Monday 13 September 2010

Simon Says (so does/do Roger and Val)

Have you been watching "Val and Roger Have Just Got In"?  We have.  There they are.  Dawn French and Alfred Molina playing the world-weary eponymous couple, and playing them beautifully and poignantly and in 'real-time'.  It's just so brilliantly written.  and it's all about Us.  Me and The Hubs.  Or You and Yours.  It's a Little bit of Everyone.  Especially the first episode where they have to find a receipt for a broken hoover in amongst the debris of about ten years' worth of other bits of paper that they never got round to 'filing'.  We all mean well, don't we - and Val and Roger do.  And having them in our homes once a week for the past 6 weeks has been a satisfying if not sometimes painfully voyeuristic pleasure.

And Simon Amstell (the bitingly wry presenter of "Never Mind the Buzzcocks") has had us round his "Grandma's House" for the past few weeks too.  Utterly, utterly buttock-clenchingly perfect family humour at it's boldest, brightest and cleverest.  I can't get enough.  In fact after we've watched it 'proper' on the TV I have to watch it again on catch-up to really get  my teeth into the sharp retorts and one-liners, and I've even been known to take notes for future reference. No, seriously.
Comparable (which is difficult) to a 21st Century Hancock's Half Hour, "Grandma's House" has made me gasp at the blunt observations, snort tea out of my nostrils at the familiar-but-caricatured family members and given me renewed hope in the dire desert of British Sitcom misery.
All I need now is a second, superb series of "Miranda" and the onslaught of Christmas can blinkin' well do it's worst!

4 comments:

Keris Stainton said...

I didn't manage to get into Roger and Val. I liked the first episode, but the second I found a bit random - I didn't really get it, but I'll probably give it another go if it's repeated.

Grandma's House, I ADORE. This time the first ep was a bit wobbly, but I've found the rest hilarious (haven't seen last night's yet) - one of the best things I've seen for ages. I wish I'd done the same as you and watched more than once. Kicking myself now! (And I will be singing "... strumming my face with his fingers..." forever. :)

Jacqueline Christodoulou-Ward said...

I also didn't get into Roger and Val, but I love Grandma's house. I love the Grandma character, she's a great example of someone older who is completely in denial!
I wasn't a big fan of Simon on Buzzcocks but I love him in this.

Miranda - pleeeeeeeeze put another series of Miranda on - it was one of the TV highlights of the year.

Keris Stainton said...

New series of Miranda starts in November, I think, Jacqui.

Debs Riccio said...

Keris and Jacqui, thanks for commenting. Glad we're all agreed on the Amstell magic - it's great that thoughts can be said out loud in things like this, isn't it? Imagine the atmosphere if we actually dared to speak like this in our everyday lives... there'd be ten minute silences all over the show. And lots of stropping off. Ah, Miranda - can't wait to see the new series. And Keris, you can always watch again on the BBC site. I do. I'm doing it now!