Some sitcoms build up to a big wedding day, the second series of Such Brave Girls kicks off with one. Albeit after the bride has been abducted from a lecture room by having a hood put over her head. But then Kat Sadler’s warped domestic comedy has never done things the normal way.
This is a show where nothing goes right. Mum Deb (Louise Brealey) wants her daughters married off pronto. And preferably to someone with money. (family motto: “Ignore, repress, forget”). Josie’s betrothed Seb (Freddie Meredith) is a creepy Crawley casino croupier. Or at least he is at the start of the episode. In a show full of dark comedy his storyline might be the darkest. For a stag do prank he phones his workplace and says he is coming round to shoot everybody. And, of course, he doesn’t block his number...
Meanwhile Josie (Kat Sadler) wants to get the vows over quickly with so that she can get back to her girlfriend’s ceramics exhibition at 2pm. It’s only two words, “I do”, how long can it take? But that doesn’t mean the prep isn’t packed with stress, trauma and humour. Oh and on the same day Billie (creator Kat Sadler’s real-life sister Lizzie Davidson) decides to have an affair with older married man Graham (Daniel Ryan). Though it has to be in the mornings as he’s too tired to get it up in the evenings.
It’s no surprise to learn that Sadler was previously in a psychiatric ward and tried to kill herself twice IRL. There is something both unhinged and insightful about her writing. This family might seem behaviourally off the charts but they also seem relatable. I mean, who hasn’t been kidnapped on their wedding day and wrote off a car trying to get away? It’s as crazy as a Daffy Duck cartoon but somehow so real.
Every now and again a comedy comes along that’s unique. There are elements of Peep Show here, hints of Julia Davies' bleakly dysfunctional Nighty Night, but also shades of Victoria Wood in the mundane suburban setting. You won’t be able to tear your eyes away but you might find yourself watching through your fingers. Sadler takes things to the edge of the abyss but instead of pulling back happily hurtles right into it.
Watch the whole series now - and series one - on iPlayer.
Pictured: Billie (Lizzie Davidson), Deb (Louise Brealey), Josie (Kat Sadler). BBC/Various Artists Limited/James Stack
