Yonderland series 3 episode 6 review: Swapsies

The brilliant Yonderland delves into the Debbie/Elf relationship this week with a body swap episode...

Yonderland series 3 episode 1 review: A Rising Tide

After a promising first series and a confident second, Yonderland has returned for a third and begins by posing the question, 'do you need a Chosen One after the evil has gone?'

As a fan of the odd blend of puppetry and Monty Python-esque humour that series one delivered, I was glad to see Yonderland return for a second series. For those who missed the series the first time round, Yonderland is brought to us by the same team behind Horrible Histories. The first series saw ordinary housewife Debbie Maddox (Martha Howe-Douglas) transported to the eponymous fantasy land of the title as she was heralded as the person charged with bringing down the evil Negatus (Simon Farnaby). The double bill that Sky One aired on Monday night suggested that not much has changed as the tone of the show remains much the same. However the writing team has introduced a new villain in the form of Debbie's mortal enemy Imperatrix who is even more intent on destruction that the slightly campy Negatus. In the style of Monty Python each cast member plays multiple roles, some of which are recurring whilst others only feature in one episode. This to me adds a sketch show element to Yonderland which I quite enjoy and it seems that all the male members of the cast revel in portraying a number of outlandish characters. What the writing team has also nailed is how to deliver a successful family show with sight gags that appeal to the youngsters and more subtle lines that the adults will understand. In order to further entertain younger viewers, each episode ends with a moral message of sorts as Debbie is able to solve one minor problem in Yonderland before returning to her own home. There was also plenty of nice little parodies throughout the double bill, especially in the second episode where Negatus received an Ofsted inspection while Debbie worked with a detective who had a hint of Poirot about him. Although it's not exactly highbrow, Yonderland is a gloriously silly programme that doesn't take itself too seriously but at the same time it's clear that the writing team have worked hard to create a comedy that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

A second series of what amounts to a vast dressing-up box for the former stars of Horrible Histories. Patient, practical Debbie (Martha Howe-Douglas) continues to straddle two lives: mundane housewifery in Birmingham and troubleshooting in the magical realm she accesses through a portal in her cupboard. The one-shot spoofs and sly pop culture references are underpinned by scripts with classic comedy chops, performed by a cast who have the talent to fill this canvas with colour.

Radio Times review

There's pure joy in a well-pitched family comedy, and Yonderland was a particularly good one. Set in a magic realm where puppets mix with eccentric humanoids, it was Labyrinth meets Life of Brian: the cast of Horrible Histories playing hundreds of fabulous, usually incompetent figures posing puzzles for Debbie (Martha Howe-Douglas), a housewife who's stepped through a portal in the pantry. Characters tended to appear once when they could each have had their own series; this gang have so many ideas and such skill in executing them that, in the long term, Python comparisons might not be out of place.

Radio Times review

One of the many strengths of this show is the guarantee that there'll be an entirely new, entirely brilliant comic character to enjoy in every episode, in addition to the magic kingdom's regulars. The other week the team even had the nerve to create tremendous womaniser Philip of Woolworth, then kill him off after only one hilarious scene.

Tonight there's another lothario, who lasts a bit longer as he attempts to woo Debbie (Martha Howe-Douglas): King Bernard (Jim Howick) joins her on her latest quest, but he's more interested in his planned statue of himself. The blowsy love ballad Bernard sings to try to make Debbie his queen is terrific, as is Laurence Rickard's episode-stealing turn as Chamberlain, Bernard's disgusted manservant who has long since resorted to burning sarcasm.

Yonderland does preening, benign fools as well as any comedy. But now Debbie also, finally, meets the realm's less benign fool: Negatus.

Radio Times review

Gentler gags this week - albeit with a couple that are more adult than usual - so time perhaps to enjoy Martha Howe-Douglas's superb performance as Debbie, the increasingly reluctant hero whose status as The Chosen One is making her spend too much time in her magic cupboard and not enough with her family.

Howe-Douglas largely has to stand there and react as puppets and men in wigs make jokes around and about her, which in less charismatic hands could be a monotonous straight role. That it isn't is what holds the show together, especially this week as Debbie decides to leave Yonderland, and Elf the elf sends her on one last quest.

OK, so this fantasy family comedy was superb last week, but opening episodes are sweated over for weeks to achieve perfection. Does Yonderland have enough ideas to keep a series going? Based on this new instalment, the bad news for jealous rivals is yes, it does.

Debbie (Martha Howe-Douglas) happens on a monastery that has been smashed by ogres on the orders of pathetic overlord Negatus: the survivors are on the run but their order worships truth, so to stop them turning themselves in Debbie must teach them to lie. This simple premise is mined for every gag going, with lovely throwaway jokes all over the place. There's a smile in every scene. Someone's sweated over this for weeks as well.

The Horrible Histories cast heads to the lushly appointed creative playground that is [y]Sky[/y], for a new comedy where their imagination is unencumbered by facts. Martha Howe-Douglas is the bewildered everywoman in a people-and-puppets fantasy that's loosely Monty Python's Life of Brian meets Labyrinth: a bored housewife steps through a portal in her larder and, reluctantly at first, embarks on a heroic quest in another realm. Here be talking sticks, foaming potions, squabbling elders and friendly giants who kill you by mistake.

Yonderland consistently takes the best of two worlds. It looks incredible but is more concerned with gags and plot; it has fun within the fantasy genre without resorting to snide spoof; and, crucially, it will make kids and adults laugh together, at the same jokes. If you don't have Sky, gather the family and descend on a household that does.

Not much sign of a sophomore slump for the Horrible Histories team, as they rekindle the endearing daftness of their crossover CBBC hit, only without having to adhere to stuff like, y'know, actual facts.

Exhausted working mum Debbie (Martha Howe-Douglas) discovers an elf in her kitchen cupboard and, with it, a portal into Yonderland and an escape from domestic drudgery. And lo, she enters a fantasy world peopled by dissolute wizards, dull-witted treemen and a bickering council of elders (HH regulars Mat Baynton, Simon Farnaby et al) who, handily, have a few quests that need completing.

Borrowing liberally from Jim Henson in both its tone and heavy use of puppets, Yonderland showcases a crack comic ensemble brimming with confidence. Indeed, the performances are generally stronger and more consistent than the writing, but there's no shortage of chuckles, and it gains momentum over the course of this opening double bill. And ultimately, such gleeful silliness is always to be encouraged.