Gerard O'Donovan
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 8
Another terrific episode of this beautifully observed, very funny comedy about not-quite-superchef Roland White (Alan Davies) and his oddball kitchen staff. Tonight an "elite car" gathering at Thaxted Manor brings a whiff of romance Roland's way, with utterly cringe-making results. Yet again, pretty much every member of the cast gets at least one killer line.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 12th October 2010After a shaky start, Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's sketch show is bedding in nicely. Much of the humour feels dated but recurring characters like Marcus, the "I saw you coming" shop owner, and The-Beatles-50-years-on yield some good laughs tonight, while newcomers such as the surgeons' wives, the Lovelock family (who keep pet Northerners) and a chorus of white van men singing a crude "Van Driver's Lament" add enough touches of bizarre brilliance to keep the giggles coming.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 12th October 2010Liam Hourican's sketch show iCandy takes a while to warm up, with spoofs on Louis Theroux and Peter Stringfellow feeling less parodic than the real-life versions.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 19th April 2010Frank Skinner's TV appearances have been sporadic since he gave up his ITV1 chat show in 2005. This is the first full TV series of his comeback, a kind of comedy Question Time, with Skinner and two guest comedians discussing a topical issue before a "highly opinionated" studio audience. Something along the lines of Fantasy Football League, then, but reflecting Skinner's growing interest in politics. Each show will be recorded only shortly before transmission, but we can reveal that this first edition will feature comics Miranda Hart and Al Murray.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 16th April 2010Kayvan Novak (the star of Fonejacker who made prank phone calls in the guise of various personalities) reinvents the hidden camera show. Some of his personalities prove just as funny in the flesh, but the best characters are new ones such as the excruciatingly bad art critic, Brian Badonde.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 16th April 2010A spooky Easter treat for Alan Davies fans with this one-off outing from the sporadic murder mystery series. Once again magic consultant Jonathan Creek (Davies) is inveigled into joining forces with psychic investigator Joey Ross (Sheridan Smith) when a young woman (Natalie Walter) working for a famous crime writer (Paul McGann) appears to become possessed by a vengeful spirit from Victorian times. As ever this is more howdunit than whodunit, with the convoluted plot very much designed to keep you guessing all the way to the end.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 2nd April 2010There are strong echoes of Cold Feet in this sharply observed six-part romantic comedy - not least because you'd have to look back at least that far to think of an ITV1 comedy that had a more assured, satisfying and generally winning opening episode. The story follows the Cold Feet formula of tracking three couples in and out of their relationships. Tonight's main focus is on childhood sweethearts Lillie and Eddie (Lucy Davis and Shaun Dooley), who despite having two kids and a 16-year relationship, haven't yet done marriage. Not for want of trying by sensitive paramedic Eddie, who proposes every year on Lillie's birthday, only to get just as regularly knocked back. It's a cycle that their doe-eyed 11-year-old Joe (Jack Scanlon) is determined to do something about. If that sounds sweeter than a sugar sandwich, it certainly is in parts, but like much of Married Single Other, it's saved by a good cast. Amanda Abbington is particularly good as Babs, whose frustration with her feckless husband Dickie (Dean Lennox Kelly) threatens to kill a loving marriage, while Ralf Little makes a convincing serial love-rat turned monogamous puppy-dog when he falls for model Abbey (Miranda Raison). It's no mean achievement to flesh out so many characters in a single episode, while also provoking occasional belly laughs and plenty of smiles. Let's hope the quality is sustainable; as it is, this could run and run.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 20th February 2010John Sullivan's one-off drama sees the return to TV of his most famous creations, the Trotters of Only Fools and Horses (which still holds the British record for biggest sitcom audience, over 24 million for the 1996 Christmas episode Time on Our Hands). Set in 1960, this focuses on the family's early years in Peckham, with Shaun Dingwall as bone-idle Trotter paterfamilias Reg, Kelly Bright as his wife Joan and James Buckley as a youthful Del Boy. Nicholas Lyndhurst (who played Rodney in the original Only Fools), though, is the undoubted centre of attention in the role of Freddie "The Frog" Robdal, a charming geezer-about-town whose roving eye has settled on the lovely Mrs T...
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 23rd January 2010The good news is that there are laughs aplenty in this hour-long festive edition; the bad is that you'll have to wait at least 10 minutes before they start. That's due to the creaky device of pitching the Harper clan 30 years into the future in order to have flashbacks of their worst (ie most insanely destructive) Christmases past. But the wait is mostly worthwhile as the cast led by Robert Lindsay, Zoë Wanamaker and Nathaniel Parker throw themselves into the fun with abandon.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 23rd December 2009Christopher Biggins as Boris Johnson, Jerry Hall as Jordan, Ulrika Jonsson as David Beckham, Joe Pasquale as, er... Lady Gaga? Yes, here's a show that does exactly what it says on the tin as a stream of TV presenters, actors, singers, chefs and assorted other media-dependent life-forms do their best (which often amounts to their worst) impressions of fellow celebrities. Indulgent but hilarious in parts.
Gerard O'Donovan, The Telegraph, 23rd December 2009