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Help. That’s what My Family has needed for several years, and it’s what I needed about 10 minutes in to this ghastly Christmas special.
The plot could only be classed as inspired if copying ideas that have been used since the dawn of time suddenly passed for inspiring. Ben and Susan swapped roles this year, with Susan becoming miserly and Ben getting into the Christmas spirit. He then took a job as Santa Claus at the art gallery where Susan works, and met a girl who wanted her mum and grandad to talk to each other again, which Ben sorted out for her. If this had been an episode of The Vicar of Dibley, then such sweetness would have worked. But, this wasn’t The Vicar of Dibley, and this did not work. These attempts at morals, from writers who have committed such huge crimes against sitcoms that they should be imprisoned, just didn’t work. Can’t think why.
However, this only filled half of the episode, and the writers (I still can’t believe it took 3 people to write this) had to come up with a totally unrelated story to fill the torturous hour long running time. The second plot involved Ben and Susan hosting a New Year’s Eve party, but they did not bank on their next door neighbour Mr. Casey (Nickolas Grace) having a party at the same time. I could expand... but I can’t be bothered.
This festive episode truly was a test of wills, with the wait for jokes being like the wait for... well, Christmas. But at least Christmas arrives eventually. If this episode had lasted until the sun had burnt out, the only funny part would have been the power cut at the end. The jokes were so bad that the writers of Christmas cracker jokes would say they weren’t good enough.
It is admirable that Robert Lindsay and Zoë Wanamaker are still game, but even they seem to lack the energy that graced the show when it was actually good. Yes, it’s now hard to imagine a time when My Family was hilarious, and 12 million people thought so (don’t believe me? See Series 1-4.). But, ten series and nine specials down the line, and another one of each due to come in 2011 (have they no mercy?), My Family must suffer the fate of so many other once-greats and be recommissioned until the public just can’t take any more. The BBC would probably have axed it this year if they hadn’t commissioned the tenth and eleventh series together, as this year’s tenth series ratings plumbed new depths in terms of quality and ratings, with 2 episodes even being released straight to DVD, and it was thoroughly deserved as the episodes were as funny, enjoyable and fast moving as loading a washing machine. I have to say that this episode did improve on series 10, as it was merely awful.
Tired. That is what sums up My Family. It is running on steam that it has been using since 2003 (when the show should have had its swansong, rather than the swan dive that will follow next year): the jokes are tired, the format is tired, the actors are tired, and the writers are tired. All in all, My Family is more tired than Father Christmas after his one working day of the year and, more importantly, I am tired of watching it.
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