Review of Peep Show: Series 2

Introduction

I have this scene in my head. Channel 4 offices, the day after the National TV Awards. Someone`s not happy, more than a little bit annoyed at the BBC hogging all the British comedy acclaim recently and holds an emergency meeting.

"Why don`t we have one, I want a sitcom as good as they have."

"But, your omnipotentliness we don`t have a format."

"I DON`T GIVE A FLYING **** ABOUT FORMAT. Get a couple of morons and stick them in a high-rise if you have to."

Welcome then Peep Show and although I`m road-testing series two here it`s all news to me. Unfortunately series one passed me by and I`m now in the slightly annoying position of having to now buy series one and watch that retrospectively.

This, I hope, won`t really matter all that much but I will have to buy it because it is very funny. It truly deserves to be up there with the BBC heavy hitters like Little Britain and The Office.

Like The Office, Peep Show has the ability to make you recoil as you become vicariously embarrassed by the characters many faux pas, particularly so as we are allowed insight into the main characters` inner thoughts as well as what they actually say - sometimes and usually completely conflicting.

It`s told to its audience entirely from first person perspective and uses the highly effective POV (Point of View) camera technique. This involves extreme close-ups and actors wearing hard hats with cameras attached - it`s almost as if you are watching from behind the eyes of the speaker and works very well for the show.

Jeremy (Robert Webb) and Mark (David Mitchell) are flatmates, both really bad at life in general. Jez has the loser attitude down pat although he still believes himself cooler and superior to his unlikely mate. He can`t be bothered appealing the decision to fail him for his university degree, "I didn`t go to university to get a degree Mark," and much prefers to hang around the flat all day with his mate Super Hans waiting for his band to hit the big time rather than join the rat race. Closest he comes to this is winning a commission from an old school friend to do the music for a Honda advert.

Mark`s a worrier. And 9 to 5 in a loan management position and an extremely unhealthy obsession with one of his female colleagues do not seem to be helping. Sophie (Olivia Colman) is actually quite taken with him until she discovers that he`s hacked into her e-mail/diary in order to point score on his love rival Jeff (Neil Fitzmaurice).

Mark tries every trick in the book to win Sophie`s affections. He attempts a charity bungee jump with disastrous results, attends a hippy, primal scream/dance class and almost has group sex.

Jez is slightly luckier; he`s not entirely neurotic and has the ability to let go slightly more. This is hilariously apparent at the dance class as he successfully wins over stunning American hippy chick Nancy.

Now an item, the pair set about breaking every taboo there is, mainly sexual and all instigated by Nancy (Rachel Blanchard). She now occupies Jez`s every waking thought and you do feel a bit for him as he desperately tries to conform by going along with all her whacked-out ideas - especially as she sleeps with smarmy, loaded hippy Gwyn (Alan Westaway) in front of him.

Best scenes for me are Jez getting caught shoplifting, the pair going to Dartmouth University for Jez`s gig and Mark meeting new best mate, closet Nazi, Daryl (Steve Edge).

I thought beer swigging, Clarkson-worshipping Daryl was quite funny but he quickly leaves the loan management company under a very dark cloud.

There`s no doubt though that much more of his kind exist in the writers` heads. Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, formerly of Smack the Pony seem to understand just what kind of characters the show needs.

Roll on series three then, much more of the same please lads.

Video

Good transfer. The picture quality is excellent and the camera techniques used compliment the style of the show very well although they can make you a little bit nauseus at time - I`m thinking of kissing scenes here, you kind of feel like you`re about to fall into someon`e mouth.

Audio

Nothing remarkable really. The theme tunes a pretty decent indie track. The kind of funny blip-blop sound between scenes also reminds you of how ridiculous some of the characters are.

Features

Behind The Scenes Documentary: Cast, writers and director Tristam Shapeero talk through the four stages of filming the show, from writing to the final edit. Good behind the scenes footage. 8mins 20secs.

Deleted Scenes: 11 deleted scenes. I thought a couple of these were too good to end up on the cutting room floor, especially the one in the bar with Jez and Jeff.

Gogs Film: This is the full 1 min 30 s Honda advert that Jez gets commissioned for from Gogs. A bit pointless really.

Conclusion

This is a fantastic comedy and reminds me very much of mid-nineties BBC series Game On, which had a very good first series until they replaced the very good Ben Chaplin with the good but not quite so good Neil Stuke - there`s shades of Men Behaving Badly there too.

It`s surprising too, I really didn`t think I would like it so much but after watching the first three episodes I found myself the next day really looking forward to the next three.