Ten Percent

Anyone who hasn't watched the French original, I sincerely advise you do that. This is merely a pale imitation. It's hard to put a finger on all the reasons why, but suffice to say that everything that's vital has been lost in translation.

The funny thing is, it's disconcertingly faithful to the original. The characters are each precise replicas of the French ones - even down to facial features - as are the settings, and the plot lines are often similar. But somehow the wit and flair of the original writing has all been sucked out. What you're left with is a rather empty shell.

I really hope this gets a second series. You do need to stick with it and after 3 episodes I was hooked. The characters, the star cameos (Kelly Macdonald was a great one) and the quick wit make it something different and fun.

I haven't seen the original series this is based on so can't compare but you can tell that it has French influence.

The French series was always going to be a difficult act to follow, and the British version somehow doesn't have the same warmth and finesse as the original.

A few points.

1. The introductory music is dreadful. It made us want to hit the stop button straight away.

2. In the French series, the real-life Actors and Agents were indistinguishable from each other, it was that good. This series has been patchy and I don't think the casting is quite as good, although I love Tim McInerney.

3. Everyone is over-polite to with each other. My French isn't good enough to compare to the original

4. The production values are great and the choice of stars is wonderful. With Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West particularly good.

5. I don't think the writing is as engaging as it was in the original. It's a pity as the series on its own is perfectly watchable.

There's lots of people criticising this series because it's "not as good as the French" version. I haven't seen the French version and thought Ten Percent is very funny in parts. It takes a few episodes to get into it, but really enjoyed the cast and special appearances, especially Dominic West as a frightened actor.

I did enjoy "call my agent" for its quirkiness, its humor, scenes of Paris , wit etc. But After watching 2 series I found trying to read the subtitles as fast as the actors said the lines more and more difficult and .distracting. But it was entertaining and fun. I find this version has much of the same spirit but being able to concentrate on watching the acting nuances , instead of desperately reading the sub titles very rewarding. I have watched 3 episodes so far and and enjoying getting in to it, its An English version of the original, not simply a translation of the original....and as such I find it an enjoyable watch.