There is nothing high-flying city-type Anthony wants more than the perfect Christmas with his girlfriend and settling down in front of the telly with his parents to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. But he has no girlfriend, so instead hires glamorous actress-turned-call girl Irina to play the role.
Erica Guyatt is the standout in this black comedy, able to deliver deadpan lines about Irina’s Serbian past as effectively as she is able to turn on the sultry charm.
Unfortunately, the rest of the show tends to misfire. While Katy Darby’s script contains some smart one-liners, it also includes several of the hoariest cliches. While some are clearly there intentionally - this is a piece about a man seeking a Capra-esque Yuletide fantasy, after all - the effect, especially when combined with the blandness of Luke Bateman’s score, is of a rather by the numbers telling of an otherwise interesting story.
That’s a pity, because the show’s final twist deserves to be better executed. It could also be more elegantly signposted: while there are lines peppered throughout that hint at the turn the story ultimately takes, the impression given is one of confusion rather than the more subtle build-up the writers are surely trying to achieve.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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