Reviews

When I saw the write-up for 'Not Going Out', I was dubious - Friday evening on BBC1 isn't usually fertile ground for good comedy. I actually watched it almost by accident, but it turned out to be a happy accident, because 'Not Going Out' is an underrated gem.

Lee Mack ("always cheeky, never blue") is perfect and strangely charming as unambitious slacker, Lee, and Tim 'The Joke Machine-Gun' Vine is also excellent as his accountant best friend. Their friendship is really well-observed, even if they do spend much of the time trading in jokes and insults. Up against a pair of stand-up comedians, Megan Dodds has a tough job, but more than holds her own playing Lee's landlady (and Tim's ex-girlfriend) Kate. Dodds and Mack have a natural chemistry, and make you believe quite easily that an ultra-healthy Californian publisher could fall for an unemployed northern dosser. (It's interesting that comedian Catherine Tate was in the original pilot as Kate - somehow, I can't imagine it working so well without Megan Dodds. She and Mack play off each other so well.)

At times 'Not Going Out' seems like it's a framework for a bunch of stand-up jokes (and Mack does recycle some one-liners from his BBC radio show), but as the series goes on the story lines are getting better and the characters more engaging. It has genuine laugh-out-loud moments that stay with you for the next few days, and it's just refreshing to watch a comedy that doesn't mind being daft and isn't attempting to be political or subversive.

'Not Going Out' deserves a second series, because I know that Lee Mack and Andrew Collins have a lot more gags left in the tank - and I think the fall-out arising from a Lee/Kate romance could be pretty explosive, not to mention amusing!

Let's face it, the BBC just can't rival US companies for slick, high-concept TV. 'Crime Traveller' was one of those shows that should have been dreadful but was actually kind of good! It was a pretty ambitious undertaking to do a series about time-travel, and with talented writer Anthony Horowitz they did have a good crack at it. Okay, so the acting was a bit ropey (as so many BBC series seem to be), the secondary characters were virtual cardboard cut-outs, and the special effects were clearly influenced by Dr Who, circa 1970. But in Jeff Slade (Michael French) and Holly Turner (Chloe Annett) 'Crime Traveller' had endearing, compelling leads who you actually cared about. In some ways their relationship was obviously based upon the old Mulder & Scully will-they-won't-they idea, which would no doubt have been developed further if the show had been given a second series. Unfortunately, 'Jonathan Creek' came out about the same time, and there clearly wasn't room for two programmes about a male/female duo solving crimes in unconventional ways! The science behind the time-travel was probably a bit dubious, but I was quite happy to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy it for what it was. It was welcoming to see British TV trying something different and ambitious. Still not sure why they insisted on Jeff's trademark hideous mustard-coloured suede jacket though....

Initially a joint venture between UK and Canadian TV companies, Spatz was an inspired sitcom for young teenagers that worked for adults too. It blended the great British tradition of farcical comedy with the sophisticated, quick-fire dialogue of the best American sitcoms - and it ran circles around most kids' dramas! TJ Strickland was the all-American (well, Canadian) nice-guy who managed the UK's only branch of fast-food chain, Spatz. Handsome and easy-going, his life was made a lot more difficult by another Canadian, Karen Hansson, Spatz's European Co-coordinator, who shared his office. A cross between Jerry Hall and Cruella De Ville, the only language Karen spoke was money. The show's best moments came from her verbal sparring with TJ; their banter was infused with the same sexual tension that kept everyone hooked on 'Moonlighting'. There were some great comebacks and one-liners too. Downstairs on the shop floor was where the Brits ruled the roost: brazenly ambitious Dexter, wannabe-wide-boy Vince, sensible-but-dull Debbie, and clueless Stanley. In the first series the burgers were also flipped by Lily (working to pay for university) and token northerner, Jo, who was often Vince's partner-in-crime. The second series saw the introduction of Freddy, a mad Celtic fan who seemed to come from the Private Frazer (Dad's Army) school of superstitious Scots. As the series progressed the stories became more and more ludicrous and far-fetched, but that was part of the fun. It's a scandal that they didn't commission a fourth series!