Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps

I missed the first two series of this but luckily, I was tempted to watch it and did so when the third series started recently on Digital TV.

I have to say, I was quite impressed. Each character has their own unique sense of humor and are all funny in their own little way. Louise can be pretty annoying at times but it is quite amusing listening to her way of thinking. Janet is hilarious, especially when she hasn't had a cigarette, Donna is very sarcastic and extremely funny (my kind of humor, hehehe), Johnny is dense beyond belief (you only had to listen to his story about Janet's Mud Pack to figure that one out), Gaz is just Gaz and Munch.... well what can I say apart from "HIYYYAAA."

But the best character out of them has to be Flo... I just love the way she's been there and done everything and is quite proud to shout about it too. Although I am intrigued what happened with uncle Joey and the Kangaroo....

I have heard that Will Mellor is now working on the fourth series of two pints so perhaps we should see some DVD's being released soon as it is obviously doing very well and quite rightly so.

This is a funny show. The young cast are good with some great lines but, as you would expect, lack some of the qualities that come with experience. Overall though, does it matter? This show makes me laugh and I watch it whenever I can. With a better-than-average script overall infused with little spots of genius, this show is one to look out for.

I can't understand why people have criticised this show so heavily because it's absolutely hilarious.

I missed the show the first time around and only recently caught a few episodes on UKTV. The very first episode I saw had me laughing so hard, I cried! I was immediately hooked and bought the first two seasons on DVD.

One of the reasons the show is so funny is that most people can identify with the basic situations the writer, Susan Nickson, looks at. In addition, the characters are all human, complete with some pretty awful flaws. Even the actors fit their parts perfectly. They're not all staggeringly beautiful and they're not the world's greatest thespians - most of them are newcomers to TV or have relatively little experience. Having said that, the main characters Donna (Natalie Casey), Janet (Sheridan Smith), Johnny (Ralf Little) and Gaz (Will Mellor) are all played brilliantly ...with perfect delivery and comic timing.

The humour is often very crude (lots of jokes about "bum love") and some of the "issues" looked at are a little tasteless (one of the newest characters has learning difficulties) but isn't this how real life is? How likely is the man in the pub - who's just sunk six pints - to hold back from telling a joke that is a little racist or sexist? How many people do we meet day-to-day that have old-fashioned views about people with learning difficulties, or hold weird misconceptions? The important thing to remember is that the show always treats its characters/situations affectionately in the end. The character with learning difficulties (Munch), for example, always ends up on top or always gets the care and attention he needs from his brother (Gaz) or other people.

If you're not easily offended and are reasonably up to date with youth culture, give it a try!

'Two Pints' is hardly the show of the century and outside of the UK I doubt anyone would understand or enjoy the humour, but I love it for everything it is. The humour is very hit or miss, and sometimes too childish or exaggerated, but the rest of the time it has me laughing out loud.

What makes 'Two Pints' stand out to me is the fact that it's so honest. It doesn't shy away from anything, no matter how detestable it might be to others. Many of the jokes are filthy, there's open prostitution, alcoholism as a culture, scamming of the benefits system and many more things that other shows refuse to explore but that are very much present all over the UK. The characters are all hugely flawed, underachievers that are lacking in ambition, intelligence and integrity, but they're all endearing and relatable on some level, because they're just trying to do the best with what they have and know.

'Two Pints' needs to be taken and enjoyed for what it is. It's simple, it's flawed but it's funny and authentic and provides some light-hearted comic relief that's perfect for helping you to leave your worries behind for half an hour.

The actors aren't too bad, but they're only young and haven't got the best comic timing yet. The direction (especially in the interludes) tries to be just a bit too hip and the writing relies too heavily on making jokes that a) aren't very good and b) are largely based on the sort of in-jokes that seem really funny to you and your friends, but that no-one else understands or appreciates.