Peep Show

Along with Ricky Gervais' The Office, Peep Show is my favourite TV show and arguably one of the best sitcoms ever made. The unique inner monologue and POV filming style works to perfection thanks to David Mitchell's dry cynicism and Robert Webb's sneering apathy.

The show takes some getting used to and I would implore everyone to watch at least the first two seasons before giving up on it. It hits it's peak between the 2nd and 4th seasons yet maintains a very high standard right to the end. On top of two great lead performances from Mitchell and Webb, the supporting cast of Olivia Colman, Matt King and Paterson Joseph (amongst many others) are incredible. The show cycles quickly through different characters and storylines and as a result it stays fresh and creative from start to finish.

Not only should you watch Peep Show, you should probably rewatch it 3 or 4 times as well. From there you can join the various online groups dedicated to Peep Show memes and quotes and let it slowly dominate your entire life. This is the gift that keeps on giving, not much comes close.

...and also consider how strange your own life can be, how unusual your own thoughts and reasoning seem when viewed through the eyes of another. The idea is much more than a gimmick; it forms the backbone and provides a lot of the most hilarious and often shocking moments of the show.

Like all good concepts that are given a successful platform to work from, you wonder why the idea wasn't more popular beforehand. Webb and Mitchell have a dark, dry sense of humour that will appeal only to certain individuals not so bound by convention, somewhat bohemian if you will. People not afraid to admit that their own thoughts and actions can seem completely bizarre when given a different perspective.

To really appreciate the show you definitely have to put yourself in the shoes of the two leads. You have to share in their shame, humiliations and triumphs - literally getting out what you put in. This is no soap opera that you tune into so that you can tune out, this is one that demands your full attention.

Webb and Mitchell have a lot of calibre as actors as this show is obviously very difficult to film, being as it is almost entirely filmed through the eyes of the duo. A lot of tricky close camera situations and complex edits are used and work seamlessly.

It certainly won't appeal to everyone - if it did it wouldn't be a very good show would it? - but those ready for challenging, dynamic television should buy the first two seasons on DVD and enjoy.

An utterly, blindingly funny show from Channel 4 (which was put out on E4, for some reason. Why do they do that? ) It is a terrible shame that more people can't see it. If you like shows like Bottom, BlackAdder, Fifteen Stories High, etc., you'll love this. (Its adult content, however, may preclude less prurient viewers from concurring.) Brief summary: the camera acts alternately as either of the central characters in this show - hence the title. They are both deeply flawed individuals, unable to grasp the causal origins of their unmitigated life-failure, let alone find the inner resources to affect any solution. The show is really about pain - and you won't enjoy it unless you are quite capable of laughing at your own.

Can't praise its originality enough. 10/10.

It is true that this show did not attract a lot of viewers. I watched it on its first airing but, to be honest, this was pure luck, there was nothing else on to watch so i decided to watch it. After the first episode i was hooked. It was wonderfully written and just brilliant overall. Nearly everything is funny from the things each person says to the looks on their faces in certain situations. (See Jeremy's face when he refers to "the bad thing")

After seeing it i had to tell my friends. People can get very proud when they say that they switched a particular group of people onto a film or T.V show and i am no different. It is a comedy i am proud i stumbled upon and a show i'm sure you'll love once you've seen.

After series 1 i was disappointed, i knew that they wouldn't be making anymore, it was on the late night T.V slot and never talked about, i was horrified to know that there would be no more Peep show.

Then BANG, Series 2 came on. And no, it didn't get worse. In fact i find it improved upon the first and seemed more confident. I am A big fan of the office but i find peep show somehow, well, i find it a lot funnier, don't know about you. 5/5

This is a little gem I found sadly relegated to late-night TV. It's an innovative comedy about two losers who are trying to be cool and get the girls, shot entirely with point-of-view angles (characters talk to the camera as a person or the camera IS the character, depending on who's speaking).

I cannot recommend this show highly enough. British comedy seemed to be on the wane, but this is one of the best written, funniest shows around.

Expect copycat shows using the same style of shooting POV any time soon.