STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
I was interested in giving this show a glance 'cos it's set in my home city of Birmingham and,of course,who better to headbill it than that legendary stelwart of our comedic prowess,Jasper Carrott.But I have to say,the results are certainly not very encouraging.Jasper was fantastic in The Detectives,which I happen to regard as one of the finest comedy series ever created by the BBC,but here he just can't seem to help matters at all.
The premise rests around Colin the Builder (Carrott),his three children from his previous marriage,new wife Rupinder (Nina Wadia) and her disabled son (Jamil Dhillon) and the various mis-adventures they get up to in each weekly episode.
It opens to various shots around Birmingham (i.e.,the BT tower,the Brindley Place canals) shot in a cheap,almost camcorder esque fashion,which plays to a rather unappealing opening soundtrack.It also sets the tone for the rest of the series.Indeed,as one IMDB reviewer already pointed out,it feels more like one of those videos they might have played to you as a class back at primary school as opposed to a professionally made BBC production.Such shoddy,see through production values are complimented by poorly executed gags,with dire delivery and almost non-existent comic timing from the mainly inexperienced younger cast members.Jasper merely seems trapped by such a witless,dire script that even the greatest comedic expertise in the world probably could not save.It's no wonder,in fact,that Meera Syal appeared to have walked out by the second series.
The high notes lie in it's ingenuitive plot angles,that of the problems and adversities that may lie in a mixed-race family,and of having a child with a disability as one of it's main characters.These are certainly very inspired angles to explore.Unfortunately,this dismal series is never able to exploit them to their full potential,and ultimately emerges as a waste not only of some creative ideas,but of the talents of one of our finest funnymen ever to hit the big time.*
I was interested in giving this show a glance 'cos it's set in my home city of Birmingham and,of course,who better to headbill it than that legendary stelwart of our comedic prowess,Jasper Carrott.But I have to say,the results are certainly not very encouraging.Jasper was fantastic in The Detectives,which I happen to regard as one of the finest comedy series ever created by the BBC,but here he just can't seem to help matters at all.
The premise rests around Colin the Builder (Carrott),his three children from his previous marriage,new wife Rupinder (Nina Wadia) and her disabled son (Jamil Dhillon) and the various mis-adventures they get up to in each weekly episode.
It opens to various shots around Birmingham (i.e.,the BT tower,the Brindley Place canals) shot in a cheap,almost camcorder esque fashion,which plays to a rather unappealing opening soundtrack.It also sets the tone for the rest of the series.Indeed,as one IMDB reviewer already pointed out,it feels more like one of those videos they might have played to you as a class back at primary school as opposed to a professionally made BBC production.Such shoddy,see through production values are complimented by poorly executed gags,with dire delivery and almost non-existent comic timing from the mainly inexperienced younger cast members.Jasper merely seems trapped by such a witless,dire script that even the greatest comedic expertise in the world probably could not save.It's no wonder,in fact,that Meera Syal appeared to have walked out by the second series.
The high notes lie in it's ingenuitive plot angles,that of the problems and adversities that may lie in a mixed-race family,and of having a child with a disability as one of it's main characters.These are certainly very inspired angles to explore.Unfortunately,this dismal series is never able to exploit them to their full potential,and ultimately emerges as a waste not only of some creative ideas,but of the talents of one of our finest funnymen ever to hit the big time.*