Press clippings Page 4

Joan Collins joins the cast of Benidorm

Joan Collins will play a hotel high-roller called Crystal in the new series of ITV comedy Benidorm. Series 6 of the sitcom is filming in Spain now.

British Comedy Guide, 29th May 2013

Female double acts are rare enough to be treasured, which is why it was no fun at all to see Watson & Oliver take an undeserved pasting in theartsdesk's comment stream, mostly from blokes, when it debuted on the BBC last year. Anna Crilly and Katy Wix, who write as well as star, take light entz idioms as their springboard: Eurolottery shows, cookery programmes, workplace docusoaps, reality. The performances are a treat - Crilly's turn as a dour housekeeper in Lead Balloon is clearly just one string to her bow - but the material doesn't feel quite honed enough. There's a dash of verbal incontinence, a bit of Gervaisery, some Dom Jolyesque physical surrealism and lashings of protean vocals. The most original gag features a Joan Collins-alike who requires a prompter to tell her own life story. The funniest line in this episode came as Martin Kemp (one of several game guest stars) plugged his new CD on a Benelux channel. "Great piss!" said Dix's enthusiastic presenter. After two episodes this is more like quite good piss.

Jasper Rees, The Arts Desk, 14th March 2013

It's ten years since Angus Deayton made his hurried departure from the HIGNFY host's chair, since when 84 different bottoms have perched there, including those of MasterChef's Gregg Wallace and John Torode, the only double act to share the job, two knights (Sir Bruce Forsyth and Sir Trevor McDonald), two OBEs (Joan Collins and Moira Stuart) and one intergalactic space traveller.

In this anniversary edition, Homeland's Damian Lewis takes the hot seat for the fifth time - obviously hoping to challenge Alexander Armstrong's record of 20 - and, judging by his earlier outings, he'll deliver the scripted lines with exquisite timing and charm. Tonight's guests are Harry Shearer and Nigel Farage.

Jane Rackham, Radio Times, 9th November 2012

Stereotypes abounded in Bad Sugar, a star-studded pilot spoof, written by Peep Show's Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong and based on telenovelas and old American TV soaps - Dynasty, Dallas], [i]The Bold and the Beautiful. Except this dysfunctional, filthy-rich family of lip-glossed gold-diggers and useless husbands was British, with a tight-fisted mining billionaire father at its helm. Julia Davis and Sharon Horgan performed their "rich bitch" parts perfectly adequately ("bitch is as bitch does"), as did Olivia Colman as an animal-loving frump. Given everyone's calibre, this wasn't as funny as you might have expected. There were some good lines - when Davis's daughter ran to her in her nightdress, crying, "Mummy, I'm scared", Davis retorted: "Tell teddy about it. He'll listen." But I suspect watching repeats of Joan Collins's Dynasty might actually be funnier.

Arifa Akbar, The Independent, 27th August 2012

Benidorm to return, and Joan Collins wants to appear

Beindorm will return for a fifth season, TV Biz can reveal - and superbitch actress Joan Collins wants to be in it.

Lucy Connolly, The Sun, 14th April 2011

Share this page