Back
- TV sitcom
- Channel 4
- 2017 - 2021
- 12 episodes (2 series)
Sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Also features Penny Downie, Louise Brealey, Geoffrey McGivern, Jessica Gunning, Oliver Maltman and more.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 1
Further details
The Nichols family are preparing for the funeral of Laurie, a much loved father, brother, husband and the celebrated landlord of the John Barleycorn Pub. Uncle Geoff insists that Stephen should say one last goodbye to his dad at the funeral home, but Stephen is scared he won't know what to say and pretends he's too busy. As the day of the funeral arrives there's an unexpected mourner at the graveside: the charismatic and charming Andrew. He was one of the many children fostered by Stephen's family in the 80s - his parents' favourite. Just about everyone is thrilled to see Andrew, except Stephen who can't seem to remember him at all. Is Andrew who he says he is? And why has he turned up now after 30 years?
Broadcast details
- Date
- Wednesday 6th September 2017
- Time
- 10pm
- Channel
- Channel 4
- Length
- 30 minutes
Repeats
Show past repeats
Cast & crew
David Mitchell | Stephen |
Robert Webb | Andrew |
Penny Downie | Ellen |
Louise Brealey | Cass |
Geoffrey McGivern | Uncle Geoff |
Jessica Gunning | Jan |
Oliver Maltman | Mike |
Olivia Poulet | Alison |
Caius Luckyn-Malone | Young Andrew |
Sebastian Patterson | Young Stephen |
Matthew Holness | Laurie |
Tony Gardner | Nick Molloy |
Carsten Hayes | Taxi Driver |
Rebecca Herod | Woman in Cafe |
Laurence Howarth | Martin Coburn |
Catriona Knox | Flight Attendant |
Emily Lloyd-Saini | Sarah Giles (Vet) |
Alberto Maneiro | Basque Passenger |
Naomi Morris | Janette |
Laurence Ubong Williams | Café Waiter |
Michael Wildman | Tom |
Simon Blackwell | Writer |
Will Smith | Writer (Additional Material) |
Ian Martin | Writer (Additional Material) |
Will Smith | Script Editor |
Ben Palmer | Director |
Kate Daughton | Producer |
Kenton Allen | Executive Producer |
David Mitchell | Executive Producer |
Robert Webb | Executive Producer |
Simon Blackwell | Executive Producer |
Matthew Justice | Executive Producer |
Mark Henson | Editor |
Rosy Thomas | Production Designer |
Tracey Gillham | Casting Director |
Catherine Willis | Casting Director |
John Sorapure | Director of Photography |
Lynsey Moore | Costume Designer |
Lisa Kennedy | Make-up Designer |
Oli Julian | Composer |
Adam Young | 1st Assistant Director |
Jesse Armstrong | Story Consultant |
Tony Roche | Story Consultant |
Video
Mitchell & Webb Return As Brothers Reunited At Funeral
Stephen prepares to take over the family business after his dad's death, but on the day of the funeral there's an unexpected mourner at the graveside!
Featuring: David Mitchell (Stephen), Robert Webb (Andrew), Laurence Howarth (Martin Coburn) & Laurence Ubong Williams (Café Waiter).
Press
Is Back really the next Peep Show? In short, Yes!
It was like eating a vast portion of potato chips. Or not.
Justin Harp, Digital Spy, 7th September 2017Back review
Back doesn't have the most straightforward of premises; it takes a bit of setting up. But that's done well, and it's worth the effort, because once you're on top of things, it's an interesting place to be.
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian, 7th September 2017Back, review: the chemistry's still there
Back is far less claustrophobic and far more of an ensemble piece than Peep Show, though some of the acting in the first episode felt a bit too broad.
Alice Jones, i Newspaper, 7th September 2017Back, episode one - Mitchell and Webb triumph
"Mum's gone for a wicker coffin. Reminds me of the baskets we used to serve pub food in. Dad's like a giant scampi." Pitch-black comedy Back (Channel 4) began with a death in the family and immediately found the funny side.
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph, 7th September 2017David Mitchell and Robert Webb's Back review
If David Mitchell and Robert Webb are a pair haunted by the success of their first sitcom Peep Show then they've put the ghosts to work in their second one.
Matt Baylis, The Daily Express, 7th September 2017Back: One of the best new shows of the autumn
What's Andrew up to? Is he just a chancer or is he much worse than that? Waiting to find out adds an intriguing, almost psychological-thriller element to what already looks like being one of the best new shows of the autumn.
James Walton, The Spectator, 7th September 2017Review: Back
It's a set-up perfectly designed to milk David Mitchell's speciality - the outraged loser - to the max and it's the scenes where Stephen is, at one point almost literally, swimming in the piss-poor job he's made of his life that give Back its comic class.
Keith Watson, Metro, 7th September 2017Back is laugh-out-loud funny - review
David Mitchell and Robert Webb are literally Back with a new dark comedy on Channel 4.
Ian Hyland, The Mirror, 7th September 2017TV review: Back
David Mitchell and Robert Webb reunite for a new sitcom and, despite the echoes of Peep Show, it looks set to be a pin-sharp comic delight.
Carol Midgley, The Times, 7th September 2017Back is a promising imposter comedy
David Mitchell could just stand there and pull a face - you know, that face - and I'd be happy.
Rachel Cooke, The New Statesman, 7th September 2017David Mitchell interview
We took the actor and comedian aside and talked to him about, among other things, his conspicuous policy of not taking cocaine.
Ralph Jones, ShortList, 7th September 2017David Mitchell and Robert Webb star in this new comedy-drama from Peep Show co-writer Simon Blackwell. Mitchell is put-upon Stephen, stepping uneasily into the shoes of his universally liked dead father, while Webb is Andrew, Stephen's one-time foster brother, returning after 30 years with a portfolio of lived experience and effortless charm. With a dark undercurrent beneath its cosy surface, Back could easily become a modern Ever Decreasing Circles.
Mark Gibbings-Jones, The Guardian, 6th September 2017Preview - Back
David Mitchell and Robert Webb return with a new Channel 4 sitcom from one of the writers of The Thick of It.
Ian Wolf, On The Box, 6th September 2017Back: TV preview
Back is not Peep Show: The Next Generation. But it also sort of is, inescapably.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 6th September 2017Mitchell & Webb are 'Back' in Channel 4's new sitcom
So I'm happy to report that Back bucks Blackadder. This is a confident, charismatic opener of what promises to be a great little series. Here's to British comedy in rude health.
Sarah Kennedy, The Custard TV, 6th September 2017