Sharon Horgan on the Pulling Special

With the Pulling Special nominated for three British Comedy Awards including Best Television Comedy Drama, we asked star and co-writer Sharon Horgan to tell us what it was like to get the gang back together one last time.

Written by Sharon Horgan. BBC Comedy Blog, 10th December 2009

Your next box set: Pulling

Yes, it's incredibly rude, but Pulling is also beautifully observed, warm and human.

Written by Sam Wollaston. The Guardian, 7th August 2009

Farewell to Pulling which has been, well, pulled. I can only assume that Pulling's cynical and acerbic tone did not chime with the brave, new, sunny sitcom world ushered in by the incorrigibly romantic Gavin & Stacey. Pulling went out with a funny, outrageous, inspired and frequently shocking one-hour special that made a total mockery of the decision to axe it.

"You don't have to live with a man who makes you unhappy," Donna advises Louise, "unless you have a child. Or a mortgage."

The show finished on something of an emotional cliffhanger, which allows for the possibility of a change of heart from BBC3 Comedy. Which - given that these are the same people who have commissioned a second series of the rancid Coming of Age - seems unlikely.

Harry Venning, The Stage, 1st June 2009

BBC3's amazing comedy Pulling tied up all its loose ends with an hour-long special. With a schedule littered with Two Pints of Lager and Freaky Eaters, the Sharon Horgan sitcom was one of the best things to come from BBC3 since its launch.

The great thing about Pulling is that its never afraid to push boundaries. It reminds me of the great early days of Shameless where you were never sure where it was going but the ride was always fun. Among the twists, this final episode featured a man jumping out of hot air balloon and ending up in a coma, a man tied to a chair with tampons stuffed in each ear, and Donna posing as an escort to get into a swanky London club.

I've loved Pulling since the start and had high hopes for this bittersweet finale. It lived up to them and I'll even admit screaming with laughter in places. I guess if It has to end there was no better way. I loved it but I can't help think what a shame it is that something so genuinely funny and relevant should be axed when we find it so difficult to produce decent comedies.

BBC3 execs are so desperate to stick to their demographic of young adults and I guess Pulling didn't fit perfectly into that brief but this was one of the best hours of television I've watched in a while. Even though the conclusion was left open, I'm grateful Sharon and Co were given the chance to give the series the end it deserved.

The Custard TV, 22nd May 2009

Video: Sharon Horgan talks to Tim Lovejoy

Sharon Horgan talks to Tim Lovejoy about the cancelling of Pulling. She explains that the BBC said to her that they weren't cancelling the show, but "continuing it in another form... by cancelling it."

Channel Bee, 21st May 2009

Pulling Special: Review

It's rather tragic that BBC3 get themselves an award-winning sitcom that feels ready to explode into the public consciousness, only to axe it amidst claims it doesn't fit their target demographic. Straight to the point: this was the funniest thing I've seen all year. Beautifully observed, brilliantly acted and deliciously coarse.

Written by Dan Owen. Dan's Media Digest, 18th May 2009

TV Review: Pulling Special

The simple fact is that we've all lost one of the best comedy shows ever aired and that's a depressing thought. This final episode didn't exactly go out with a bang, but it did show BBC Three some much needed class. A great show that faded to black...

Written by mofgimmers. TV Scoop, 18th May 2009

Not a few people were puzzled that Pulling should have been shown the door while lesser comedies thrived, but BBC3 obviously felt bad enough about it to give Sharon Horgan's comedy a farewell special. It was funny and - for fans wishing to clutch at straws - ended with a scene that screamed To Be Continued.

Tom Sutcliffe, The Independent, 18th May 2009

Last night's Pulling was a special, hour-long episode to bring to an end a sitcom that, for two series, has been the anti-Friends: single men and women in their thirties who are not cuddly and chummy and cute, but washed-up and bitchy and sour as vinegar.

The episode was a rush of couplings and un-couplings. Donna (Sharon Horgan), the harpy at Pulling's shrivelled heart, rowed with her boyfriend, made a play for her ex, proposed to her boyfriend, went back to her ex... By the credits their fate still wasn't resolved. Well, Pulling was never likely to give us a happy ending.

The most crass lines were sometimes the weakest: "I'm a lot deeper than I thought," bragged Donna. Comedy pause. "Does this dress make my nipples stick out enough?" The best lines tended to be the lighter, sillier ones, such as when the drippy Greg (Tom Brooke) simpered, "What's your favourite kind of puppy? I like brown. They're more loyal."

It's a pity Pulling's gone. Supposedly the commissioners scrapped it because it looked out of place on BBC Three. Pulling was funny, smart and generally well-written. So yes, the commissioners were right.

Michael Deacon, The Telegraph, 18th May 2009

When some well-paid person at the BBC came up with the idea of pulling the BAFTA-nominated comedy Pulling, it was the worst decision since Leslie Ash signed up for a lip job. This priceless one-off, then, will be a (small) consolation prize for fans of the show, as we catch up with miserable Donna, dippy Louise and man-eating drunk Karen.

What's On TV, 17th May 2009

A paean to Pulling

The BBC didn't appreciate that Pulling was the best comedy on TV - but the final episode on Sunday confirms its utter brilliance.

Written by Gareth McLean. The Guardian, 15th May 2009

We don't like to knock the Beeb as an organisation. But seriously, you axe Pulling and keep up with Horne and Corden? There's got to be some serious IDIOTS there. This one-off final episode is BRILLIANT. It exudes quality from start to finish. It's well-written, well acted and sharp. WATCH IT. And write to Points of View.

TVbite, 15th May 2009

Brilliantly observed comedy back for swansong

The fools at BBC Three cancelled this acerbic, Bafta-nominated comedy about three single 30-somethings after just two series, so if you could all please turn and blow raspberries in the direction of Broadcasting House that would be splendid.

Written by Kat Brown. The London Paper, 15th May 2009

Shame on BBC3 for axing its best sitcom by far. The only consolation for Pulling's few but devoted fans is a one-hour special to wind up the chaotic stories of our three flatmates and their shoddy boyfriends. As we rejoin them, Donna (co-writer Sharon Horgan) is in an uneven relationship with a yuppie who pretends she's an escort, while Karen (Tanya Franks) is in an even worse set-up, baking pies for a selfish, classically male monster. It's so bad she's stopped wearing make-up. From there, a disastrous plot unfolds. Billy (Paul Kaye) reappears in all his raddled glory and sweet-talks Karen ("You, me, alcohol, narcotics - the old team?") while Karl's return from Italy rocks Donna. The mutual bafflement of the sexes is as richly hilarious as ever. Say goodbye to the blackest, filthiest unromantic comedy you could hope for.

David Butcher, The Radio Times, 12th May 2009

Sharon Horgan's Pulling power

BBC Three is scrapping Sharon Horgan's critically lauded sitcom Pulling, but America, it seems, wants more of her.

Written by Kevin Maher. The Times, 4th May 2009

Why I love... Pulling

Pulling is the Withnail And I of the Noughties. It's a life shot through drink and bad drugs, a life that didn't quite live up to expectation, regardless of continual rhetoric. In Donna, Karen and Louise, we have the most realistic likeness to the hung-up inhabitants of the post-millenium ever aired.

TV Scoop, 12th January 2009

Sharon Horgan's cult comedy ran for two series, but has been denied a third. It seems it doesn't matter how well received Pulling was, BBC3 is now so narrowly focused on its young audience that there's no place for a show about 30-somethings, even if they are slatternly, emotionally retarded drunks.

It's an intermittently hilarious parade of cartoonish characters and crude, often cruel set pieces, with Tanya Franks particularly salty as an alcoholic primary school teacher. Pulling wasn't a classic, but it deserved more time.

Jack Seale, The Radio Times, 10th January 2009

In deeply dispiriting but strangely not surprising news, BBC3 has axed Pulling, a decision that will persuade no one that Danny 'Phoo Action' Cohen isn't a moron. I suppose that without Pulling around, Coming Of Age won't look quite as atrocious but is that really reason enough to axe one of the finest comedies on TV? I suppose if there ever was a third series of Gavin and Stacey, Cohen would pass on that too because "every recommission means one less space for a new project". You can only hope that one of Janice Hadlow's first decisions as controller of BBC2 would be to offer a home to Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly's marvellous comedy. Good knows it doesn't have anything remotely funny of its own at the moment. Unless you count Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful People. Which I don't.

Gareth McLean, The Guardian, 7th October 2008

BBC3 pulls Pulling: a terrible decision

The decision not to bring back Pulling is certainly a poor one. It may not have reached the ratings heights of Gavin and Stacey or Little Britain, but it was a funny, smart and topical show that spoke to its loyal audience.

Written by Leigh Holmwood. The Guardian, 2nd October 2008

BBC get it badly, badly wrong by cancelling 'Pulling'

Someone at the BBC needs slapping senseless... that's if there's any sense there in the first place. Why? Well, in light of the fact that Auntie is currently showing some of the worst shows I've ever seen (The Cup, the woeful Coming of Age), they've decided to nix one of the best shows I've seen in ages.

Written by mofgimmers. TV Scoop, 2nd October 2008

BBC3 axes Pulling after two series

BBC3's edgy comedy Pulling is to end with a 60-minute special next year after the channel decided not to order a third series.

Written by Leigh Holmwood. The Guardian, 2nd October 2008

With Gavin & Stacey scooping the big prizes, I do worry that BBC3's other brilliant comedy Pulling is getting a little overlooked. It never fails to make me laugh and, although the storylines are completely mad, they somehow work brilliantly.

I'd love to see this for a third series but I wonder if the barrage of people who switch off after their weekly dose of Gav and Stacey have blown the chances of this Sharon Horgan masterpiece getting another outing.

TV Scoop, 24th April 2008

Why Pulling is far superior to Gavin and Stacey

The Guardian's TV critic Gareth McLean says nice things about Pulling

Written by Gareth McLean. The Guardian, 24th April 2008

There's no reason to like the characters as they're completely hopeless... but there's something of us in the girls. They're finding themselves in the time of life when everything should look like This Life. However, they've found themselves as hapless as they were when they were fumbling through their mid-teens. This is a multiple car-crash of a show... and y'know what? I'm really liking it.

mofgimmers, TV Scoop, 31st March 2008

It's frantic, flippant and astoundingly filthy, with Tanya Franks as drunk Karen the cherry on the pina colada. Not since Patsy in Ab Fab has binge drinking been this funny.

The Radio Times, 30th March 2008

Sharon Horgan is a favourite of ours and this sitcom - deservedly in its second series - shows off her acting and writing talents superbly.

The show is never far away from a shocking moment but it's all done in the best possible tastelessness. It is packed with plot and scenes of clever farce but also has time for lots of well-observed, dry dialogue. What the characters say is funny when they think they're being funny and equally funny when they think they're being serious.

The Custard TV, 24th March 2008

Pulling is not just about shocking us with the filthy behaviour of a bunch of thoroughly disreputable thirtysomething women (though it is quite a lot about that, and it does it very well). It's good in many other ways, too. It's beautifully observed and written, the characters speak not in a comedy-drama way, but in the way real people speak (which, you could argue, is what a comedy-drama way should be), even on the phone. They're fabulous, these characters - larger than life, but also just like life, or lifelike. We all know - or have met - Karens, Louises, Donnas (you know who you are!). They're bad and mad, but also warm and lovely - a killer combination. They care about each other, so we care about them.

Pulling shares a lot of ground with Nighty Night - it has the cojones to go where other comedy doesn't dare, a darkness and a genuine belly-laugh funniness. It's the funniest thing on telly at the moment by a mile.

Sam Wollaston, The Guardian, 24th March 2008

Telegraph Interview

Written by Sophie Wilson. The Telegraph, 23rd March 2008

Sharon Horgan Q+A Interview

Digital Spy has a quick series two question and answers session with the writer and star.

Digital Spy, 18th March 2008

Sharon Horgan Interview

An in-depth 2007 interview with writer and star Sharon Horgan, from The Observer.

Written by Polly Vernon. The Observer, 14th January 2007

Pulling stars Sharon Horgan as Donna, a bride-to-be who gets cold feet, cancels her wedding and moves in with two single girlfriends, Karen and Louise.

Do not be put off by the set-up, which evokes dark memories of the Denise Van Outen monstrosity Babes In the Wood, nor by the feeble title and its similarity to the lame Friends rip-off Coupling. Pulling is the sharpest, freshest and boldest comedy of the year, immaculately written and beautifully performed by a uniformly excellent cast.

Like many of the best comedies, Pulling is actually a study in desperation and despair. However the writers - Horgan and Dennis Kelly - clearly have deep affection for the characters they heap misery and misfortune upon.

Jilted fiance Karl's nervous breakdown was simultaneously one of the funniest and the saddest scenes I've ever seen, almost matched by alcoholic primary school teacher Louise's tear drenched reading of Hug to an audience of five-year-olds. "They cry all the time" was Louise's response at being automatically suspended.

Pulling avoids the stock comic characters that usually populate the sitcom single scene and finds its comedy in surprising and unexpected places. Most importantly, its portrayal of relationships and the dynamics within them, is uncomfortably recognisable. It is amazing what a shot of truth can achieve in a comedy.

Harry Venning, The Stage, 27th November 2006

Chortle Interview

Chortle interviewed Sharon Horgan in the lead-up to the first series.

Chortle, 19th November 2006