Jonathan Wright (I)
- Reviewer
Press clippings Page 4
Jo Brand and Morwenna Banks's beautifully bittersweet comedy of life at Elm Heath children's services department concludes with Denise intent on laying down the law. Cases must be closed and "there will be a head count" to make sure nobody skives off; bad news for Al, who needs to leave early for a mini-break in Paris. Meantime, Rose and Nitin investigate a report that a baby has been abandoned in Superbrands; bound to be a "prank baby" ... right?
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 1st November 2016The revival of this comedy continues with Jack and Victor dealing with booze-related problems. Not only has Boabby decided to quit The Clansman, to be replaced by a fearsome new barman, but grog prices are up and Craiglang's residents have turned to bootleg "hoochie-coochie", which is having unwanted side effects. A comedy that should, by rights, be past its sell-by date but still reliably delivers laughs, this episode is dedicated to the late Jake D'Arcy (Pete the Jakey).
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 14th October 2016Return of the unscripted show in which comic guests tell anecdotes and generally wibble on. First up, Stephen Fry, Sandi Toksvig, Sara Pascoe and Alex Edelman swap stories. Even if you''e minded to be cynical about letting comedians chatter so, the format works, principally because the intimate everyone-sitting-at-a-table setup makes it a kind of anti-Mock The Week - reflective rather than competitive. Continues all week.
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 11th June 2016With the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death approaching, the HH team gather their best bard jokes and return to the Tudor days, when theatre was huge. "It had to be, there wasn't any telly." Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and Gabriel Spenser delight as bad-boy rappers, while a Gene Kelly-spoofing turn from Miles Jupp centres on an era when people emptied chamber pots out of upstairs windows: "I'm singing in urine."
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 19th April 2016No doubt who is the biggest star on Graham's sofa tonight, as three-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep visits the studio to discuss playing Florence Foster Jenkins in Stephen Frears's biopic of the tuneless opera singer. Streep's co-star Hugh Grant also appears, as does Keeley Hawes, promoting The Durrells. Music arrives from Eurovision hopefuls Joe and Jake, performing You're Not Alone, hopefully not a fateful choice of title given how many Eurovisions have ended with Britain's acts looking very lonely indeed.
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 15th April 2016The latest offering from Julia Davis (Nighty Night) focuses on a holiday under canvas. It's a trip to celebrate the 50th birthday of Robin (Steve Pemberton), who's married to Fiona (Vicki Pepperdine), a woman so assertive she puts the campsite kettle "out of bounds" to maintain tent-life authenticity. But can Fiona's itinerary-making authoritarianism survive the arrival of Tom (Rufus Jones) and his new partner (Davis)? A comedy that's best when it's close to the knuckle, which is most of the time.
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 12th April 2016As the sixtysomethings sitcom returns, it's Trevor's birthday. This means the gang have to spend the weekend at a campsite. Worse, at least from Alan's perspective, the men have been entered in a charity bike race. Still, as John notes, the money is going to Age UK, so "you're basically investing in your future". Maureen, Carol and Joyce meet a Swedish lad who appears to have a penchant for older women. Fine performances from a cast that includes Alison Steadman, but not nearly enough risks.
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 25th March 2016Playing everyone from an alternative therapy-obsessed porter to a chaplain who'd rather be a comedian, Tom Binns takes on multiple parts in a mockumentary pilot charting life at the fictional Brimlington Hospital. It's nowhere near edgy enough, but there are some good gags nonetheless. Manager Susan Mitchell discusses MRSA rates: "If you come into this hospital with a heart condition, you're going to die of a heart condition, not pick up a secondary infection along the way."
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 26th February 2016The resuscitated comedy commences its 12th series, which begins with Tracey receiving news that her ex-husband has left this mortal coil. A send-off paid for and attended by "every dodgy geezer in east London" follows. A very traditional sitcom, but well crafted and far more snappily scripted than when it first returned. To wit, Dorien spots a handsome silver fox of a gangster (Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp) and asks: "Is that a gun in his pocket? Or ..." Sharon: "It's a gun, keep walking." Boom, boom!
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 7th January 2016The wry sitcom about three couples entering their winter years returns with an episode set in Calais following a shopping trip to Cologne's Christmas markets. The French are about to go on strike, making it imperative to catch the train. Disaster hits, creating space for one-liners from The Big Book of Sitcom Jokes - a lorry driver on why one of the show's leads should drive away with him: "I've been to Norfolk, she's better off in Dresden" - and a good football-with-the-Germans-in-no-man's land gag.
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 23rd December 2015