Robert Lindsay. Copyright: BBC
Robert Lindsay

Robert Lindsay

  • 74 years old
  • English
  • Actor

Press clippings Page 4

Nope, they still haven't done a weak episode. This week, insane MI5 chief the Examiner (Robert Lindsay) has made an unbroadcastable recruitment video, so Tim and Caitlin step in. But they can't act until they assume ludicrous, sexed-up B-movie personas.

The role-playing reignites the spark between them and takes Tim out of his normal, footling self. He sticks with the stubble, blond wig and leather jacket even after filming. He's a new man, and Darren Boyd is a new variety of hilarious.

Meanwhile, Marcus is on a father-and-son TV quiz. Naturally, he's got a ringer in to replace his embarrassing dad, but the laws of sitcom say the two storylines must meet.

Jack Seale, Radio Times, 9th November 2012

Spy has invested in a top-notch ensemble, but the star is still Bafta-winner Darren Boyd as rubbish spy Tim. All Boyd's strengths are in evidence this week: rising irritation as Tim tries to give a talk at his son Marcus's school; pratfalling as he tries to conceal that he's taken Marcus with him to the office, which isn't really feasible at MI5; and a glimmer of lovable warmth and vulnerability as the fiasco brings father and child closer.

Meanwhile, suddenly putting a character on drugs might normally be an unacceptable short cut, but when it's Robert Lindsay, trouserless and rattling with amphetamines, it's more than forgivable. He keeps thinking he's seen a demonic boy in the corridor, which of course he has.

Jack Seale, Radio Times, 2nd November 2012

After years of toiling in the background, Darren Boyd's Bafta for comedy performance in Spy was a welcome surprise. Series two brings more of the same, showcasing his aptitude for physical and verbal comedy, even if the excellent Robert Lindsay is still used only sparingly. Accidental MI5 agent Tim (Boyd) is back from holiday and given his first interrogation, while inadvertently reuniting unrequited love Caitlin (Rebekah Staton) with her ex. The star of the show is probably Jude Wright as Tim's poisonous son, Marcus, this week given a slippery (and therefore entirely worthy) adversary in the election for president of the school council. That said boy's name is Nick is milked to full effect in this age of non-existent Cleggism. The novelty value may have worn off, but Spy is still superior family-friendly fare.

Gabriel Tate, Time Out, 19th October 2012

Series two of the unerringly funny comedy about an idiot mistakenly hired by MI5. Darren Boyd won a Bafta for the lead role of bumbling Tim in the first series - but during the course of the run, an embarrassment of other good characters emerged.

So while Tim's ongoing efforts to snare his gorgeous colleague Caitlin (Rebekah Staton) and avoid being corrupted by his insane boss (Robert Lindsay) are still funny, they are subplots here.

Instead we focus on Tim's young son Marcus, played by the superb Jude Wright. Usually the most terrifyingly assured male on TV, Marcus now finds his opponent in the election for school president is a sharper, slicker version of himself. An über-Marcus.

Jack Seale, Radio Times, 19th October 2012

Darren Boyd picked up a Bafta for his performance as hapless computer salesman Tim, who has accidentally been recruited as an MI5 operative, in this slight comedy. It's now back for a second series, and tonight Tim's precocious son, Marcus (Jude Wright), finds he has a rival in his bid to be school president. Boyd is good, as is Robert Lindsay as his odd boss, The Examiner, but it's often Wright who steals the show.

Simon Horsford, The Telegraph, 18th October 2012

The second series of this sitcom has intimations of a soap; despite being set in the world of espionage, this takes a back seat to day-to-day romantic and family intrigues. A strong cast is headed by Darren Boyd as Tim, whose precocious son Marcus tonight makes his aggressive bid to become school president. Mark Heap is the hapless headmaster, Miles Jupp plays the appalling Owen and Robert Lindsay also features, looking like Jon Culshaw impersonating Alan Sugar. A running joke involving a hooded interrogee is the highlight of this week's silliness.

David Stubbs, The Guardian, 15th October 2012

The season closes on one of the better of Sky's new comedies, the Spook spoof Spy, which features former Green Wing actor Darren Boyd as hapless loser Tim, who has somehow managed to land a job at MI5. Tonight's closer finds Tim receiving two intriguing offers from his boss, The Examiner (Robert Lindsay), while also facing a custody hearing over his son.

Simon Horsford, The Telegraph, 17th November 2011

Robert Lindsay: My painful battle with depression

A depressive for most of his life, My Family star Robert Lindsay is also susceptible to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which descends during the grey months of winter.

Kate Bussmann, Daily Mail, 21st October 2011

According to this rather daft comedy, getting a job as a spy at MI5 is actually pretty easy. Even if your work experience to date has been serving in a computer shop and you're an idiot they'll still give you a gun. Of course, being a comedy, the set-up isn't really important, it's the jokes and performances that make it. Unfortunately, this is decidedly low-brow comedy that probably won't raise more than a smirk. We're now in episode two and Tim (Darren Boyd), our hapless new recruit, begins his first day on the job. Robert Lindsay - moving from one mediocre sitcom to another - is his boss.

Catherine Gee, The Telegraph, 20th October 2011

Darren Boyd, who can do hapless chump in his sleep, stars in this promising comedy espionage caper. Boyd is Tim, a going-nowhere kind of guy saddled with a precocious son, who finds himself fast-tracked into the secret service when his office job application falls into the hands of spooky spymaster Robert Lindsay. Think James Bond rewritten as Uh-Oh7.

Sharon Lougher, Metro, 14th October 2011

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