Review: Attack of the Hollywood Clichés!, Netflix

If you want conclusive proof that not everything Charlie Brooker touches turns to gold, check out Attack Of The Hollywood Clichés!, the one-off comedy special he has produced for Netflix. If you want an hour of escapist clippage and laughs you'll be satisfied, if you are hoping for anything close to his telly takedowns in Screenwipe think again.

Attack of the Hollywood Clichés! review

Produced by Charlie Brooker, this jam-packed sendup of hackneyed film tropes - from The Baguette Rule to The Smurfette Principle - is a perfect hour of fluff and nonsense.

Charlie Brooker & Rob Lowe churn out a shoddy tropefest

It's got a fine lineup of film stars and critics, but this tedious tour of movie tricks feels like an opportunity missed. What were they all thinking?

Not as funny or dramatic as I'd like it to be, but the story's proving far more complex than I'd anticipated. A lot of thought has gone into constructing the plot, which is great to see. Things noticeably progress every single week and I find myself drawn deeper into its world, as the interconnectedness of the characters become more obvious. I hope it ends as strongly as I'm imagining it might, but a part of me suspects they'll leave a door open for an unnecessary return. British shows have a frustrating tendency to do that nowadays, as they want to look more appealing to overseas broadcasters--who may not think much to buying a ten-part 'miniseries', but may like the idea of buying a long-running drama starring Rob Lowe. The fact there's a literal countdown to apocalypse built into the story keeps me hopeful YMATA isn't going to wriggle out of giving us a good ending.

The original title Apocalypse Slough might have suited this series better, but its transatlantic potential precluded that provincial option. Still, this is a great, mordant end-of-the-world drama, finely led by Mathew Baynton, of Horrible Histories and Yonderland fame. He's joined by big names, such as Rob Lowe and Megan Mullally - and Diana Rigg, who features as shadowy, oxygen-guzzling Sutton. Tonight, Scotty tries to make up for mistakes and Jamie is shaken by a sudden tragedy.

Radio Times review

The end of the world is now just 14 days away and the breadth, scope and ambition of Iain Hollands's thrilling, good-hearted drama has not waned.

Mat Baynton's Jamie is on the hunt for his daughter and he finds quite a few answers this episode. Meanwhile Operation Saviour could be in jeopardy unless Kyle Soller's Scotty saves the day - but he might have to sacrifice his lovely sister to save the planet. The questions and dilemmas are pretty epic for Rob Lowe's Father Jude and sexy Sister Celine as well. Does God want what the audience has been crying for all series - that they actually get it on? Betrayals, life, love, death, deception and the odd stunningly implausible coincidence - this series has it all.

The end-of-times comedy drama continues as Slough bank manager Jamie (Mathew Baynton) tries to find his birth mother while the authorities continue to mistake him for hacking mastermind Ariel. Meanwhile Father Jude (Rob Lowe) and Sister Celine (Gaia Scodellaro) save a young girl from an angry mob only to find out she has a surprising secret. It set an agreeably silly tone from the off and the performances, coupled with the impending jeopardy, keep this crackling like a space rock entering Earth's atmosphere.

You, Me and the Apocalypse imagines a near future when an asteroid on a direct collision course with Earth puts the world on the brink of imminent extinction. It is set in Slough, which, ever since The Office, has become a TV comedy byword for plodding mundanity and ironic hyper-normality. It's not the only reference You, Me... has to other television programmes - there are several scenes in a women's prison in New Mexico that bear more than a passing resemblance to Orange Is the New Black.

This aside, You, Me and the Apocalypse is an unexpected delight. I say unexpected because it's not every day you see Pauline Birds of a Feather Quirke co-starring alongside Rob St Elmo's Fire Lowe and the narrative is completely bonkers, incorporating as it does a WikiLeaks-style computer-hacking antagonist, an Italian nun and a foul-mouthed priest whose job it is to be a devil's advocate (literally) and argue against candidates for canonisation.

Like I said: totally batshit.

But it works, partly because the writing is tight and deft and funny and the acting excellent. Rob Lowe is especially good as the priest, Father Jude Sutton, and delivers all the best lines. At one point, he muses over why the phrase "Christ on a bike" might be offensive to Catholics.

"I think he'd be very likely to ride a bike," says Father Sutton. "He seems like that kind of a guy to me. What else would he show up in - a stretch hummer?"

It's a very promising first episode. I do feel a bit sorry for Slough though.