aka BBC autumn treats (part 3)
It’s been a long hot summer and it’s 95 degrees in the shade (or so Girls Aloud once memorably sang). And it seems that waiting for announcements of exciting autumn schedules are like buses – you wait for one with the expectant hope of Patrick Kielty awaiting his next contract through the heatwave of the World Cup, Love Island and Big Brother, then loads come along at once.
Yesterday, BBC Three announced the highlights of its upcoming autumn schedule yesterday, the first new season under incoming controller Julian Bellamy. Through the pages of TV Today, I’ve been very enthusiastic about the output of BBC Three – the marvellous Drop Dead Gorgeous being a particular highpoint for the channel’s drama output that goes head to head with anything being put out by the premier terrestrials (and in the case of ITV1, that isn’t hard).
The centrepiece of the press release is Torchwood, the most ambitious run of drama commissioned by BBC Three outside of the much-praised Casanova (ironically being brought to life by much of the same team – Russell T Davies and exec producer Julie Gardner). A science-fiction crime thriller running over 13 weeks and focusing on the investigations of the top secret Torchwood (which just might have formed the backbone of the final two episodes of a popular family drama series that we’re not allowed to mention anymore (pssst, it’s Doctor Who, but keep that to yourself).
Its hard to say how Torchwood will fare – the success of the parent show is based around wide audience appeal – and Torchwood is definitely aiming for a post watershed audience. I’m glad I’m not the parent who’ll be explaining why they can’t stop up to see the return of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), last seen in that series we don’t talk about, and filling in time in a lead role here until joining up with the third series of that series which must not be named. It will be different in tone, and that might just be to its benefit, but until some preview tapes have been seen, the jury is well and truly out. Julian Bellamy is using Torchwood as something of a State of the Union address (sorry, going a bit West Wing crazy), stating:
“Torchwood is just the kind of cutting edge, ambitious drama of real scale that we’re seeking on BBC Three…”
One drama that has defined BBC Three and deserved a much wider audience than it gained on the terrestrials (BBC2 on a Saturday night? I think not!) is Bodies. The truly magnificent drama is rounded off with a feature-length finale, and there is no doubt in my mind that it will be as bleak, visceral and brutal as what came before. But pity Max Beesley. after the heights of Bodies, he’s back filming the second series of Hotel Babylon (shush, I actually like that too…).
As before, BBC Three has a tradition of siring new comedy (having previously plucked Little Britain from Radio 4 to become to become an era defining show), and the autumn line up continues this…
Pulling sounds like another 20-something, ever so knowing comedy in the Grownups mould, seeing Donna dumping her fiancé Karl just days before the wedding. How will Karl cope with seeing Donna getting on with her life, leaving him behind? It sounds painfully BBC Three to be truly worthwhile, but maybe the channel knows its audience better than I do…
Little Miss Jocelyn is a sketch based show starring Three Non-Blondes’ Jocelyn Lee Esien. I failed to catch the Three Non-Blondes boat, remaining stoically poker faced at its charms, so this is one I can probably live without.
I’m With Stupid has controversial written all over it, starring Mark Benton and Paul Henshall in a comedy that tackles disability in a “funny and truthful way”. Benton always brings a unique touch to anything he appears, and his presence here brings a sheen a reassurance to something that would otherwise leave me feeling very nervous.
Dogtown is the working title of a comedy set in the coastal town of Horton-Le-Hole, the name of which almost had me splitting my sides in mirth. Note I said: almost. James Gaddas and Geraldine McNulty star.
And on learning that Tittybangbang is returning for a second series, I immediately penned a very strong letter to my MP. What bright spark thought this feeble excuse for a sketch show was worthy of another commission? Take my advice, rather than watching Tittybangbang, head down to the shops, buy yourself an economy pack of cocktail sticks and then go out and film your own home movie version of Hellraiser. Believe me, that will be half an hour of your life you’ll want back more than the 30 minutes spent watching Tittybangbang. Somebody please tell me that the superior Man Stroke Woman is getting another run. Please.
Finally, much like BBC1, Three has commissioned a series of one-off comedy pilots, all designed for a pre-watershed slot. Bash stars Susan Earl, And Martin is written by Mark Watson, and Lab Rats is written by the excellent Chris Addison and produced by Armando Iannucci, a name that will always bring a note of good pedigree.
All in all, this seems like a confident package that displays a good understanding of the channel’s core audience. Torchwood is going to receive most attention, but hopefully there are a couple of gems that might have legs somewhere along the way. But keep me away from Tittybangbang, I won’t be responsible for my actions!
I quite liked Titty Bang Bang as an idea and I really wanted to like it but it seemed to suffer from trying to be too similar to other shows - or other people.
I think it's right for the Beeb to give them another shot at it - comedians are always complaining that comedy isn't given enough of a chance to try out what works and learn from the mistakes because everyone wants instant hits.
Hopefully this time round the sketches will take on more of a Smack The Pony feel - just in that the sketches are 'one-offs' - as I felt that a lot of the material would have worked if they'd not been running characters because to pull it up again with the same plot and script seemed pointless and tiresome (and not even in a funny way). If they'd been one-offs and shorter (although I appreciate this will make it more expensive) then at least we would have felt more compelled to sit through one tiresome sketch as there would be the hope that something new and funny was likely to be next and we wouldn't have to suffer it all again next week.
Maybe they'll get an editor in to tighten it up a bit too and stop feeling the need to be a 'female Little Britain with Vic and Bob style largely-unfunny surrealism' - which felt like a huge albatross on the show by having to follow the 'catchphrase/running characters' format simply because that worked for another show before.
Hopefully they'll break out of the chains of the other shows around and do something on their own terms.
There are a lot of comedy sketch shows that popped up after Little Britain (Spoons, Swinging) and Titty did seem to be the poorer relation in comparison. But I do like Lucy Montgomery and Debbie Chazen et al. so I do hope they can find their own turf and something with a more unique, unusual and new feel to it.
It's such a shame that there are some great performers out there but they just don't seem to have the right material/vehicles. Rosie Cavaliero should be comedy gold but Feel The Force just didn't seem to work as a whole, although I thought she was the best thing in it (she's been great in radio productions like Nebulous and on Spoons). And Lucy Montgomery in The Elephant Woman with Population 3 was hilarious so it almost pains me to say Titty just didn't manage to pull it off last season.
Maybe they should ditch all Vic and Bob/Little Britain influences and just see what they come up with on their own.
Totally agree re: Tittybangbang, although I'm not so sold on Lucy Montgomery. Debbie Chazen, however, is magnificent in The Smoking Room, and Rosie Cavaliero should be a huge, huge TV star. Hopefully she will be in years to come