ineffectualpoet
I caught an episode of this on BBC Three a while ago and presumed, from it's six month banishment that it will never see the light of day again. Approxiamtly, 2 weeks ago I decided to purchase the DVD. It is amazing. Truly a subtly funny script, amazing acting and Sean Lock, well, although he plays a misanthropic cynical man, he is lovable. Sometimes i wish i lived in the same block amongst him and his surreal tenants. He, alongside the director captures the atmosphere of the goings on inside a dilapidated block of flats excellently. And its not what you'd expect! A man who secretes a horse in his spare room, the husband of a aspiring swimmer who claims to be "crazy", a guy who helps his friend win back his girlfriend by constantly smashing his fist against a wall and various others. No extravagance, if anything, a pretty banal depressive atmosphere with a razor sharp script. That's the true essence of this comedy. I don't understand why shyte comedies get more attention than this? I ponder over whether people tend to love the acclaimed overrated crap rather than a comedy that truly delivers and pleases. Sean Lock & Mark Lamarr are both extremely talented writers. End of.
Mouldyman
Great stuff. Sean locke's character is just a mean bloke who seems not to be able to stand anyone else. Despite this he shares his flat with Errol, who is a simple fellow, perhaps a more less caricatured version of Father Dougal.The beauty of it is that despite the strange situations they make for themselves, they remain real characters you can believe in. Errol is naive and extremely likable. Vince is the opposite, cynical, and nasty, taking out his vitriol on other people in unprovoked acts of spite (but in a funny way).The supporting characters inhabiting the rest of the building are the exaggerated, strange beings, and i thought that a great deal of their antics were just slightly too bizarre to exist alongside Vince and Errol's reality.But this is one of the funniest first series I have seen, and I look forward to seeing the second (hurry up and release it on DVD!!)
cannygeet
Having been a fan of Sean Lock's comedy for many years I looked forward to this series and it did not disappoint. It is hilarious! To anyone who hasn't seen it, buy the BBC DVD right now. To summarise Vince, a swimming pool attendant, and his jobless flatmate, Errol, live in a block of flats. And, as in most sitcoms, hilarious adventures ensue. However, the brilliance comes from Lock's surreal writing. The two characters are flatmates but not friends, the adventures range from the problems of being addicted to a cheap energy drink (Blue Rat), trying to get your flat decorated when you use Readers' Wives for style tips ("You can't have sex in a living room. That's where you have Christmas") or simply the problems that come from killing a swan. Each episode is broken up by short glimpses of what is going on in the other flats. These vary each week and go from the sublime to the ridiculous (the man who wants "dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, spot!" for his spotted dick is fantastic.If you like comedy- give it a go. If you want a change from canned laughter filled colourful sitcoms - give it a go.
jbaccy
I only managed to catch one episode so far but what an episode! It's one of those underrated comedies you hear nothing about, but the script is hillarious, and the straighter-than-straight acting just suits it to a T. Stylistically, it's a cross between league of gentlemen, the office, and something else all of it's own. From what I can tell, it charters the lives of the inhabitants of a block of flats in anytown UK. Watch if you're after something different.