'THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK' 4.1

I used to follow this sketch show every week, breaking it down into sketches, but I'm not going to bother now. This opener for the fourth series was underwhelming, and it irritated me that David Mitchell and Robert Webb have chosen to stick with the Get Me Hennimore and Remain Indoors sketches, which both ran out of steam halfway through series 3. It also opened with a Fry & Laurie-esque moment with the duo standing in front of the live studio audience as "themselves", which for some reason just doesn't seem to work for Mitchell & Webb.

There were a few highlights (like a pedant who kept killing employees for their bad grammar during a pitch meeting, or Caesar being taught how to refer to himself in the third person, a mumbling actor who can't read the line "I don't know what you want anymore" with the required energy, and a scientist for Laboratoire Garnierre being chastised for using his skills to cure Alzheimer's), but even allowing for the "hit-and-miss" nature of sketch shows, this episode felt more weak than usual. And if it's true that all sketch shows broadcast their best half-hour first, to ensure viewers come back for a few more weeks at least, then I'm worried about series 4 as a whole. Still, as usual, Mitchell & Webb's work never patronizes its audience and doesn't rely on recycling jokes and catchphrases, so for that I'm grateful and will still be tuning in.

13 JULY 2010: BBC2, 9PM

PEEP SHOW 6.6

[SPOILERS] The finale to this excellent sixth series wasn't the perfect ending I was primed for, but the last five minutes were as close to comedy bliss as one could hope – if slightly undermined by a lack of resolution. It was a shame the first half was a bit dry and implausible by Peep Show standards (a driving instructor who doesn't teach?), but there was still much to enjoy and more ears-full of dialogue to savour...

Here, Jez is contemplating extreme measures as his lover Elena's (Vera Filatova) marriage to Gail (Emily Bruni) approaches, such as drowning his unwitting love-rival when she joins him aboard a rowing boat after a picnic. Meanwhile, Sophie (Olivia Colman) buys Mark (David Mitchell) an intensive course of driving lessons, hoping he'll pass his test and get a license before their baby is born, so he can take her to the hospital when she goes into labour. Unfortunately, Mark's a terrible learner driver (not helped by the apathetic, youthful instructor he's assigned), but he's forced into pretending he's passed to save face in front of Jeff (Neil Fitzmaurice), whose accompaniment of Sophie to ante-natal classes singles him out as a "rival dad". And then Sophie suggests calling their son Tarquin Oliver Nimrod or, even worse, Geoff...

It was an episode where the pay-off was worth the wait, as Sophie went into labour and phoned Mark to drive her to the hospital – a duty he couldn't offload onto anyone else, especially a drunken Jez watching Jaws on a laptop. Their low-speed, irresponsible dash to Sophie coincided with Jez needing to break-up Elena and Gail's wedding day, which he eventually did after replacing Mark in the driver's seat and nearly running over Gail on the road. With Sophie aware that Mark lied about passing his test and seeing the state Jez is in, she was forced to drive herself to the hospital with Jez and Mark sat uselessly on the backseat...

One thing that frustrated me was how there wasn't clearer resolution to any of the storylines this year. Sure, it seems likely that Elena and Gail will split and have left the show by the next series, but nothing's certain. It also feels likely that the series 7 premiere will jump ahead in time and we'll see Sophie with a months-old baby already, as that's usually what Peep Show does. It rarely, if ever, continues immediately from a cliffhanger ending -- which is a shame, really. I was looking forward to seeing Mark being frantic at the hospital during the birth, or for a part of this episode to take place in the maternity ward, but it ended a little too prematurely for me.

Still, while this finale didn't quite fill a half-hour with comedy gold like last week's sensational episode, it was worth watching for Mark's stressed meltdown in the car as he constantly kept stalling the engine. I also loved Super Hans casually revealing he has "twins" (pictures of whom Orange have deleted from his phone), and I have to commend Robert Webb for his performances this year -- while David Mitchell tends to get all the awards (a tad unfairly, as Webb is hardly the "weak link"), Webb certainly proved himself the standout half this series.


23 October 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

written by: Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong directed by: Becky Martin starring: David Mitchell (Mark), Robert Webb (Jez), Eliza Bennett (Sarah), Emily Bruni (Gail), Olivia Colman (Sophie), Vera Filatova (Elena), Neil Fitzmaurice (Jeff), Jim Howick (Gerard), Matt King (Super Hans), Will Beer (Ross) & Mark Kempner (Driving Examiner)

PEEP SHOW 6.5

[SPOILERS] It's the penultimate episode already, and series 6 hasn't really gone in the direction many were expecting, as the father of Sophie's (Olivia Colman) baby was identified early and we've arguably focused more on Jez's (Robert Webb) relationship with émigré Elena (Vera Filatova) than uncomfortable parental issues...

The great thing about Peep Show is how many of its best episodes take place entirely within the confines of Mark and Jez's flat (just five sets, including the hallway), but that forces the script to be robust and funny enough to go the distance. I also find it amusing to imagine episodes without the hilarious "inner voices" – as the show would be a very different beast. Most episode's would look rather mundane, as so much of the comedy comes from hearing and identifying with whatever crosses Mark and Jez's mind at key moments.

In this episode, Mark and Jez decide to host a party together. Mark intends to use it as the perfect venue to make a move on Dobby (Isy Suttie) before she gets a fresh circle of friends at her new job, while Jez just wants to make Elena jealous and force her to choose between him or her lesbian lover Gail (Emily Bruni). Naturally, the festivity takes some beautiful turns for the worst: Super Hans (Matt King) arrived wearing a "rental snake" as his "USP", which he later lost; Dobby belatedly arrived after the party had peaked and ended up going home with the intubated, sickly Gerard (Jim Howick); Sophie's dad arrived with a tempting offer to fix their marriage so he can be a proper husband and father; Jez admitted to Elena he loves her, but after she agrees to dump Gail for him her long-term partner pops the question and she accepts; Mark dealt with two gatecrashers who are gorging on his homemade lasagna; and there's a mystery of Da Vinci Code proportions for Mark to solve when someone left a stinking mess in his loo.

There were a few moments that didn't quite click (like Mark's father-in-law turning up), but this was mostly another fantastically farcical episode where most things had pay-off (like those "puke points" Jez distributed around the flat) and the storyline for Jez took a big step forward. I'm still a little unsure about exactly where the Mark/Dobby situation is headed, as it never really seems to gather much steam for me. I know a lot of people find Isy Suttie incredibly funny and endearing, too, but I'm not quite onboard with that assessment. I rather wish Sophie had been given more screen-time than she has in this series, but maybe her role will increase again after giving birth. And I'm still not convinced Mark's the father of her child, either...

Overall, it almost goes without saying that this was a truly marvelous episode, packed full of memorable moments and lines of dialogue -- from Mark's iPod suddenly "shuffling" the party music to a dull speech, Jez describing Mark as "a fusty, sweater-wearing no-fly zone with a ten-foot carrot up [his] arse", the throwaway shot of Super Hans making his snake dizzy in a salad mixer, Mark's unspoken quest to discover who blocked his toilet, and Jez agreeing to be Elena's "human mannequin".)

I remain in awe at the highs this comedy achieves, week in, week out. What did you all think?


16 October 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

written by: Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong directed by: Becky Martin starring: David Mitchell (Mark), Robert Webb (Jez), Vera Filatova (Elena), Emily Bruni (Gail), Isy Suttie (Dobby), Jim Howick (Gerrard) & Sophie Winkleman (Big Suze)

PEEP SHOW 6.4

[SPOILERS] Another marvelously twisted comedy of embarrassment this week, as Mark (David Mitchell) overheard Jez's new girlfriend Elena (Vera Filatova) talking to her long-term lover... and isn't pleased when it becomes clear Elena wants him to break the news to Jez...

Mark also had to contend with the return of ex-boss Johnson (Patterson Joseph), who is now working from a terraced house on a new management consultancy startup business. While the possibility of being part of something big and lucrative is attractive to unemployed Mark (I guess he didn't get that historical walk job?), Johnson's tenuous grasp of reality, general lack of common sense (particularly regarding a "wireless" printer that needs wires), and insistence that Mark must contribute £2,000 to be an equal partner, has him unsure how he should proceed.

When Jez is eventually told of Elena's cheating ways by Mark, his head-in-the-sand attitude turns the situation into a positive after he learns Elena's partner is in fact a woman, Mensa "genius" Gail (Emily Bruni). Wrongly expecting a sexy threesome to naturally present itself, Jez instead became a rather tragic figure -- forever sneaking away for quickies with the manipulative Elena whenever Gail's away, and eventually finding himself stuck outside on her freezing cold balcony when Gail makes a surprise return.

Gail herself gets Mark a job at Banditos, a tacky Mexican restaurant, where on his first night he's horrified to discover his workplace is the venue for Johnson's meeting with a potential client. Mark's forced to try and juggle his waiting duties with presenting himself as Johnson's loyal "wingman" to two businessmen, which inevitably proves impossible.

There was also the return of Big Suze (Sophie Winkleman), whose relationship with Johnson appears to be hitting the rocks, no doubt because they're living far beneath the executive lifestyle she was accustomed to now that JLB has closed. She didn't really get much to do, but I suspect her reintroduction will be of greater consequence in the final two episodes. Is she destined to get back with Jez? His relationship with Elena isn't likely to last, after all.

This fourth episode was another comedy masterclass. It's proving difficult to come up with fresh ways to say the performances and scripts are sublime, so I'll just reiterate that fact. However, I'm not sold on Vera Filatova as Elena, who isn't always convincing when talking to what is, in reality, a cameraman. Indeed, there can be occasional "disconnects" with guest-star performances in Peep Show, as the regular actors are so accustomed to this filming style that it's become second nature to them -- meaning new actor's inexperience can lead to a less credible performances, as it has Filatova.

It was also great to see the outrageous Johnson back, although I sometimes find myself torn with Paterson Joseph's performances. His character's so broad and crazy that he's the least plausible character in a sitcom that goes to great lengths to present itself as painfully realistic (if heightened for comic effect.) Fortunately, you can't deny Johnson's never anything less than magnetic to watch, but I do sometimes wish his character was less of a cartoon...

I take it everyone else loved this one?


9 October 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

written by: Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong directed by: Becky Martin starring: David Mitchell (Mark), Robert Webb (Jez), Vera Filatova (Elena), Patterson Joseph (Johnson), Emily Bruni (Gail), Sophie Winkleman (Big Suze), Phillip Brook (Father) & Jasper Jacob (Colin)

PEEP SHOW 6.3

[SPOILERS] I think it's safe to say series 6 is already better than last year, and is close to eclipsing the excellent third series if it maintains this quality. Episode 3 was superb, full of so much wonderful dialogue that a quicker way to list my favourite sound-bites would be to transcribe the script verbatim...

Jez (Robert Webb) is blissfully in love with the beautiful Elena, so much so that he's unaware she's essentially controlling him -- making him do her ironing, take the blame (or "wank bullet") for porn found on her work computer, and travel to Hastings to buy her favourite bread -- but loved-up Jez is happy to oblige. Meanwhile, Mark (David Mitchell) is presented with a career opportunity by Dobby (Isy Suttie) that, rather unimaginably, seems like something he'd both be good at and enjoy– being the tour guide on a history walk. However, Mark's ambition to present a fact-based tour with none of the sellout theatricality doesn't really work, so he's forced to adhere to stereotype and clutch a Holmesian pipe to keep an audience...

As usual for Peep Show, it's not so much the plot that's a joy (although this episode's was stronger than some), but the characterization and internal monologues we eavesdrop on – like Mark mentally correct Jez's bad grammar during a discussion. The external dialogue is just a brilliant: from downloading porn safely ("always wipe, Mark; discharge your pipe, then have a wipe -- that's the rhyme) to Dobby's summation of the medium ("men like looking at distressing images of heroin addicts showing their genitals for money.") It's a smorgasbord of perfectly-delivered quips, asides, and comic statements – shaming years worth of other sitcoms in a single sitting. The great thing is that a good 25% of the gems pass you by on first viewing, so Peep Show lends itself to repeats far better than you'd expect.

The comic situations presented were also very funny, particularly Jez going through his rehearsed explanation for why Elena's computer had porn on it (bluntly claiming he's a sex addict who masturbates twelve times a day), or Mark already secretly regretting having a child with Sophie (Olivia Colman) because it's destined to endure his childhood and repeat his mistakes. Speaking of which, I still suspect Mark's not the father but he's the best option available to Sophie right now.

Overall, what more can you say? Funny, heartfelt, cynical, sarcastic, desperate, uncomfortable, awkward, hilarious comedy at its finest. Peep Show's what I hold up to anyone who doubts British comedy these days, as the format and bravery is light-years ahead of what anyone else is doing, and it's proven itself unexpectedly robust. You'd expect the joke to have worn thin by now, but it's just getting funnier. I fully expect to see Mark and Jeremy as two sad old men in a nursing home one day.


2 October 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

written by: Sam Bain, Jesse Armstrong & Simon Blackwell directed by: Becky Martin starring: Robert Webb (Jez), David Mitchell (Mark), Olivia Colman (Sophie), Vera Filatova (Elena), Isy Suttie (Dobby), Penelope Beaumont (Jan), Justin Brett (Michael), Rufus Jones (Peter) & Robert Popper (Annoying Man)

PEEP SHOW 6.2

[SPOILERS] Another terrific episode, taking its cue from the great tradition of British farce. For the majority of this half-hour, events were contained within Mark (David Mitchell) and Jez's (Robert Webb) tenement block, as the pair grappled with a malfunctioning new boiler and a terrible lie...

Jez made a play for their sexy new neighbour, who turned out to be a Russian drug-dealer called Elena (Vera Filatova); while Mark invited Dobby (Isy Suttie) round for a date at their flat, intending to finally make his move on her...

Unfortunately, matters were complicated when Jez lied to émigré Elena about being an expectant father, once he learned she has a fetish for "DILFs". Jez was then forced to retell the lie to Mark, whom Sophie (Olivia Colman) had confirmed to him is her baby's father following their paternity test. Mark, wrongly relieved the test branded Jez the father and freed him of responsibility ("I can do anything! I can leave T-Mobile!"), was therefore emboldened to kiss Dobby, only for Jez to break the truth to him seconds after he finally got his colleague into bed. And then Sophie arrived to talk things over with Mark, meaning both guys had to try and keep the girls in the dark about what's really been going on...

Confused? It made more sense when you basked in the social embarrassment as it unfolded on-screen, watching things tangle into a cat's cradle of confusion, heartache, lies, and awkwardness: from Mark melting down and blaming his troubles on their overheating boiler, to Jez trying to keep his romantic chances alive whatever the cost. At times, it could be argued the episode veered into the ridiculous -- what with Mark insisting on wearing three condoms, electrocuting himself as he tried to dismantle the door-bell Sophie was ringing, or just the fact Jez continues to pull girls way out of his league -- but for the most part it kept its head.

Most interesting to me was how Mark has been named the father of Sophie's baby so early in the series, as I was expecting that revelation to come in the final episode as a lead-in to series 7. This unexpectedly early reveal has me very suspicious, particularly as we only have Sophie's word that she's telling the truth, and she's been known to be quite manipulative when she wants something. Will Mark get to see the paternity test result himself, or will he just take Sophie's word for it? A part of me suspects the baby is Jez's after all, but Sophie knows Mark would make a better father, or at least a more reliable provider of alimony.

Then again, it was strange that Sophie suddenly mentioned the possibility that Jeff could be the father, so maybe it's neither of them? I guess it depends if the writers want to keep Mark and Jez as fatherless losers next year, or plough ahead with them as misfit co-parents. I'm hoping for the latter, with Jez as a father shirking responsibility, and Mark back with Sophie as the baby's stepfather. How about you?


25 September 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

written by: Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong directed by: Becky Martin starring: David Mitchell (Mark), Robert Webb (Jez), Olivia Colman (Sophie), Isy Suttie (Dobby) & Vera Filatova (Elena)

PEEP SHOW 6.1

[SPOILERS] A welcome return for the BAFTA-winning sitcom, now in its sixth year and still feeling fresh. You have to commend that longevity in Peep Show, as most British sitcoms, particularly ones with a strong cult following, tend to peter out around the fourth series. Series 5 was a slight disappointment to me, because I felt the aftermath to Mark (David Mitchell) and Sophie's (Olivia Colman) wedding disaster wasn't very fulfilling, but this new series appears to have a much stronger narrative through-line...

Mark and Jez (Robert Webb) are both prospective fathers to Olivia's gestating baby -– one biologically, one spiritually, with neither brave enough to confront the situation and get the truth. Anyway, Mark's celebrating a promotion at JLB, splashing out on a new sofa for the flat, and he's even found Jez a job as a "phone pig". However, it all came crashing down around their ears following a fire drill that turned genuine ("bloody hell, Mark; get your elbows in, it's all gone Backdraft!"), when their boss Johnson (Paterson Joseph) arrived to inform the staff that the company's collapsed and they're all unemployed.

For Mark, a ray of light shines from the disaster when he becomes the spokesman for the staff in their battle to win compensation from JLB's German firm, led by Steffan Strauss (Robert Cambrinus), whom Mark impersonates with a Hitler moustache for a satirical sketch performed with Dobby (Isy Suttie). Things are complicated very nicely when Mark's blackmailed with a cheque for £15,000 to end the workers revolt, yet pressured by Dobby and Mark into raiding JLB after-hours and ransacking the place. Cue scenes of Mark stealing the ergonomic keyboard he covets anyway, before spraying fire extinguisher foam over Dobby just as Steffan and Johnson arrived.

It was another superbly-written piece, full of tiny gems you don't catch on first viewing, that once again finds new ways to humiliate and embarrass the pair. I'm assuming we won't find out who's the father of Sophie's baby until the finale (at the earliest), but that will give the show a certain mystery to play with. It was also very funny to see both Mark and Jez doing their best to put notions of fatherhood out of their heads, quickly hiding baby clothes delivered to them by Super Hans (Matt King) under the bed. The fear of parenthood and growing up is something that continually undermines Jez and Mark's lives; the latter rewarding himself with a plush sofa that further ties him indoors, where life's just that little bit easier to ignore. But not even they could ignore a screaming baby when it enters this world – could they?


18 September 2009
Channel 4, 10pm

written by: Sam Bain & Jesse Armstrong directed by: Becky Martin starring: David Mitchell (Mark), Robert Webb (Jez), Olivia Colman (Sophie), Matt King (Super Hans), Paterson Joseph (Johnson), Neil Fitzmaurice (Jeff), Isy Suttie (Dobby), Jim Howick (Gerrard), Vera Filatova (Elena), Endy Mckay (Lisa), Robert Cambrinus (Steffan Strauss) & Douglas McFerran (Security Guard)

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 3.6

The final episode of this third series was quite average, really. Last episodes of sketch shows tend to give the running gags an amusing twist, but only the "Get Me Hennimore" sketch provided a tweak to its formula, while the excellent "Remain Indoors" quiz unwisely vanished back in episode 4. A real missed opportunity. Sadly, even this week's best sketches tended to drag their ideas out too long, or else had unfunny punchlines, giving the whole episode a disappointing feel.

Great: A mediavel scientist who keeps inventing useless products too advanced for their time, like a wireless computer mouse and car windscreen wiper; cosily British TV promotion (although the punchline that this was being watched in a post-apocalyptic wasteland was terrible); Mitchell is persuaded to be given a massage by Webb, who proceeds to act sexually when he rubs his friend's shoulders; brother's execution (funny idea that two brothers would have nothing to say to each other on the eve of one of them dying, but stretched out far too long).

Good: Drunken hotel; David Mitchell addresses the live studio audience over budget cuts (they should do more of this stuff because the "live" feel was fun and reminded me of A Bit Of Fry & Laurie, but this "sketch" was let down by a dud punchline); garrulous idiot TV exec demanding something identical to Numberwang; and the Marmit glove.

Bad: Text-for-sex (spoof of phone chatlines that are already beyond spoof); the Old Testament God sees how far he can push Abraham into doing terrible things; "Get Me Hennimore", where the hapless office worker imagines various likely catastrophes as his boss talks, manages to avoid them all, only for a nuclear bomb to inexplicably go off outside (a poor end to a sketch series of mixed success); Wagner's Ring Cycle on mobile phone text; and text-a-blog (yes, this episode's recurring mobile phone gags were terrible.)

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 3.5

The penultimate episode of Mitchell and Webb's third series is something of an oddity, because there's not really a lot to love or hate. Most of the sketches fell somewhere in the middle and even the successes weren't as sharp as usual, but it still passed the half-hour well enough.

Great: Subtext messages (amusing idea that mobile phone texts now follow-up messages with the true subtext behind them); a world where all students get A's in their exams; Get Me Hennimore (confusion with the letters 'n' and 'm' this week, in a cleverly written piece.)

Good: Two nutricionists scamming patients with New Age twaddle; a King who has a baron he keeps favouring, to his other subject's frustration; Bussman & Christmas buddy cops, where the latter is a detective permanently stuck in the festive spirit; "My Shags As A Whore" (fun critique of shows like Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, where prostitution is presented as something fun); two guru's on a plinth (a bit daft, but it made me smile); and the anti-CSO copper returns from episode 1.

Bad: Two world-famous cellists intending to turn their terraced house into an interntional airport because they're tired of carrying their cellists around; "can I borrow your pen?"; and an overlong sci-fi sketch where everyone uses the word "Vektron".

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 3.4

A definite return to form after last week's disappointment, thankfully. 80% was good, 10% great, 10% bad, and that's not to be sniffed at. As always, it's just nice to get mostly new content in a sketch show every week, and Remain Indoors is a weekly dose of genius...

Great: A recurring sketch with a terminally ill patient having his dying wishes carried out by a compassionate friend, only to grow bored of them after all the massive effort (snowboarding with penguins, reenacting Die Hard, sleeping with his friend's wife); the Remain Indoors quizshow (still excellent, loved the conveyor belt prizes); and low fat "Cressps".

Good: A chef pastiche of Gordon Ramsey, poking fun at the flaws in his Kitchen Nightmares series; homeopathic A&E (kind of obvious, but nicely done); a Pompeii soothsayer suggesting they start recycling in the face of certain death; a Butler discovering his master has believed him to be his gay lover for the past 40 years; and a silly discussion about weeing in the shower.

Bad: Linford's Sprinting Nightmares (M&W don't have much success with quick gags); a couple mistakenly believe their friends have invited them round for a swingers party (didn't work); Get Me Hennimore (the weakest mix-up yet, involving a giant bee and a jar of jam); and misunderstood texts.


2 July 2009
BBC2, 9.30pm

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 3.3

The worst episode so far, sadly. Mid-series episodes don't tend to be the strongest in sketch shows, and episode 3 was definitely lacking the big laughs and intelligent ideas M&W are capable of. There were worryingly few highlights to sustain the half-hour, for me. Comedy is subjective, but does anyone agree this was rather dull? To summarize:

Great: The new sports drink Glucozade Port (alcoholic isotonic); and a Bond spoof where Agent Suave visits a casino of parlour games, to try and defeat a villain who's his equal at guessing the weight of cakes.

Good: A dinner-guest makes a fuss of being a carnivore in a reversal of the "vegetarian" issue; Mr. Darcy busts disco move in a Pride & Prejudice parody where toffs are dancing The Conga; a man commits suicide behind a weatherman by leaping off a roof during an outside broadcast; Sir Digby Chicken Caesar returns and Ginger is sober following a car accident (a fun development of characters I'm bored of); a Best Man speech where he's embarrassingly honest about the bride's attractiveness (dragged a bit); and an Antarctic expedition where the starving explorers try not to eat food designed for special occasions (advent calendars, harvest festival hampers, Christmas puddings, etc.)

Bad: The Queen becomes a "special guest" star, but proves to be terrible on camera; another "Get Me Hennimore" sketch poking fun at the mix-up comedy of '70s sitcoms (we get the joke now, move on...); and another Captain Todger superhero press conference (really bad).

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 3.2

Hit-and-miss. Just kidding! Well, it wasn't as good as last week's opener, but there weren't too many sketches that didn't make me giggle or smile, if only a few that had a genuinely brilliant idea behind them. It's a shame that a few of M&W's better ideas are stretched beyond their natural end-point, though. Which leads me to...

Great: A really funny sketch with Webb playing a clichéd German mad scientist from the '40s whose "Death Ray" is revealed to be an antiquated bardcode reader (let down by the sketch continuing past the "tinned peaches" punchline, growing unfunnier every second); a sketch with an imaginary Gary Rhodes helping a gay man during a first date; round 2 of the post-apocalyptic Remain Indoors quiz; and the return of the snooker commentators in a documentary showing how they both won the 1975 championship.

Good: Obvious advert slogans (not punchy, just rambling and needlessly specific); women-focused adverts to "sort themselves out" in comparison to men-focused adverts to just shave and get drunk; a little poke at the common complaint that sketch shows are "hit-and-miss"; a ventriloquist thief (loved the cops capturing the dummy and interrogating it for five hours); "Get Me Hennimore", a pastiche of '70s sitcoms and their obvious set-ups (much funnier than the golf one last week); Polite Taxi Driver (simple idea, but Webb was funny); and a sketch with Webb complaining that Mitchell's started performing parts he should play (using split-screen doubles.)

Bad: Posh Jaws (brief, not funny); and Captain Todger, an uncouth superhero at a press conference that the police would prefer didn't speak to the press.

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 3.1

When David Mitchell and Robert Webb transferred their Radio 4 sketch show to BBC2, That Mitchell & Webb Look became an award-winning success. Together with their infamous roles in Peep Show, this "double act" were suddenly red-hot talent. Mitchell became a regular of the comedy panel show circuit, while Webb... well, he won Let's Dance For Comic Relief by reenacting Flashdance in tight lycra and a wig. A disparity the pair themselves poke fun at in the third series of TM&WL, this one aiming to scrub away the bad taste of that sorely disappointing second series...

With the proviso that first episodes of sketch shows are intentionally the strongest to lure audiences in, I found this opener solidly written and very funny for the most part. There were only a few obvious duds, with most of the sketches hitting their marks and a handful eliciting big laughs.

The great: Mitchell as Poirot, deducing the culprit of a crime by waiting for one of the suspects to use "the evil voice"; a spoof of The Apprentice where the candidates are all super-talented business brains, so the Sir Alan figure is forced to fire "the fat one"; a terrible quiz show being broadcast after some unspecified post-apocalyptic "Event" with constant warnings that viewers don't go outside, featuring a contestant referred to as Unknown Male 282; and a spy drama consisting entirely of clichés because the writers have no experience of that profession.

The good: Webb as grinning Euro inventor Jan Hankl, who has patented the action of slapping your thighs to help find a missing item; a brain surgeon mingling at a party, making full use of the phrase "it's not exactly brain surgery, is it?"; Mitchell and Webb's action figures (Mitchell's has a huge vocabulary, Webb's comes with an extra T-shirt); Queen Victoria being lambasted by an aide for daring to comment that a tree species being given to England smells like cum; and Webb inventing an alternative to doorbells that involves shooting dogs through windows with a note attached.

The bad: A policeman sneering at having to patrol with a lowly Community Support Officer; a '70s sitcom-style golf sketch that just didn't make much sense to me; a Newsnight-style show on "dumbing down" being filmed on a cooking show set (wisely lasting only a few seconds); and Santa Claus' scoundrel brother Russ coming to stay, bemoaning how his Winterfest X festival hasn't taken off like Christmas, then making a move on Santa's wife Joan.

Altogether, this was a promising start. I think the key to M&W's success is that, besides being talented performers, they avoid the trap of merely regurgitating catchphrases (a nasty hangover for UK comedy thanks to Harry Enfield and The Fast Show), and the wit and intelligence of David Mitchell is evident in the writing. Even the sketches that don't amuse are at least nicely-written and unfunny. The best kind of unfunny, obviously.

If That Mitchell & Webb Look has one failing it's that their comedy tends to revolve around poking fun at media tropes, history and literature. This is possibly because you "write what you know" and the pair are in the TV biz and a university upbringing has instilled a love of British history and books -- which is fine, but episodes feel a bit constricted by their aim at times. It's not exactly holding a mirror up to contemporary life, which is what the greatest sketch shows do.

They can also become very preachy at times. While their Apprentice sketch was cynical and funny, it was spoiled when M&W (as TV producers) started to talk condescendingly to the audience about exactly why The Apprentice formula is so manufactured and its viewers idiots to enjoy it. A reality show that a huge portion of M&W's audience probably really like. Way to alienate, guys! At least we've moved on from Big Brother being the whipping boy, but now the decent reality TV is getting it in the neck?

Still, considering their audience are going to be young adults raised on TV, it's perhaps not so unwise for them to focus their efforts on parodying the goggle-box like this. I guess I'm just bored by the amount of TV spoofs around these days. Whenever M&W do shift focus to everyday concerns, it's never their finest work (see the policeman sketch this week.) But I know they CAN go beyond easy showbiz targets, as David Mitchell's excellent vodcasts tackle humdrum topics with wit and insight. Search for them on iTunes.

Overall, I'm going to resist proclaiming this a return to form without seeing more, but there was nothing here to make me think ill of the new series. They even appear to have axed Sir Digby Chicken Caesar and Numberwang before those fan-favourites were stomped into the ground -- thank God. Famous last words..?

Anyway, it's great to see a sketch show that appears to have been crafted with care and attention, despite its inevitable flaws and a few concerns. Compare this episode to a whole run of any sketch show BBC Three throw at the screen... and there's no competition.


11 June 2009
BBC2, 10pm

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 2.6

I somehow missed the fifth episode, so the reviews jump straight to the finale. A sketch-by-sketch:

Calling Card Criminal: Funny sketch about incompetent cops who can't find a criminal who makes it painfully obvious who he is, by leaving an abundance of clues and "calling cards" to trace.

Helivets - Fish: I think these characters were supposed to be the new Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit, but the joke is even thinner here. A pet needs help, the Helivets arrive by helicopter in their pink jumpsuits, realize the pet is actually stone dead, and fly away. Rinse and repeat. Yawn. This sketch is only mildly better than most, because of the exploding fish shot at the end – although they missed a trick not showing it expanding and blowing up like a balloon.

Scarecrow Love Rival: One of those nicely skewed ideas M&W come up with from time to time. Here, a married couple play match-maker for their single friend at a dinner party, by ensuring the other guests are an attractive woman for him to woo, a crash-test dummy and a scarecrow. Surely he'll be the focus of attention? Unfortunately, the scarecrow is a poetic, romantic lothario. Amusing.

Nude Scene: A seedy director encourages a young actor called Dan to strip naked for a nude scene, under the pretence of art. The sketch is returned to later, where Dan finds the script has changed so he has to be naked chained to a revolving disc, surrounded by pervs. Funny.

War On Oddie: A news channel report that the world has given up the War On Terror for something more achievable: to defeat former-comic, turned wildlife expert Bill Oddie. A bit limp, but I liked the opening gag aimed at Sir Jimmy Saville.

Horse Birthday: God. Why, oh why, oh why? These horse sketches just aren't funny. In the slightest.

Football Fan: The office co-worker sketches are minor highlights, as the writing seems to improve once there's a real studio audience in attendance. This one is based on the annoying way football fans talk about "their" team as if they are actively involved in matches.

Holy Grail: The chalice that grants its drinker immortality is found going cheap at a car boot sale. A bit obvious, but amusing. And do I detect an Indiana Jones stream of consciousness, following Indy's mention in the preceding football sketch?

Wigs: The behind-the-scenes sketches have been very poor this year, and this one is no exception. It revolves around the idea that David Mitchell is actually bald.

Numberwang Night: A treat for Numberwang fans, as the popular recurring sketch from last season has become a cult favourite. This is a special "Numberwang Night", with A History Of Numberwang, the revelation that Numberwang is decided by a giant robot called Collosson, a visit to the Faculty Of Numbers, a trip back in time to Bletchley Park for an Enigma Machine spoof, and some archive footage of Numberwang games from yesteryear. Enjoyable, especially if you love Numberwang.


If I catch a repeat of the fifth episode, I'll review it – but, for now, that's the end of Mitchell & Webb's "difficult second series". It was definitely a poorer effort than last year, but there were still some funny moments. The only memorable moments for me were the spoof of adverts for football and the bizarre Flamingo Land sketch. But it's still refreshing to watch a sketch show where 85% of the material is new stuff every week, and not reliant on repetition and catchphrases.


27 March 2008
BBC2, 9.00 pm

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 2.4

Episode 4 of David Mitchell and Robert Webb's sketch show was a noticeable improvement over last week's atrocity. There were quite a few funny sketches, while most were amusing on some level. Sure, there were a few clunkers this week, but the hit rate was back on-track for the most part.

A sketch-by-sketch:

East Indies: Columbus and a shipmate walk ashore and name the land they've discovered "East Indies" (despite it being to the West of the Indies). Sly digs at the often ridiculous names given to countries, in short sketches that recurring throughout the episode. Raleigh discovering Virginia (is it appropriate to name a place after the sexual status of your monarch?), Captain Cook discovering New South Wales (as if Australia reminded anyone of Wales!), and a brilliant punchline for Greenland. Not hilarious (individually), but a really nice ongoing idea to tie the episode together.

I'm Sorry Your Dad's Dead: A man delivers inappropriate greetings cards to a newly-wed couple (to cover their entire future life's possibilities), before revealing he has terminal cancer. Quite a strange idea that didn't really work, for shock-value or comic value.

The Mrs Patricia Wilberforce Programme: What would a Jerry Springer-style daytime chat show look like if it were made in the 1940s? We find out here with "elevenses television". Funny stuff, if never quite doing justice to the idea. Nicely written, though.

Violin Serenade: Unwanted return for last week's farmer character who thinks his horse is cleverer than it is. This time he serenades it with a violin. Terrible.

Snotty Librarian: A woman loaning Shane Ritchie's autobiography has her book choices and boring personality picked on by a condescending, contemptuous librarian. Great writing and nicely acted by Robert Webb, heading into quite creepy territory when the woman breaks down and is offered a date. Funny.

Stalingrad / Clever One / Sex: The behind-the-scenes sketches, this time covering a few topics throughout the episode. Only the sex one really sticks out in the memory, but they weren't terrible.

Everything Is Fine: Amusing look at news reporting, where 99% of the time "everything is fine", with the anchors and field reporter both focusing on how quickly crimes and disasters come to an end, and normality is resumes. Strong comedy idea, played for as much laughter as it could have been, without overstaying its welcome.

Roman Video: A Time Team-style archaeological group find a box containing a video-cassette from the Roman period. After reviewing the footage of people wearing Roman costumes, they believe they're on the brink of worldwide professional fame with this extraordinary find. But, one team member is amazed nobody has remembered that video-tape didn't exist in Roman Britain. Fun idea, with some good moments, although it went on too long.

New Words: Those geeky office characters are back, with one now sharing his life with a time-traveller and the other keeping score on a "using new words" chart. Quite funny at times, and I like the characters – plus, M&W always work better in the studio-based sketches with a live audience.

Wanking: Two men at a social function discuss the problems of running successful businesses from home, when all they really want to do is wank all the time. Amusing idea, if a little too obvious and just there for mild shock value.

Flamingo World: The conman character played by David Mitchell is back, this time running a fake Flamingo World nature reserve. The sketch goes into dark League Of Gentlemen-style territory, when the father whose family are taken in by the scam (Webb) rows across the river to get a better view of the "flamingos" and finds they're just two men dressed in bright pink suits – and he becomes one of them. Creepy and good fun, with an enjoyable element of dark absurdity.

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 2.3

I really enjoyed the first instalment of this second series, but this week's third episode was a nadir for David Mitchell and Robert Webb's comedy. So much so that it has me pondering whether or not the pair succeeded in venting all their comedy in 2007's acclaimed series, and are now just expelling fumes.

A sketch-by-sketch:

TV Mine Shaft: A newcomer to a television programme development team is shown around the office, and it's revealed he'll also have to help mine for coal sometimes. One of those daft, but quite unfunny twists of reality M&W like to do, played deadly straight.

Helivets: The pink jump-suited pair of heroic veterinarians fail to save a dead gerbil. I like the characters' costumes and make-up, but it seems clear they're one-joke creations now.

Sports Movie Writers: Two hack screenwriters introduce their British sports comedy about a Yorkshire cricket team of unemployed steel workers. Quite a limp idea, but especially tedious because of how long the sketch lasted.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar: The hobo and his drunken cohort stumble around a country home in the middle of a tour. I really like the concept of Sir Digby and there are wry smiles here -- but it's kind of run its course, hasn't it?

"The Man Who Had So Many Penises He Was Worth Making A Television Programme About". Self-explanatory parody of exploitative documentaries. The titles are becoming increasingly elaborate, but the joke was made back with "The Boy With An Arse For A Face", really. And we didn't even get to see the penises, which sort of destroyed the whole exploitation joke.

Advertising Songs: Three advertising executives try to marry songs to various adverts, but fail to make the obvious choices that stare them in the face. A nice idea, mildly amusing, but just kind of obvious.

Cheezoid: A top chef loses the ability to smell, makes a mess of a dish, is fired from his job, and takes the time to create a robot that can do the smelling for him. Absolutely awful in every respect, sadly. I just can't fathom why anyone would think this was funny. Possibly M&W's lowest point.

Back To Life, Back To Reality: A Big Brother-style gameshow where they've unfrozen some people who were cryogenically frozen back in the 30s/40s, purely to entertain the nation. Hmm, all Big Brother parodies are about 5 years behind the times now, and Shaun Of The Dead sort of did joke this perfectly in their end credits.

Horse French: A farmer is upset his work horse doesn't seem willing to learn French. Filler material, totally unfunny.

Chat Show: GMTV-style interviewers chat to a Dave Gorman-style celebrity who can't help making TV shows about zany adventures based on bets from his friends. Finally! An original target to poke fun at! As much as I like Dave Gorman, it's very strange more people haven't targeted his "crazy adventuring". Sadly, this sketch wasn't actually that funny, but it was okay.

Making Cheese. The behind-the-scenes interlude with Mitchell and Webb arguing over the method used to create cheese. Are they obsessed with cheese? Yes, another pointless behind-the-scenes sketch that resembles inane prattling instead of actual comedy.

So yes, this was an extremely bad episode in practically every respect. The quality nosedive from episode 1 rather is staggering, and the second series in general looks to be very limp. I don't think I properly laughed once in 30 minutes here, and can only hope things rapidly improve for episode 4.


6 March 2008
BBC2, 9.00 pm

THAT MITCHELL & WEBB LOOK 2.2

There weren't many laughs in this second episode, which also suffered from a tendency to go back to misfiring sketches all the time. As always with these shows, there were a few gems tucked away -– but I was pretty stony-faced throughout....

A sketch-by-sketch assessment:

Wavy-armed Historian: David Mitchell as a pompous historian who can't deliver lines without waving his arms about to exaggerate what he's saying. This wasn't particularly funny (as I'd never noticed real historians do it), and it was stupidly returned to a number of times, growing ever more tedious.

Dame Rape: Very amusing dig at how harmless pantomimes fall victim to political correctness these days, but taken to the extreme in a sketch where a theatre director wasn't allowed to feature a Dame getting raped or someone ejaculating the panto cow.

Cooking Vets: A rather weak sketch about vets who claim to be helping sick animals, when in fact they're cooking them to eat. Pointlessly returned to for a few times too many.

The Numberwang Board Game: Quite obvious self-mocking of the show's popular Numberwang sketches from last year, but very funny in places. I particularly liked the 200-sided dice!

"The Woman With The Second Head That Keeps Calling Her Bitch". Another pastiche of documentaries that only really exist for viewers to gawp as peoples' abnormalities. This one wasn't as brilliant as last week's "The Boy With An Arse For A Face", but two-headed Tina still raised a chuckle or two.

Hostage Negotiator: I wish M&W would do more of these studio-based sketches, as it's just more enjoyable seeing them time gags to live reactions. This idea of an office-based hostage negotiator whose heart isn’t really in the job wasn't that funny, but when the sketch returned later with his colleague revealing he writes "porn storylines", it got me laughing quite a bit.

Villain Mod Cons: A "Bond Villain" wants to install a rotating bookshelf into his lair, but the working class handyman keeps shooting down his elaborate plans with common sense structural reasons. This wasn’t that funny, especially because Austin Powers poked fun at Bond villains to much better effect over 10 years ago now.

Speedo. Undoubtedly the best sketch; a fun parody of US dramas like Shark, featuring a maverick lawyer with a House-like limp called Speedo. Very funny in places, particularly when the actor playing Speedo died on-set and was replaced by a black actor.

Gay T-Shirt: One of the "behind-the-scenes" sketches (although I didn’t recognize where they were filming), this time with Robert Webb making fun of Mitchell's "Get Go" T-shirt that he bought to make him look gay. Lame.


Episode 2 was pretty dry stuff, and the quantity of material was much lower than last week's jam-packed show, meaning a few sketch ideas kept recurring -- unfunny ones, sadly. Everything just seem very strained and hollow. I really hope an effort is made to perform more stuff in front of live audiences, as it really helps sell the comedy and makes the performances better. Greater quality control is also needed -- as sketches like "wavy-hands historian" and the "cooking vets" were painfully dull and should never have made it past the ideas phase.


28 February 2008
BBC2, 9.00 pm