I’ve just left the BBC Television Centre where I watched the filming of the pilot episode of Matt Morgan’s “The Fun Police” – a Channel 4 sitcom based in the Health and Safety Department of Brightsea Borough Council. The show stars Flight of The Concords’ Rhys Darby along with Jack Doolan (Cemetery Junction), Katy Wix (Not Going Out) and Vic Reeves supported by Kerry Howard and Clive Rowe.
We join the department shortly after an accident has left the boss (Hope) in a coma and Neil (played by Jack Doolan) with emotional issues. This leads us to a series of counselling sessions where we see Neil talking to a questionably qualified counsellor (Clive Rowe). Lesley (Rhys Darby) is left in charge and seeks help from Richard ‘Dickie’ Travers, the Town Planner (Vic Reeves) who has let the power of being able to name streets, go to his head.
The cast list gave me high hopes for this show but, sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe some slick editing will save it but we’ll have to wait and see. The biggest laughs were for Lesley’s poor management skills rather than the health and safety aspects of the show. The overzealous safety officer (with a prosthetic hand) had some personal issues that could be developed in future episodes but there was little else that I can see being taken forward.
Look out for: ‘General Safety’