Dreamland

I've just binged through the whole series in an afternoon. Thought the leads Freema Agyeman and Lily Allen were really good and spoke great supporting actors, especially Frances Barber who can always be relied upon.

Not exactly laugh out loud funny but enough humour to keep it going and really all about the family dynamic. I'd not realised before watching it was written by Sharon Horgan but I can see now it's in her style - tight knit family with drama and angst.

It kind of ends without resolving things and there's a couple of threads that need expanding on so hopefully there'll be a series 2.

I have no understanding why some critics said this show was good. Ok lily allen is in it. She's not an actor but is ok in this. It reminds me of Benidorm. Nothing really happens and it's not really funny and there is also not really much drama. It's massively overrated D it's a "sky original" . How many of those have been good? Promising young woman was good but really their output has been poor so it's not really a surprise to see content like this .lily Allen used to be famous for being.a drugged pop star and flashing her boobs. It doesn't appear there is much too much to her. Marry a stranger things actor ....

The usually brilliant Sharon Horgan is attached to this production, but it's clear as day she's not had much involvement in this limp mess. Surely the whole concept was thought up in some Soho House coke-fuelled session? "Babe y'know everyone's moving to Margate now". The whole thing oozes overfunded and under-skilled girlboss energy, much like so much of British television today. The addition of Lily Allen just intensifies the privilege and disconnection on show.

To make up for a lack of script, acting and storyline they've added a lot of Technicolor saturation to at least keep you involved...

Nothing particularly stands out with this comedy, it's a pleasant watch and makes Margate look quite idyllic. I must admit I got a kick from the nostalgia of many seaside holidays there .

It's not particularly funny nor so many of the main cast gel all that much, with standard EastEnders /soapy plots. .

The cinematography is all over the place though. Lots of lovely shots of the seaside with oversaturated colour and bright vibrant colours give it a pictur postcard look, but the CinemaScope widescreen aspect is totally wasted on everything else. Scenes with characters talking flick between characters and we have full frame closeups instead of wider shots that would look better in the format.

It's clearly filmed for a normal 16:9 aspect and modified in post as the directors just don't take advantage of the format properly .

Dreamland has a fantastic cast! Lily Allen, Freema Agyeman, Frances Barber, Gabby Best, Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Shiela Reid, shine through as they depict this dysfunctional family. Great to see Kiell Smith-Bynoe in a more serious role, which he does to perfection.

The first episode can be a bit full on, in places, but as the episodes unfold, we see a calmer, deeper, emotional side of the characters and their vulnerabilities. Dreamland pulls you from some brash humour in the first episode through to an emotional journey and anguish as the episodes unfold. 10/10! Bravo! Love to have a season 2!!