(Madman)

Two Pints Of Lager… is the type of show that is likely to influence much greater shows. This is not a compliment. What I’m saying is that it’s the type of dreadful, clichéd and utterly by-the-numbers BBC sitcom that compels quality writers to make something better. I dare say Ricky Gervais could have taken notes from this show before creating When The Whistle Blows, his stinging sitcom parody within Extras. The show revolves around five characters, including one couple, two ensnared in a ‘should we? Shouldn’t we? Oh, let’s just shag’ battle of the minds and … the other one. Remembering her name is not the worth the time, but she can’t hold down a job, is a bit of a ditz and a flirt, and doesn’t mind wearing skirts that get her ‘baps’ out to the canned wolf whistles of the audience. So let’s call her The Role Model. A clear cash-in attempt of the twenty-something market that Friends was engulfing at the start of the millennium, this quintet of mental giants converse in the local dive pub instead of a coffee shop, engaging in conversations about football and pornography while you’re left wondering how this show squeezed 12 episodes out. For those who think that the BBC is the motherland of edgy, witty, exploratory and truly visionary comedy, please remember that what makes its way to Australia is just a fraction of what gets shown on the four channels. It’s not all Boosh and Brent, most of it are jokes about salty nuts and coming across a little queer. Ooooooohh!

½

MITCH ALEXANDER

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