I’m not enough of a Shakespeare scholar to vouch for the accuracy of Ben Elton’s historical sitcom, but as a comedy geek I can at least confirm that it is funnier than his last effort, The Wright Way... more
Reviews
Yes, it's a bit of a conveyor belt of comedy. Yes, it feels like a stand-up sausage machine at times. But there is no denying that Channel 4's annual Comedy Gala at the O2 Arena does pull together a... more
It’s part three and we’ve reached May in this acutely tragi-funny look at a year in the life of widow Cathy (Lesley Manville). The weather is warming up and so is the romantic heat between Cathy and... more
There was a bit of chat on Twitter recently about how Upstart Crow is a refreshing real sitcom, contrasting it with the trend for non-sidesplitting studio comedies, which I guess means things like... more
I know the second episode went out a few days ago but I just wanted to flag up this new BBC2 sitcom again. It is so subtle and unassuming it risks getting lost between loads of other noisier, more... more
I watched the first episode of Maria Bamford’s new sitcom Lady Dynamite over the weekend when I was bedridden with flu. I assumed I was delirious. In the space of around 30 minutes I watched... more
So-called experts are always saying that the situation is crucial to the success of a situation comedy. So why is one sitcom about a subject a hit and not another? Back in the mists of time there was... more
You’ve got to have an angle when you do a full length Edinburgh Fringe show. Well, it’s maybe not compulsory but when putting together a string of stories it can help to stitch the narrative together... more
It’s great to report that the first episode of Upstart Crow was not a fluke. Writer Ben Elton repeats the trick again in the second episode. In fact if there is a problem here it isn't so much that... more
One of BBC3’s epic fails was axing the relationship sitcom Him & Her. Now at least BBC2 has gone some way towards making amends by commissioning writer Stefan Golaszewski to pen a new comedy, Mum... more
