a profile since 2009) but Alan Gordon Partridge has finally arrived; back of the net!

It’s not only with personal interest that I’ve been following his tweets this past fortnight, having been a huge fan for – crikey – well over a decade. Unashamedly, Partridge has joined Twitter in order to boost sales of his forthcoming autobiography and so it provides a great example of social media marketing in action.

Will the following updates help Norwich’s finest broadcaster become a number one bestseller?

“Can’t decide if I prefer the hardback, paperback, Kindle or audio version of my forthcoming book – I, Partridge: We Need To Talk About Alan.”

“Wouldn’t normally recommend buying 4 versions of the same book, but in this case it really is the smart thing to do. http://amzn.to/nrj/Vou“

“Skinflints trying to buy the paperback will have to wait a few months – an appropriate penalty for their ridiculous penny-pinching. lol”

Almost certainly. Setting up an account for the Partridge character engages potential buyers in a way that Steve Coogan or the publisher could never have achieved on their own.

As well as what can loosly be described as sales messages, Partridge serves up plenty of his unworldly wisdom and observations. Twitter’s 140 character limit does not appear restrict the veteran broadcaster’s ability to conjure up hilarious vignettes of Norwich life.

“Just been to my local cafe. They sell individual Club Biscuits, one of the few places that do. What is happening to our heritage??”

“Hey everyone. How’s it hanging? Hope your weekend was ace. Mine was good on both days.”

I currently look forward to updates from @ThisisPartridge above anyone else in the Twitterverse and I really hope he hangs around long after the release of his new book.

For more Partridge fun…

Forget the beer, enjoy the chat at Fosters Funny

Get ready for Partridge the Movie?

For the record, my favourite Partridge scene of all time is his attempt at a homemade zombie costume. Well, that’s my favourite right now, tomorrow it’ll be different, then again the day after.

 

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.