SSP TV Blog: Dappers: the omens are mixed
March 19, 2010 by Such Small Portions
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In the continuing series of blogs looking into the world of British comedy TV, Andrew Mickel sums up the potential of the new BBC3 show Dappers...
BBC Three have announced a new comedy drama pilot. It might be good, it might be bad. The details we know so far certainly don't help to work out whether we have a Being Human or a Phoo Action on our hands...
BAD OMEN
“BBC Three today announce casting for a brand new comedy-drama pilot, Dappers”
BBC Three managed to make one good series of Being Human, complete with snappy dialogue and grounded plots. But the second series managed to include the best character for no more than, oh, five minutes (Nina), drivel on about God a lot, and keep the main characters apart from each other when their chit chats used to be the best part of the show. Take this together with the rest of their current comedy output and, well, it's not sounding good, is it? Also: TERRIBLE title.
GOOD OMEN
“from Mamma Mia! writer Catherine Johnson”
But wait! Because this sounds very good. Not good because she wrote Mamma Mia!, but good because she did an episode of the cruelly underrated Liza Tarbuck vehicle, Linda Green. Plus she used to be a scriptwriter on Byker Grove. The woman is the living embodiment of comedy drama.
BAD OMEN
“Starring Lenora Crichlow (Being Human, Material Girl) and Ty Glaser (Above Suspicion, The IT Crowd)”
Not that I have anything against either of them – Lenora Crichlow is scrappily very funny – but they're both younger than me, and I don't want to watch that.
GOOD OMEN
Other cast include “Darren Boyd from Smack The Pony and Olivia Poulet from The Thick of It”
Both of whom are outright hilarious. Although why name Smack The Pony for Darren Boyd? He was far better and more used more recently in Green Wing, being all lovely and tall and blonde. More of that, please.
BAD OMEN
“who have moved to Bristol for its laid-back charm”
It's a common move, that, as us uptight Londoners can't resist the irresistibly laid-back charm of Massive Attack and Holby City.
GOOD OMEN...
Also stars “Eddie Large, Little and Large...”
Who always seems quite game for a laugh...
...BAD OMEN
“...and Gwen Taylor, Barbara”
...who doesn't, as she almost exclusively plays no-nonsense (read: rude) Yorkshirewoman.
UNFATHOMABLE OMEN
“Damien Timmer, executive producer for Mammoth Screen, adds: "We hope Dappers puts Bristol on the TV comedy map for some time to come!"”
Uh, Skins, anyone? Or Being Human, for that matter, seeing as the BBC insist on classifying that as comedy?
ATTROCIOUS OMEN
“These Dappers share laughs, banter and bust-ups with a chirpy resolve and two fingers to the snot-bags who've never dreamed.”
So it's going on the Phoo Action pile after all. Oh well, never mind
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