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Stanley Park and Dappers, both billed as dramas but clearly intended as comedies, aired on BBC3 last Thursday as potential pilots for full series. Despite interesting pedigrees both on and behind the camera, neither of these shows were up to the quality of last week’s Pulse, although both have some glimmers of potential.
First came Stanley Park, which centred on the inhabitants of a London cul-de-sac. The main character, Debbie Robinson, fancies herself as Croydon’s answer to Carrie Bradshaw, but her behaviour causes heartbreak and other issues for her young group of friends and some of the older residents of Stanley Place.
I just couldn’t get on with Stanley Park at all. I didn’t have any problems with the acting. In particular, Sharon Horgan was her usual brilliant self as Debbie’s chain-smoking aunt (“an Aphrodite in Primark wet-look leggings” was one of the funniest lines of the half-hour), while Jennie Jacques was thoroughly believable as the slightly wet Raggedy Ann. No, my main issue with it was the writing. The teenagers came across not as teenagers, but as a middle-aged interpretation of a teenager. Thus they talk in a way that no one under twenty has ever talked, complaining that someone isn’t following them on Twitter and then making references to Ken Dodd. I also didn’t really find any of the characters other than Ann, “Bent Ben” and Auntie Pat interesting. At the centre, Debbie was irritating, shallow and selfish, which doesn’t bode well for a full series.
The other offering of the evening was Dappers, a comedy about two young mums living in Bristol, trying to get rich quick and make a better life for their daughters. Living in housing association flats in a well-to-do area, they cheerfully annoy their better-off neighbours. They’re cheeky, competitive, but intensely loyal to each other and devoted to their daughters.
Written by Catherine Johnson (writer of Mamma Mia!), Dappers is a nicely defiant look at two figures who, on paper, typify the idea of broken Britain. Instead of being down-trodden complainers, Faye and Ashley are determined to make something of themselves. Their get-rich-quick schemes could get a bit repetitive if Dappers was given a full series, but the acting leant real charm to what could have been a bit clichéd and dull. I love Lenora Crichlow, and she showed off her flair for comedy as well here as she does in Being Human, while it was nice to see Tom Ellis back on our screens, even if he was looking a bit sleazier than normal. It was a bit unbelievable at times, but Dappers has real potential for a full series, as long as some variety is given to the scripts.
Dappers could make a fun and sparky full series given a few tweaks, but to be successful, the writing and characterisation of Stanley Park would need to be brought up to the standards of the acting. Overall, I don’t think either had the same potential as Pulse to be something rather special.
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