'Pulling' In The Press...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 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. 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. 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 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 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. 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. 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 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. 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 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Written by Sophie Wilson. The Telegraph, 23rd March 2008 Digital Spy has a quick series two question and answers session with the writer and star. Digital Spy, 18th March 2008 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. Chortle interviewed Sharon Horgan in the lead-up to the first series. Chortle, 19th November 2006 |