Brave Young Men
Sitcom pilot about Owen and Jamie, a pair of very average twenty-somethings with the not-so-average responsibility of saving the world
Broadcast:
2009 (BBC Three)
Starring:
Marc Wootton, Tom Basden, Patrick Barlow, Dominic Coleman, Joanna Neary, Jonny Sweet, Daniel Lawrence Taylor, Ruth Sheen, Chloe Palmer, Mathew Baynton, Tom Joseph
Writers:
Sam Leifer, Tom Basden
Production:
Baby Cow Productions
Owen and Jamie are a pair of nobodies who prevent global disasters with the help of a time-transient civil servant.
Owen, a caretaker at the local school, is approached by a shadowy figure named Melvin while locking up one day. Melvin appoints him 'Caretaker of the World... Brighton and Hove Division'. But is this Melvin really a civil servant from the future or just a mad tramp?
After some haggling over a scooter, Jamie agrees to be Owen's sidekick and so their mission begins: This involves the confiscation of some homebrewed beer which, according to Melvin, will become contaminated in 2013. Curiously Melvin needs it brought to him in order to 'process' it.
Our Review: This comedy pilot sort-of reminds us of US teen sitcom Reaper. However, being British, Brave Young Men's central characters are obviously bigger losers, and thus much more likeable and easier for us to identify with.
Perhaps what made the pilot such an enjoyable watch was that writers Sam Leifer and Tom Basden cleverly left it up in the air as to whether mysterious metal-handed Melvin was indeed from the future... or just a clever tramp who had managed to find two gullible lads to steal him some free beer.
It may have been a bit short of one-liners, but Brave Young Men was the strongest BBC Three sitcom pilot we've watched for quite a while so it is with much despair we hear that BBC Three won't be ordering a full series. There was much potential for future adventures... the suits at BBC3 are idiots.
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