Tracey Ullman's Show

Tracey Ullman's new sketch show, much heralded as her 30-year return from stateside exile, was fine, fine, if you wanted uncanny verisimilitude when it came to Dame Judi Dench and Angela Merkel. She has done a fine job of not being 30 years out of touch with British humour, and the Dench/"national treasure" shoplifting gag wore well, for this episode at least. But there was nothing in particular to convince us we should have missed Ullman in the way in which we might have missed the exile of, say, Paul Merton or Graeme Garden.

I'm too young to remember Tracey Ullman when she was a star of the British alternative comedy scene, and I only knew her name due to her role in launching The Simpsons, so I didn't share in the hype and excitement about her return to British TV. But, I knew it was supposed to be some tremendous return of a comedy genius so I watched in high hopes - hopes that were soon trashed.

It was all timid stuff indeed, though with some good impersonations thrown in, and the late slot of 10.45pm suggests that the BBC snared her in great triumph and fanfare and then saw the sorry result and quietly shifted it out of the way. Yet word is out that a second series has been commissioned already, despite the lukewarm reaction from critics. It seems the BBC have captured a big fish and are determined to get what they can from it. Whether it's good or not hardly matters.

Due to the promotional clips I watched of Tracey Ullman's Show I expected it to be a sketch show featuring the comedienne performing a number of impressions. However Ullman only impersonated three famous faces with the sketches in which she played acting Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench not feeling particularly original. I certainly didn't find Dench's secret kleptomania or Smith auditioning for sci-fi roles to be that funny and the supposed jokes from these two sketches fell flat. Conversely I felt that Ullman was in her element when portraying German Chancellor Angela Merkel who was on her way to and from a conference in Cardiff. The scenes between Ullman's Merkel and her assistant played by Samantha Spiro were the funniest moments during the half hour as the imagined conversations between the pair felt oddly realistic. In fact I would've loved to have seen a Veep-style sitcom starring Ullman as Merkel as I feel it would've been funnier than about 95% of the sketches here. Everything else Ullman did provoked little laughter from the female MP whose decision to go topless impressed the male electorate to the female beautician who almost set her massage parlour on fire. Even the sketches involving a woman who had been freed from an East Asian Prison after thirty years all featured obvious gags including one scene in which we were delivered a rather sad list of all the iconic British retailers that had shut their doors during her incarceration. Aside from the Merkel material the only other part of Ullman's show that raised more than a titter was the closing satirical song and dance number about the closure of a Welsh library. Unfortunately this finale came a little too late to change my opinion of a sketch show that had plenty of opportunity but didn't really deliver in terms of laughs. Whilst I like Ullman and many of her supporting players I won't be returning to this show again as nothing apart from the Merkel sketches really left an impression.

Review: Tracey Ullman's Show

Ullman's greatest skill lies in mimicry and impersonation, so it wasn't a surprise the best moments of this series opener centred around Ullman pulling off a frankly uncanny Dame Judi Dench and Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany. The excellent makeup helped, but Ullman has one of those faces that can effortlessly morph into other people, almost without the need for fake noses and wigs. It's just a shame that, like so many modern sketch shows, the material itself was a so dull and safe.

Tracey Ullman's Show, BBC One review

Ullman has gathered a terrific pool of writing talent.

Tracey Ullman's Show: it's not brave or funny enough

If you're a fan from before, way back then, you're probably thinking this is all marvellous and isn't it fantastic to have Our Trace back after all that time, she's a national treasure herself, even if she does now have US citizenship as well. But if you're a Tracey-Who under-45, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Another observational sketch show, with impressions: is that a good idea?

TV review: Tracey Ullman's Show

The comedian returns after almost 30 years in America to deliver a sketch show that stands out by delivering mostly hits.

Ullman's enduring status is evident in her comeback show, with Samantha Spiro, Tony Gardner and Rupert Grint turning out as foils. The credits confirm the former 80s star of Three of a Kind also has the best writing and production team available. But this is not so much hit-and-miss as not-aiming-at-anything-concrete in the first place. Recurring characters, mimicry and light satire all refuse to ignite in a show that doesn't look as if its creator desperately needed to create it.

Tracey Ullman: 'This PC stuff can be really sanitising'

As she returns with her first UK TV show in over 30 years, Tracey Ullman talks to Patrick Smith about un-PC comedy and women being in charge.

Tracey Ullman's Show review

The BBC were rightly chuffed to have signed Tracey Ullman for her return to the British TV after 30 years: she's a brilliant comic actress, as evidenced in every scene of her her show, and a bona fide international TV star.

Our Trace is on top with spot-on spoofs

Pitch-perfect impressions are a tricky business. The look and the characterisation must be just so; to nail the voice, mannerisms and identify those tics that we don't realise are funny until someone shows us they are. For magic, you also need a razor-sharp twist on a character that's both surprising but moreish, televisually speaking. Tracey Ullman succeeded in all of the above in this first episode.

Preview: Tracey Ullman's Show

After thirty years away from British television, Tracey Ullman returns to the UK with a brand new sketch show, Tracey Ullman's Show. How do the BBC show their gratitude? By burying her show at 10:45pm on a Monday night on BBC One.

TV Review: Tracey Ullman's Show

It's easy to say this is hit and miss but it is more complex than that. In fact if you've got a broad, tolerant sense of humour this is much more hit than miss.