... BEHAVING BADLY! Oh what joyous fun it is.
The series didn't work on ITV. Scheduling and advertising issues meant that it wasn't able to go far enough and be as crude as is perhaps necessary on occasion. Before you can laugh at raunchy antics though, it helps if you actually care about the characters involved. First flatmate Dermot was quite dour and Harry Enfield was obviously uncomfortable, so the character he played became difficult to like. The arrival of Neil Morrisey as "Tony Smart" created a perfect double act, meaning the series really hit its stride come the start of series 3, after they'd had time to gel. Serendipitously also the same moment that the show switched channels and moved to the BBC, it became a partnership made in bawdy heaven and never once deteriorated in quality from then on.
Of the two, "Gary" has to be my favourite character; all the infantile preoccupations of Tony, complicated by delusions of sophistication along with immense frustration at his dead-end job. His insecurity about being in a relationship and his attempts to gain advice in this area from work colleagues George and Anthea can be hilarious.
Watching grown men conduct themselves like kids never got old. It's a real shame that according to reports they seem to have disappeared from our screens for good...
The series didn't work on ITV. Scheduling and advertising issues meant that it wasn't able to go far enough and be as crude as is perhaps necessary on occasion. Before you can laugh at raunchy antics though, it helps if you actually care about the characters involved. First flatmate Dermot was quite dour and Harry Enfield was obviously uncomfortable, so the character he played became difficult to like. The arrival of Neil Morrisey as "Tony Smart" created a perfect double act, meaning the series really hit its stride come the start of series 3, after they'd had time to gel. Serendipitously also the same moment that the show switched channels and moved to the BBC, it became a partnership made in bawdy heaven and never once deteriorated in quality from then on.
Of the two, "Gary" has to be my favourite character; all the infantile preoccupations of Tony, complicated by delusions of sophistication along with immense frustration at his dead-end job. His insecurity about being in a relationship and his attempts to gain advice in this area from work colleagues George and Anthea can be hilarious.
Watching grown men conduct themselves like kids never got old. It's a real shame that according to reports they seem to have disappeared from our screens for good...