:: EDITORIAL
Another break between updates, butu this time a little longer than normal due to a death in the family. Whilst time hasn't allowed for updates, the releases have still been coming in thick and fast and are stockpiling next to me in the office. I am hoping that over the next couple of weeks not only will I be able to bring the latest releases, but also catch up on the backlog. Looking out the window at the rain coming down, I may be able to get that done sooner than I thought as there certainly isn't any chance of relaxing in the sun!
:: BOY MEETS GIRL
Ever had one of those days when you're not feeling yourself?
This is the new ITV comedy drama transcends the gender divide. Dreamer Danny Reed’s (Martin Freeman – The Office; Love Actually) life is turned upside down when he is struck by lightning and wakes to find himself trapped in a woman’s body. Instead of being a scruffy DIY store worker with no prospects, he has now swapped lives with glamorous female fashion journalist Veronica Burton, played by (Rachael Stirling – Tipping The Velvet).
Danny suddenly has to learn how to walk in stilettos and put on a bra, how to deal with the amorous advances of Veronica’s boyfriend Jay (Paterson Joseph, Doctor Who, Peep Show) and how to pass himself off as a fashion expert while also trying to find out what has happened to his old self. His double life becomes further complicated when he discovers that Veronica has been having an affair with Ali (James Lance, Teachers), the boyfriend of one of her close friends, Siobhan (Tamzin Malleson, Bodies).
But Danny comes to see the advantages of his new life when he revisits his old DIY shop as the stylish, tall and attractive Veronica, and speaks to his fellow worker Pete (Marshall Lancaster) and the girl of his dreams Fiona (Angela Griffin, Cutting It) about Danny’s “disappearance”. For the first time ever, Fiona seems interested in him…Will Danny find his way back to his old life, and if he does, will he still want it? This fast paced, stylish new comedy drama as seen on ITV1, contains all four episodes and is available now for the first time on DVD.
I must admit to having missed this series on ITV as it clashed with Reggie Perrin (I wanted to compare it to the original - incidentally that wasn't the road crash TV expreience I was expecting) and I couldn't find it in the ITV2 schedules at all, so the DVD will be an ideal opportunity to catch up with things. I understand the review discs will be with me shortly, so I hope to do the release justice with a bit more detailed write up shortly.
:: Free Agents
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From the production team behind two of Channel 4’s most acclaimed comedies Spaced and Black Books comes Free Agents, a new six-part romantic comedy starring Stephen Mangan, Sharon Horgan and Anthony Head released exclusively by 4DVD on Monday 30th March 2009. Alex ( Mangan) is a talent agent suffering all the pain and sadness of divorce. In the office across from him is Helen (Sharon Horgan) a talent agent suffering all the pain and sadness of bereavement. They're perfect for each other. According to Alex. According to Helen, he has got to be bloody joking. There's no way she's having sex with Alex. Again. Not after the last two times they had sex. Absolutely not...... Darkly funny and poignant, Free Agents depicts a world in which everyone from their roguish boss (Anthony Head) to their colleagues, their clients, friends, relatives, acccountants and even ex-girlfriends are as bizarrely dysfunctional as Alex and Helen themselves. It’s a comedy about an on-but mostly off romance between two people who might just have a future together if they can shake off their damaged pasts. | |
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Originally broadcast as part of C4’s comedy showcase in October 2007, Free Agents is produced by Nira Park (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) and is a collaboration between production companies Big Talk (Spaced, Black Books) and Bwark (The Inbetweeners). Featuring a host of extras including out-takes, deleted scenes, photo gallery, a commentary with the main cast, and a selection of unseen specially scripted content featuring all the main characters, the series is available on DVD on Monday 30th March 2009 and also airs on C4 starting 13th February. See a clip of the series here. OK, so that is the press stuff, does it really live up to the blurb - well yes. I managed to cock-up every recording of the series when it went out on Channel 4, and by the time I had realised the chance to catch up on +1 had long gone, so I was actually quite pleased when I got the review disc in the post. I certainly remember the 'pilot' (was it really 18 months ago - where does all the time go) as it was one that stood out from the other things C4 have been putting out as part of their Comedy Lab series, and my notes actually have a tick next to them - there, it must have been good! I'll be honest though and say that most new comedy, even if I do take to it immediately, won't get a complete run through in one sitting. This wasn't quite one sitting - I had lunch in between, but it was pretty damn close, and when I reached the end of the DVD I actually thought that it was very odd it not being a standard length series. I checked the episode list and sure enough I had watched all six, remembered the storylines from each, but they had just whizzed by. Feeling I wanted more, I even went through all the extras as well, and am now just waiting for the next series. This happens less frequently than I would like with new comedy series so I am extrermely happy that it is being released on DVD. The RRP is just shy of 20 quid, but pre-ordering will save you nearly half of that, and answering the simple question that follows will put you in with a chance of winning one of three copies I have to give away: Which hospital based comedy on C4 would you also find Mangan in? The answer was Green Wing, and the winners have been sen their prizes. | |
