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BBC One. The crème de la crème of UK channels. Broadcasting the finest in comedy talent. Sorting the prime-time entertainment wheat from the BBC3 chaff. So it follows that any sitcom daring to make its premiere on such a channel should be well worth its salt, right? Enter In With The Flynns, a family sitcom starring a couple who are ‘as much in love with life as they are with each other and their kids.’ Somehow, I don’t think this show is aimed at cynics like me.
It’s not a terribly good start as we’re introduced to the characters, none of which have any distinctive qualities. There’s the jokey father, Liam (Will Mellor), showing how achingly modern he is by – shock horror – ironing in the first scene. This sneaky stereotype-thwarting doesn’t last, however, as he’s equipped with a chronic dad-gag reflex. “Is it in 3D?” asks his son, Steve, about a film they want to watch. “If you include the dimension of time, Steve, yes it is!” is the reply.
There’s also mum, Caroline (Nicky Wardley), who refuses to give up smoking; whiny teenager Chloe (Orla Poole) who’s had her tongue pierced; cheeky, wise-cracking young sons Steve and Mikey (Daniel Rogers and Lorenzo Rodriguez); Liam’s father, Jim (Warren Clarke), who’s going on a date; and Uncle Tommy (Craig Parkinson) who… well, I’m not quite sure what his purpose is. It’s as though In With The Flynns has invested in a DIY sitcom kit from the newsagents, complete with forced one-liners. “She’s coming round later,” Jim says of a lady he’s just met. “What from, the chloroform?” the others banter. Oho, what larks.
You can see where they’ve tried to go with this: normal family issues replicated in a fun and entertaining way. We all recognise some of the personalities here. But there’s too many ‘issues’ crammed into one episode and too many characters for the viewers to warm to. The show also suffers from Open Door Syndrome – characters sporadically turn up in the house, despite not living there, or even being invited in. Most bizarrely, Steve’s teacher pops up in the living room after driving him home from school (which is surely an arrestable offence these days anyway?).
The biggest misfortune for this show is the existence of shows such as Outnumbered and Grandma’s House, which both do the same premise so much better. I like the idea of including brief flashbacks during the episode, but sometimes this removes comedic subtlety from the script. ‘Do you remember that time…’ begins one character, before we cut the scene without being able to imagine it for ourselves.
There are some good points: the kids are probably the best part of the episode, and I hope they’re given more screen-time in the future. Slapstick moments are also worthy of a laugh when they occur, such as Steve/Mikey (for the life of me, I can’t tell which one) walloping some school bullies over the head with his dinner tray. In With The Flynns is certainly fast-paced enough to be watchable, and it’s incredibly easy to consume on a Wednesday evening, but up there with the comedy greats? I think not.
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