Director: John Henderson
Cast: Steve Coogan (Tommy Saxondale/Keanu), Ruth Jones (Magz), Rasmus Hardiker (Raymond), Morwenna Banks (Vicky), Christopher Ryan (Ticket Inspector), Rosie Cavaliero (Penny), James Bachman (Alistair) & Darren Boyd (Jonathan)
Tommy represents himself in court, after he clashes with a train station ticket inspector...Tommy Saxondale has established himself as a man who's ambition doesn't exceed his ability; best exemplified by the fact his heydays were as a roadie touring with bands, not as a rocker performing on-stage.
Episode 5 finds another outlet for Tommy's deluded personality, as he balks at the idea of spending £200 on a lawyer, so decides to represent himself in court after a clash with a ticket inspector (The Young Ones' Christopher Ryan) at a train station.
With combed back hair, a flashy suit, and Rumpole Of The Bailey episodes fresh in his memory, Thomas Gregory Saxondale states his case in front of judge and jury. The relative mundanity of the offence (not seeing a ticket sign) doesn't prevent Tommy stalking the chamber like a veteran Q.C -- armed with rehearsed lawyer-jokes and verbal bravado... that crumbles under any scrutiny.
There's much to enjoy in the courtroom scenes, particularly Tommy's opening gambit to mimic a deaf person to the jury, although the macguffin is incredibly weak and there's an unnecessary return for northern squatter Keanu (Coogan again.)
Keanu's good for a giggle with his whiny voice ("why's everyone talking like it's the olden days?") and fey mannerisms, but Coogan's presence in dual-roles is distracting and hints at self-obsession. How long before Paul Calf stumbles into a pub, or Alan Partridge is glimpsed in the background doing a piece to camera?
I'm also becoming irritated by Saxondale's formulaic sequencing of scenes: the opening anger management classes, lovey-dovey bit with Magz (Ruth Jones, wasted), antagonism with Vicky (Morwenna Banks), run-in with anoying neighbour Jonathan (Darren Boyd, scene stealing), etc. If just the occassional episode dropped some of these scenes, to gave extra time to the new stuff, Saxondale would be much better.
That said, any scenes between fake-rebel Jonathan and Tommy are real highlights, and it's interesting to see them growing more strained over time. Here, Jonathan is scared away by Tommy's advice to piss on his Mustang oil spills, then later spotted playing guitar with a vacuum cleaner's hose. Boyd gives a perfectly-mannered performance of hidden, cowardly irritation, and steals every scene.
The anger management facet to Saxondale has always looked strained, too. Tommy rarely becomes enraged (particularly in series 2), so his presence there has always looked odd to me...
If Tommy's so crippled by fits of rage, why has he never punched Jonathan or exacted revenge on the numerous people that cause him embarassment? Perhaps we're supposed to be on tenterhooks whenever he's baited by Vicky, but I never get that feeling of dread because his "explosive temper" has never really manifested.
Overall, Episode 5 contains some great scenes in court, with Tommy at his deluded best (I particularly liked a Young Ones reference to "Bambi", given Christopher Ryan's presence), and Jonathan is always superb to watch chew the fat. But everything else is undercooked and stale, mainly because the structure of every episode is beginning to run like a checklist.
20 September 2007
BBC2, 9.30 pm
