New Summer Comedy 2010
August 10, 2010
Pete Versus Life, written and created by Bert Tyler Moore and George Jeffrie, has started on Channel 4. The six-part comedy stars Rafe Spall as Pete, a rookie sports journalist who struggles with the demands of adult life.
‘...ambitious, and original. The characters are great: hapless Pete; the nightmare fiancee of Pete's best mate who's coming on the stag weekend in Amsterdam because they're not just lovers, they're best friends, too; the inappropriate commentators. And at times, in an awkward kind of way, it's very funny.' Sam Wollaston, The Guardian
‘Undeniably funny. It had me laughing out loud - frequently, in fact.' Alice-Azania Jarvis, The Independent
Grandma's House, directed by Christine Gernon, debuted on BBC2. Written by and starring Simon Amstell, Grandma's House is a comedy series about a television presenter searching for something more meaningful to do with his life.
‘Sharply written, with some nice lines and a bit of edge to it. And every now and then it will throw a little surprise at you.' Sam Wollaston, The Guardian
‘All sitcoms making August debuts should be regarded with circumspection if not outright suspicion, and last night... Grandma's House went and undermined a time-honoured tradition by being rather good.' Brian Viner, The Independent
The Great Outdoors ends its three week run this week. Created and written by Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil the comedy centres on a walking group and the interactions between the walk leader Bob (Mark Heap), new recruit Christine (Ruth Jones) and other members of the motley rambling club including Katherine Parkinson and Steve Edge.
‘When I moved up north, I made the mistake of joining a walking club to make new friends. If the company had been as entertaining as this... I might have stuck it out for longer than a month.' Jane Simon, The Mirror
Rev, a six-part comedy series written by James Wood and co-created by James and Tom Hollander, transmitted on BBC2. Its opener reached 2.4m viewers, making it the channel's best-performing sitcom episode so far this year. It follows the daily frustrations and moral conflicts of Reverend Adam Smallbone, a Church of England vicar played by Tom Hollander.
‘An unmitigated joy ... Rev. Adam Smallbone is a supremely funny and sympathetic creation ... a funny, warm-hearted and truthful comedy that deserves all the awards and plaudits that are certain to come its way.' David Chater, The Times
‘Rev is laugh-out-loud funny. Both an exploration of British hypocrisy and a warmly played character piece with some terrific lines.' The Guardian
‘Rev boasts the pedigree to be an answer to the prayers of those who've longed for a reliable new sit-com.' Mail on Sunday
