TV review

Published Wednesday 19 March 2008 at 15:35 by Harry Venning

I must admit, I was feeling somewhat ambivalent about a second series of BBC3’s brilliant comedy Gavin And Stacey. The story of their Barry Island to Billaricay courtship had already reached a perfectly satisfactory conclusion when the pair finally made it to the altar, in one of the funniest and most poignant wedding themed episodes I’ve ever seen. Was there any need to revisit them post-nuptials?

Well, yes and no. There were certainly several plot lines left untied, and a bucketload of awards made a sequel inevitable, but with love’s first blush long faded, the untrammelled romanticism that informed the first series is no longer available to the second, and the tone is a lot flatter without it.

With Gavin and Stacey mired in the mundanities of married life, the couple are relegated to supporting characters in their own sitcom, surrendering centre stage to respective best friends Smiffy and Nessa. No shrinking violets, Smiffy and Nessa always got the best lines and biggest laughs but were never allowed to upstage the show’s better written and more clearly defined eponymous stars. Series two sees Smiffy and Nessa burdened with carrying the main storyline - despite mutual loathing the pair have contrived to make a baby - and not looking altogether comfortable with it.

Truth be told, I’m not sure why I’m being so sniffy since I sat glued to the screen throughout the opening double helping and am fully committed to the following four episodes. With all my reservations, it is still the funniest, best written and most engaging comedy on TV, and worth watching for Bob Brydon’s Uncle Bryn alone. His sing-along to James Blunt was joyful to behold.

I’d Do Anything is the latest 12-week long advertisement, masquerading as a talent search, for an impending Andrew Lloyd Webber production, namely Oliver. The roles of Nancy and Oliver are up for grabs and it’s business as usual with a parade of weeping wannabes, no-hopers and girls whose Mums are too ill to attend the audition but share their daughter’s triumph via a mobile phone call.

Actually we, the people, don’t get any say in the casting of title role Oliver. That is Sir Andrew’s prerogative, and he’s welcome to it. “The Lord will decide,” announced cheeky Graham Norton, making the title resonate with Messianic overtones. Not that I’d imagine Sir Andrew objects.

Instead we get to help choose Nancy, which should be much more fun as the role demands quite a bit of acting and attitude, as well as vocal skills. Sir Andrew thinks Amy Winehouse provides the ideal template for Nancy, Cameron Mackintosh favours Shirley Bassey. So, no pressure there then.

DETAILS

Gavin And Stacey, BBC3, Monday 10pm

I’d Do Anything, BBC1, Sat 7pm