Miranda

'Miranda' manages to succeed with an 'in-your-face' approach where the main lead constantly address her audience and where most of the humor is seen coming miles ahead. This normally would boil down to an utterly tepid experience , but with Miranda Hart the effect is hugely more than the sum of its parts. I'm sure the division is similar to watching the late Tommy Cooper. You will either notice the brilliance or find it utterly boring. I 've no idea why the format of continuously speaking to the audience works within this series. It simply does. All cast members are above average, with Patricia Hodge stealing every scene she is in. A huge factor may be the neck-breaking speed. I like that. Suspect it's simply too much for part of the public..

Il be honest I watched the first episode and though "Mmm not sure what I think of that?". Then I watched more and it just got better and better and I ended up loving it!! I think the more you watch the more you fall in love with Miranda's character. It is not funny in a offensive or disgusting way like many comedies these days. Our Tv's seem to be full of rubbish reality Tv, with people who have no talent and are obsessed with looks. This was a breath of fresh air for me to watch. The bit that makes it funny is the fact that many shows make the actors pretend the camera isn't there, but Miranda actually talks to the camera like you are actually standing next to her. She tells fibs to the actors to make herself look better, like we all do, but then turns to the camera and blurts the truth out like they are not able to hear her. An example of this is one the actors "Oh you have cake for breakfast? Do you have this often?" She replies with "Never". shaking her head. Then looks towards the camera and says "All the time". With a cheeky funny face. The program is based around a single 34 year old women and what she gets up to when she lives on her own. It isn't all based around her trying to find a man, yes some of it is, but it highlights all the silly things her and single friends do in secret like e.g. the game where is Miranda? and who can pop the most bubble wrap in one go. Yes she ends up with the love of her life, but it trying to say in so many words that beauty is what is on the inside. Miranda isn't the typical type of women you see on television , she is different looking, but the show takes that and runs with it, and mocks her size and flaws through out,so it is even funnier. However, Miranda has many love interests even though she isn't perfect looking because of her unusual personality. Personality wins every time. Maybe this message should be said to the younger generation who are pressured to look perfect. If there was more shows like Miranda, the world would be a better place. Such fun!!

I kept seeing clips from BBC abot this tv series and i finally got around to watching and wished i had seen it sooner. It is slapstick physical comedy that at times, had redundancy but by far some of the best jokes and moments you can say "that is me, or that is my family". And one of the joyous series finales i have watched, heartwarming and tears along with laughs. You cannot get better than Miranda and her first person conversations with the audience, her "words of the day" and her ability to never take herself seriously until she needs to, which i absolutely admire and respect. Wonderfully funny show, was so glad i could watch it all without having to wait, better late than never, have a go at it!

The trailers terribly undersold this series & I almost missed a real gem. Fortunately "Points of View" reported receiving no negative feedback & showed a very funny end credits sequence. When I watched on Catch Up, I just fell in love with Miranda & her world of insanity. I was unfamiliar with Miranda Hart's stand up, but that didn't matter. Far from being a big ego trip, this is a heartwarming comedy that effectively breaks the 4th wall. Miranda shares her insecurities with the audience and pulls us right in with her speeches & glances to the camera. Patricia Hodge as Miranda's disappointed mother is a scene stealer. Miranda's friends are delightfully insane & Gary is a love. While I'm not usually a fan of slapstick, the falling over does work here. I'm delighted that Series 2 has been commissioned. I wouldn't miss it! 10/10

As this show has collected so few reviews on IMDb, I would like to add my two penn'orth, for what it's worth. I caught this by accident, not being an avid TV watcher - and became hooked. I'd heard a version of it on the radio - I'm not sure which came first in the order of things - but that was mildly amusing, although a lot of Miranda's comedy is visual, and when I heard a repeat of the radio version after seeing the TV show, I could see the problems they were up against.

Any flaws I found in the TV series - we armchair critics have to look for flaws in new things - were cancelled out by the fact that I felt better after each episode I watched. Not just amused, and in some cases, very tickled indeed, but uplifted.

All of the characters are attractive and likable - and despite Miranda's self-deprecating gags about being often mistaken for a man, she's a very feminine, and extremely good-looking lady. Her device of engaging directly with her home-viewing audience, via the camera, works well, and adds to her personal appeal.

The comedy chemistry in the scenes with her diminutive friend, Stevie, played by the also extremely good-looking and funny Sarah Hadland, creates some of the best laughs in the show.

Here's a thought: The last series I watched starring Patricia Hodge, who brilliantly plays Miranda's scatty mum in this, was called The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, from about 1985 (not to be confused with the later Hollywood version). In She-Devil, she played the rival of a character portrayed by another very statuesque brunette, Julie T. Wallace. I wonder if this had any influence on the decision to cast her in Miranda?

Perhaps a lot of this show's appeal is in it's almost childlike presentation. The cast, one by one, wave goodbye to us at the end of the episodes, like human Telly Tubbies. Maybe I'm wrong to feel good about that, but, like Miranda's confidences to us, it tickles me to death.

More, please. The world needs Miranda.