One of the best sitcoms in years, along with The Office and Extras, returns to Channel 4 on 13 April for its fourth series...Peep Show concerns two sexually-frustrated flatmates. David Mitchell plays socially-awkward pessimist Mark, an office worker. Robert Webb plays optimistic slacker Jez, a failed musican.
Imagine The Likely Lads with jokes about wanking.
The show's originality stems from the format, wherein the audience is placed inside the head of all the characters -- literally seeing events from their point of view. The actors all wear cameras attached to their heads. In the case of Mark and Jez, we even hear their deepest, darkest thoughts...
Peep Show has won a cult following but has never got big ratings. Series 3 struggled along with an average of 1.3 million viewers per episode, but the DVDs continue to sell well and it's highly-regarded in the industry. Ricky Gervais considers it the finest sitcom in years and it won Best Comedy at the British Comedy Awards.
Maybe the recent success of their sketch show That Mitchell & Web Look, together with Mitchell's omnipresence on comedy panel shows, will persuade new viewers to give Peep Show a spin. Channel 4 are certainly behind it (low ratings bedamned) as they've already commissioned a fifth series!
I hope the new series does well, although exclusivity is part of the show's appeal now. Finding someone who likes Peep Show is a great seal of approval, in the same way Spaced used to be.
Still, if you haven't seen it yet, I heartily recommend it. Just try and keep it to yourself. Every episode contains great one-liners, embarassing mishaps, realistically endearing relationships and it's a brilliant commentary on young adulthood.
Take a peep!
Note: Series 1-3 are FREE to watch on Virgin cable's On-Demand service. If you don't have cable, the jumbo box-set is only £17.99 at Play.com. You can even pre-order series 4!
