Jasmine Sahu is well suited with this new American drama exclusive to Dave.
Lois Cameron explains why this series is much more than your average cosy period drama.
The last episode of this series sees Sherlock and Moriarty attempt to solve the final problem with devastating consequences.
With major cast changes afoot, Jacob Martin ponders whether Being Human can live up to its own scarily high standard.
Our featured comedies for this week are almost polar opposites, so if the geeky puns of The IT Crowd don’t do it for you, why not visit the gentle world of Jam and Jerusalem, where characters shout out of Windows, wear a Mac if it rains, and… well, I’m not quite sure what they’d do with a Linux…
“Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
Without IT departments, civilization as we know it would collapse. Probably. This is because there are still people who don’t know where the ‘on’ switch is, or haven’t figured out that the best way to power a computer is to plug it in. Such is the state of affairs in Graham Linehan’s sitcom, The IT Crowd, set in the high-rise offices of fictional company Reynholm Industries. What the company does isn’t important: it’s all about the techie crew lurking in the basement.
Synopsis: The IT Crowd consists of Roy (Chris O’Dowd), an all-round nerd; Moss (Richard Ayoade), a socially inept computer know-it-all; and Jen (Katherine Parkinson), their useless head of department. In the first couple of series, there’s also Richmond (Noel Fielding), a goth who is kept behind a mysterious red door, and boss of Reynholm Industries, Denholm (Chris Morris), later to be replaced by his sexist, obnoxious son, Douglas (Matt Berry). In their attempts to be recognized by the rest of the company, the team often find themselves in a an array of ridiculous situations: Moss is nearly eaten by a cannibal… Roy pretends to be a window cleaner… Jen breaks The Internet…
Best character: Maurice Moss
Douglas comes in a close second as one of the most repulsive character I’ve ever seen, but Moss’s deadpan reactions to any major catastrophe thrown at him (bombs, being eaten alive, competing on Countdown) are jaw-achingly funny. Oh, and he regains consciousness to the Windows start-up music.
Best episode: ‘Calamity Jen’
Difficult to rank these episodes, as they all have their moments, but the second episode of the first series features Jen trying to cram her feet into impossibly tiny shoes, while Moss sends an emergency email when the office catches fire.
Best moment:
See also: The Inbetweeners
“Is it your varicose veins? Because I was behind you in the Spar the other day, and I have to say it looked like you were smuggling walnuts in your tights…”
There are some sitcoms best consumed along with a takeaway pizza and coke. Some of the worst sitcoms probably work better with a strong alcoholic beverage. Jam & Jerusalem is definitely a tea-and-cake sitcom. Based around the fictional West Country village of Clatterford St. Mary, J&J is cosy and cuddly, but also contains much sharply written dialogue courtesy of Jennifer Saunders. By the time J&J had finished - after three series - it had procured a dedicated fanbase, largely thanks to its loveable characters.
Synopsis: The central storyline revolves around newly widowed Sal (Sue Johnston) as she returns to life without her husband. This involves joining the Women’s Guild, the members of which essentially run the village through their close-knit networks of friends and families. Other notable characters (and there are many) are Tip, the gossipy surgery receptionist (Pauline McLynn); Eileen, the uptight chairperson of the Guild (Maggie Steed); and Rosie (Dawn French), a cheerful and naïve character, whose struggle with schizophrenia often unites the other characters. The stellar cast also includes many other well-known comedy faces such as Sally Phillips, Rosie Cavaliero, Joanna Lumley and David Mitchell.
Best character: Delilah
Yes, that batty old lady is actually Joanna Lumley, always in the background of the main storyline, but usually causing the most trouble. And she really can’t play that church organ.
Best episode: Series One, Episode Four
Sal has been removed from her post as surgery nurse by her son, Dr James Vine (David Mitchell). In an attempt to get Sal her job back (and as a form of revenge), Tip persuades James’ terrifying old headteacher (not played as so much relished by Miriam Margolyes) to attend a smear test at the surgery. James’ flustered attempts to hold a sexual health conversation with his former teacher are hilarious, and Margolyes’ wickedly crude euphemisms make this the cringiest scene in the entire series.
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