Comedy Slab

This week we review - Plebs (Series 3 Episode 8)

A thoroughly modern comedy in an ancient setting.

Rome is traditionally imagined as the home of emperors and senators, generals and gladiators, a dignified theatre of pomp and ceremony. But what about the little guys, the wasters - new to the big city, stuck in office jobs, unable to get the girls?

Plebs follows three desperate young men from the suburbs as they try to get laid, hold down jobs and climb the social ladder in the big city - a city that happens to be Ancient Rome.

The show focuses on Marcus, his slave with an attitude problem, Grumio, and their flatmate: Stylax, and later Jason. There's also Marcus's ruthless boss, Flavia - an expert manipulator with a private life that's the stuff of legend. Unlikely to be immortalised in the annals or memorialised in a frieze, Marcus, Jason, Stylax and Grumio are essentially just a bunch of Plebs.

And whether they're wearing togas, or skinny jeans, desperate young men in any period of history are essentially cut from the same cloth…

Written by Sam Leifer and Tom Basden,
Directed by Sam Leifer
Produced by Teddy Leifer
A Rise Films Production for ITV.
Plebs is available here: http://tiny.cc/ph5khz

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This week we review - Porridge (Series 2 Christmas Special)

Set in Slade Prison, Porridge documents the life of Norman Stanley Fletcher, an habitual criminal.

Fletcher is a smart, witty, cunning and loveable character.
He shares his cell with young Lennie Godber, a first time inmate upon whom he imparts his considerable wisdom and knowledge of the penal system and how to cope.

The pair must contend with troublesome fellow cons, harsh wardens, unwitting mishaps and the regular stresses of prison life, keeping their heads above water without getting on the wrong side of their jailers.

Fletch's wing is headed by the strict Scottish screw Mr Mackay, assisted by the far more easy-going - and somewhat exploitable - Mr Barrowclough.

In this Christmas special first broadcast on Christmas Eve 1976, Fletcher and Godber are hauled in front of the governor after being caught with illicit Christmas booze and become embroiled in Urwin's escape bid as he holds Mr Barrowclough and the governor's secretary hostage.

Written by Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais
Produced by Sydney Lotterby
A BBC Production.
Porridge is available here: http://tiny.cc/54j7gz

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.

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This week we review - The Cockfields (Series 1 Episode 1)

Sitcom focusing on a man who takes his girlfriend to meet his family at their home on the Isle of Wight for the very first time.

There they'll spend a long weekend as guests of his ever-doting mother Sue and controlling stepdad Ray.

Simon has been persuaded to mark the occasion of his 40th birthday back at the Cockfield family home and there's a fair amount of Isle of Wight "fun" in store for the couple, alongside interruptions from Simon's celebrity obsessed stepbrother David and the Cockfields' oddball handyman neighbour Andre.

If that wasn't enough, Simon's father Larry and his new American girlfriend Melissa are causing tensions to rise.

Can Simon survive a long (very long) birthday weekend with his biological and extended family without losing his cool, or his girlfriend?

Written by David Earl and Joe Wilkinson
Produced by John Rushton
Directed by Steve Bendelack
A UKTV Original by Yellow Door Productions.
The Cockfields is available on Sky Go

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This week we review - I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue (Series 72 Episode 3)

This show started out as a spin-off from the BBC radio series I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again. The idea being that I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue was an unscripted version of the original.

ISIHAC is a parody of the traditional panel show, with games designed to humiliate and confuse. Points come for show's lovely (and fictitious) scorer Samantha.

Games include the self-explanatory "One Song to the Tune of Another"; mad word game "Cheddar Gorge"; "Sound Charades" (a game based on the TV show Give Us a Clue which differs in just three ways); "Word for Word", the opposite of word association; and the game based on the London Underground that is almost impossible to play - "Mornington Crescent".

Legendary host Humphrey Lyttelton presided over the first 50 series. In the series that followed the host's death the role of chairman was handed over to Stephen Fry, Jack Dee and Rob Brydon. The trio took it in turns to present the show. Jack Dee's episodes were generally the best received by the audience, and thus Dee has been installed as the new host.

The most regular players of the game are Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and the late Willie Rushton.

Written by Iain Pattinson & Fraser Steele (Additional Material)
Produced by John Naismith
A BBC Production.
I'm Sorry I Haven’t A Clue is available here: http://tiny.cc/mqm0gz

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.
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This week we review - The Young Offenders (Series 1 Episode 1)

The Young Offenders follows the coming of age adventures of lovable rogues Conor and Jock as they navigate their awkward teenage years, hatching plans and adventures to help distract from their tough home lives and their inability to stay out of trouble at school.

The show is based on the 2016 film of the same name, with Alex Murphy and Chris Walley reprising their roles.

Conor's long suffering mother Mairead tries to keep both her son and his best friend on the straight and narrow, with varying degrees of success.

Friendship, loyalty, laughter and lots of mischief bring best pals Conor and Jock into conflict with their headmaster, leaving Conor's mum to pick up the pieces.
To add fuel to the fire, the lads strike up friendships with their headmaster's daughters.

Written by Peter Foott
Produced by Martina Niland and Tim Whitby
Directed by Peter Foott & Tom Marshall
A Vico Films Production for BBC in association with RTE.
The Young Offenders is available here: http://tiny.cc/eyl0gz

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.
Subscribe for a new episode each Monday.
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This week we review - Ed Reardon's Week (Series 11 Episode 6)

This sitcom follows the life of Ed Reardon, a curmudgeonly writer who has only managed to have one novel published since the 60s.

Despite his distinct lack of success, Ed remains bullishly optimistic about his future. Yes, he may only have a single pair of trousers and have one of the lowest sales ranks on Amazon, but no writer knows more about stealing stationery from their agent... as a freeloader Ed Reardon is the acknowledged king of his profession!

Regular characters joining Ed include Felix, the boss of Ed's publishers, Ping his '12 year-old' agent, the lively pensioners he teaches a screenwriting class to, and his old friend the irritatingly rich and successful movie director Jaz Milvane.

In recent series, Ed found himself still battling through the week encountering the numerous '12-year-olds' who run the media (the young Alex heading up the publishing company); teaching the lively bunch of pensioners who can show him a thing or two about moneymaking schemes, frugal living and having a good time; and having regular run-ins with the rather successful Jaz, director of his only ever book-to-screen adaptation.

Written by Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds

Produced by Simon Nicholls and Dawn Ellis

A BBC Studios Production.

Ed Reardon's Week is available here: http://tiny.cc/syvfgz

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.

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This week we review - Master Of None (Series 1 Episode 1)

Master of None follows the personal and professional life of Dev, a 30-year-old actor in New York.

His life goes by in a humorous, yet meaningful sequence of events as he hangs out with his three friends, does his best to find a relationship, whilst trying to get ahead in his career.

All of this proves to be quite difficult because Dev has trouble deciding what he wants to eat, much less what the pathway will be for the rest of his life.

As we journey with him through is social and professional life, he tackles subjects as diverse as the plight of the elderly, the immigrant experience, and how to find the most delicious pasta for dinner.

Written by Aziz Ansari, Lena Waithe, Alan Yang, Aniz Ansari

Produced by Igor Srubshchik

Directed by James Ponsoldt

An Alan Yang / Oh Brudder / Fremulon / 3 Arts Production for Netflix.

Master Of None is available here: https://tinyurl.com/yx6p6o5j

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.

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This week we review - Man Down (Series 1 Episode 1)

Dan is a childish idiot trapped in an adult's life.

He has crushing character flaws, a uniquely dysfunctional set of friends, a teaching job he loathes, and a wilfully insane father conspiring to keep this man down.

Dan's world is at near collapse as Man Down starts. His girlfriend Naomi is fast running out of patience with his inability to navigate the simplest of life tasks, while his best friends are Jo who has, what can only be described as, the loosest of grasp on reality and Brian, a straight-laced financial adviser who is regularly dumbfounded by the complete idiocy of his two friends.

To compound matters Dan's listless teaching career sees him begrudgingly teach a version of the same lesson every day, inexplicably popular with all but one of the pupils, with his only highlight coming in the form of Miss Lipsey, a head mistress who views Dan with a mixture of pity and despair.

Written by Greg Davies

Produced by Spencer Millman, Toby Welch and Jane Wallbank

Directed by Matt Lipsey and Al Campbell

An Avalon Production for Channel 4.

Man Down is available here: https://bit.ly/2PSLRGC

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.

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This week we review - Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show (Series 1 Episode 3)

One-time variety star Count Arthur Strong (Steve Delaney) is all tourettic tics, false starts and nervous fumbling, badly covered up by a delicate sheen of bravado and self-assurance.
With his jumbled delivery of words, delusions of grandeur and ability to get monumentally sidetracked, normal daily tasks become a challenge for Arthur and more often than not, those around him too.

Arthur is almost always oblivious to the chaos and delay he causes those he meets. He often ends up blaming them for the confusion he has caused, and can regularly be heard threatening to write a strongly worded letter or pass details on to his solicitor.

On the rare occasions that it does dawn on Arthur that he is at fault, he will attempt to lie his way out of trouble - normally digging himself into an even deeper hole in the process.

Arthur is a cheapskate - amongst those he attempts to get freebies from is Wilf Taylor, his butcher. Other characters who have the misfortune of knowing Arthur include cafe owner Gerry and Malcolm Titter, a naive budding young actor and playwright who stupidly looks to the Count for advice and acting lessons.

Starring Steve Delaney, Alastair Kerr, Dave Mounfield, Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins and Joanna Neary

Written by Steve Delaney

Produced by Mark Radcliffe, John Leonard and Richard Daws

A Komedia Entertainment / Smooth Operation Production.

Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show is available here: https://amzn.to/2Pyhe94

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.

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This week we review - Upstart Crow (Series 1 Episode 1)

It's 1592 and Will Shakespeare is just at the beginning of his extraordinary career. The series focuses on both Will's family and professional life and include the surprising stories of where many of his ideas came from.

Also featured are his wife Anne and his extended family, his servant Bottom, his friends Kate and Marlowe, his theatrical troupe, and his rival Robert Greene.

In the series, Will finds inspiration for Romeo from an unlikely source; mislays a nearly treasonous masterpiece; gets tricked into a very embarrassing pair of tights; has a spot of bother with the wife over some sonnets; meets three witches who predict great things for him; and borrows some money on some rather unusual conditions.

David Mitchell, Rob Rouse, Gemma Whelan, Liza Tarbuck, Harry Enfield, Paula Wilcox, Helen Monks, Steve Speirs.

Written by Ben Elton

Produced by Gareth Edwards

Directed by Matt Lipsey and Richard Boden

A BBC Production.

Upstart Crow is available here: https://bbc.in/2Phwhl1

The Comedy Slab Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Spotify and Youtube.

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Get in touch - we're @ComedySlab on Twitter and ComedySlab on Facebook.