Pity the poor sitcom. Once they roamed in herds across the schedules like buffalo on the plains. But the sketch show intruded on their natural habitat, bringing with it an epidemic of catchphrases, quick character turnaround and comic immediacy to which the traditional plot driven sitcom had no resistance, decimating its numbers and forcing it to the very edge of extinction.
Where, some would argue, it should do the decent thing and jump. However, I believe a well crafted sitcom to be a thing of beauty, and offer congratulations to BBC3 for their laudable attempt at sitcom conservation on Monday evenings.
Not that their series of comedy pilots has been entirely successful. Both Placebo and Admin showed promise, but tried too hard to be funny and ultimately buckled beneath the pressure of producing the instant results a pilot demands. But Delta Forever, based around the obsessive misbehaviour of a group of online fantasy fiction fans, has the makings of a very big hit.
The plot is both refreshingly original and beautifully simple. Delta Dempsey, the time travelling librarian hero of a bestselling series of books, has been made into a feature film and the American producers are keen to get the British core fan base onside. Cue Delta devotees’ desperate attempts to acquire coveted test screening tickets through begging, blagging and a website competition run by an obstreperous and power drunk fellow fan.
It has to be said that Delta Dempsey isn’t screamingly funny, but it succeeds in being constantly amusing, engaging and charming. Most importantly for a sitcom, the characters make an immediate impact, provide good company and leave you wanting to get better acquainted.
It would certainly be a gross injustice if this pilot proved the only television outing for Guantanamo Ray, the self-appointed defender of the Delta Dempsey faith and a man of strong convictions. “A couple of points,” announces Ray at the end of the screening, holding up two sheets of paper. On the first he has scrawled the words, “It’s shite”. On the second he has also scrawled the words “It’s shite”.
Which, I have to confess, is how I pretty much feel about the latest BBC3 sketch show Scallywagga. While there’s no denying the energy and enthusiasm displayed by its young and talented cast, no amount of on-screen exuberance can disguise the paucity of the material they’re given to work with.
A generous estimate would put Scallywagga’s strike rate around 20%, but in the spirit of constructive criticism I feel I should catalogue those sketches I liked - the annoying psychic who hovers over strangers shoulders announcing their intimate details, the suburban Jedi dad who accidentally severs his leg off with a light sabre, the girl dancing for world peace and the lad with the glowing sexually transmitted disease. The rest left me cold.
Like many modern sketch shows, Scallywagga’s humour is dependent upon constant repetition of the familiar to bludgeon its audience into submission. Who knows, if I were to watch the girl in the red beret enquire “Is there a Greggs the bakers around here?” enough times it might magically transform from the worst catchphrase in comedy history to the Pavlovian trouser wetter it believes itself to be. But frankly, I don’t think I’ll be giving it the chance.
DETAILS
Delta Forever - BBC3, Monday, May 19, 11pm
Scallywagga - BBC3, Sunday, May 18, 10.45pm
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