Murder in successville, review: at the sharper end of cutting-edge comedy

Telegraph

Murder in successville, review: at the sharper end of cutting-edge comedy"


Play all audios:

Loading...

Gerard O'Donovan 16 June 2016 7:06am BST A unique mash-up of terrible impressions, ropey improvisations and perplexed celebs made MURDER IN SUCCESSVILLE one of BBC Three’s surprise hits


last year – a genuine example of a show that fits perfectly the description “so bad it’s good.” Returning for a second run, the formula remained exactly the same – a (supposedly)


unsuspecting B-list celebrity turns up on set to take part in a murder mystery show set in a world of criminally inclined fellow celebrities – and has to wing it all the way. Once again Tom


Davis played hulking DI Sleet, scourge of celebrity crims and Chandleresque cliché: “I brush my teeth with crime, I wipe my ass with bad guys, and I descale my kettle with kettle descaler –­


cos there’s no other way.” First up to play his sidekick was Geordie Shore’s Vicky Pattison. Of course, this being second series, any celeb who turned up not knowing what to expect would


have to have the world’s worst agent. And Pattison clearly knew what was awaiting her – if not how it would actually pan out.  Assigned to clear Sleet’s name after Nick Knowles’s lifeless


body was found in his car, she showed admirable skill in organising a spontaneous prison break and “going renegade” with him in order to prove his innocence. It’s an indication of how well


the series has been received that Paul Whitehouse turned up in the role of a gangsta Len Goodman – hilariously pushing Davis to the improvisational limits in a spirallingly funny


interrogation scene, with Pattison giving as good as she got, too. But it was in the scene where she was required to befriend Sleet’s lush of an ex-girlfriend Lorraine Kelly (Marie Lawrence)


that Pattison was at her best, not only batting back every verbal curve ball thrown at her, but even coping admirably when an unexpected item appeared in Sleet’s baggy pants. This is a show


that depends almost entirely for its laughs on whether the participants are having fun. By the closing scene in which Sleet, holding Pattison hostage and demanding his foul-mouthed boss


Gordon Ramsay (Liam Hourican) kiss a colleague and “hump his leg like a Jack Russell” everyone involved looked fit to burst from the pleasure of their own inventiveness. The 25 best comedy


duos The show's format has the potential to get stale quite quickly. But it still feels like it’s at the sharper end of comedy’s cutting edge. And with the likes of Whitehouse piling in


to add a touch of class, and up-for-it young performers like Pattison determined to kick back and ramp up the fun, for now Murder in Successville clearly has plenty more to give. The top 30


TV shows on BBC Store


Trending News

The emotion centre is the oldest part of the human brain: why is mood so important?

_The brain is key to our existence, but there’s a long way to go before neuroscience can truly capture its staggering ca...

1515 sustained improvement in growth velocity (gv) & bone histology (bh) with 250hd3 (250) therapy (rx) in chronic renal failure (crf)

ABSTRACT Linear growth failure is a major complication of CRF unique to children and is related to renal osteodystrophy ...

One Lesson From Psychology To Get Your Kids To Do Their Homework

Member-only storyOne Lesson From Psychology To Get Your Kids To Do Their HomeworkRamsay LewisFollow5 min read·Apr 17, 20...

Time to refocus for south korean science

* NATURE INDEX * 21 August 2024 Facing challenges on multiple fronts, the country needs to rethink its approaches to res...

Isotopes in Hæmatology | Nature

The Use of Isotopes in Hæmatology By L. G. Lajtha. Pp. x + 83. (Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications; Springfield, ...

Latests News

Murder in successville, review: at the sharper end of cutting-edge comedy

Gerard O'Donovan 16 June 2016 7:06am BST A unique mash-up of terrible impressions, ropey improvisations and perplex...

Food festivals, feasts and foraging: britain's tastiest days out

1. Feast your eyes on French chef Raymond Blanc tonight (October 23) when he’ll be hosting a gourmet dinner at his resta...

Us crack down on chinese hacking and espionage

The 10 intelligence officers were part of the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) attempts to combat the alleged economic e...

Money with monika season 1, ep. 5: how to spot dubious investment plans

Updated: 04 Jan 2019, 06:19 PM IST LIVEMINT IN THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF MONEY WITH MONIKA, WE TELL YOU HOW TO SPOT DU...

Asda exposed: weetabix makes supermarket's cereal at almost half price

Weetabix is a breakfast favourite for many Britons, and at just £2.79 for 24, it seems like a great deal. But, Asda’s Wh...

Top