Nighty Night
- TV sitcom
- BBC Three
- 2004 - 2005
- 12 episodes (2 series)
Julia Davis plays a monstrously self-involved beautician whose husband is dying of cancer. Also features Angus Deayton, Rebecca Front, Ruth Jones, Mark Gatiss, Felicity Montagu and more.
Streaming rank this week: 1,216
Press clippings
Julia Davis and others on the sublime 'sick-com' Nighty Night
As the gloriously despicable comedy turns 20, its creator and stars open up about shocking hate mail, being too scared to tell their parents they were in it - and George Michael's wild Jill impression.
Daniel Dylan Wray, The Guardian, 5th January 2024BBC Four to repeat comedy classics
To link in with the celebrations of 100 years of the BBC, from Saturday 22nd October BBC Four will begin broadcasting classic episodes of sitcoms and sketch shows.
British Comedy Guide, 14th October 2022The last laugh: is the television sitcom really dead?
From Friends to The Thick Of It, the TV sitcom has evolved - but it's no longer in rude health. Enter offbeat shows like Stath Lets Flats, bringing joy and potential redemption.
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian, 26th October 2021The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century
The Thick Of It is the highest rated British comedy in fourth place. Also listed: The Office (6), Fleabag (8), Peep Show (9), Nighty Night (16), Black Mirror (23), Spaced (29), Catastrophe (34), Brass Eye (37), Detectorists (38), Nathan Barley (47), Black Books (53), Inside No. 9 (66), Shameless (70), The Inbetweeners (74), Gavin and Stacey (81), Fresh Meat (86), Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (92), The Trip (95) and The Mighty Boosh (98).
The Guardian, 16th September 2019Interview: why David Cross loves Nighty Night
David Cross is not one to shy away from ugliness. Whether it's hairplug-rejecting Tobias Fünke on Arrested Development or voicing Lakeith Stanfield's white voice in Sorry to Bother You, Cross is not afraid of discomfort. So it makes sense that he's a fan of the British bleak cringe comedy of the early aughts. Awkward, provocative, and downright gnarly comedy ruled England from the late '80s on. Shows like Knowing Me, Knowing You, The Office, and Snuff Box stretched the limits of unlikable protagonists. But Julia Davis out-yikes'ed them all with Nighty Night. The first episode sets the tone for the rest of the show. In a doctor's office, Davis's character Jill sobs, "I mean why, why me?" Her husband Terry consoles her, reminding Jill that he's the one with cancer.
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30th October 2018Five classic comedies that owe a debt to TLOG
The taboo-busting grotesques of Royston Vasey were a breath of fresh air when they first appeared on stage 20 years ago quickly followed by appearances on BBC Radio and TV. Here are the shows that might not have existed in the same way without them...
Ben Dowell, Radio Times, 18th December 2017Why I love Nighty Night
It's pitch black dark, but Alison Carr recommends Julia Davis's masterpiece as a cast-iron laugh factory.
Alison Carr, Standard Issue, 23rd November 2016No laughing matter: the rise of the TV 'sadcom'
From Transparent and Master Of None to Fleabag and Flowers, the latest comedy series are ditching gags for harsh reality and breaking new ground in the process.
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian, 11th October 2016Radio Times launches a poll to name the best sitcom since 2000
Radio Times has launched a poll to name the best British TV sitcom broadcast since the year 2000. There are 40 shows in the shortlist.
British Comedy Guide, 19th July 2016Why studio laughter has no place in modern sitcoms
From Friends to Father Ted, some of the greatest sitcoms of all time have had laughter included on the soundtrack. But audiences have grown more sophisticated - and TV needs to follow their lead.
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian, 29th June 2016