Love Soup

This is a very funny series and much cleverer than the standard so-called comedy fare we are force fed these days. It will appeal to anyone who actually thinks about things and the angst that accompanies this risky practice. This is a comedy very much about the good manners of the main characters and the lack of them in the people they come across (and their inability to see past their self-obsessed noses). This is all handled in a very understated manner and never patronises the viewer and actually treats us as adults (not even any canned laughter!). I think the people who didn't get this series possibly struggled because they are the people this terrific show is poking fun at. Perhaps they should watch again and you never know it might just help them to be nicer people.

Was really excited that they are making a Love Soup 2. Can't wait for it. Hope Michael Landes is also in it, he's not listed in the credits for it.

This is a really well-done mini-series with very likable characters. The acting is excellent, too.

Grieg plays a very different role than that of her iconic Fran Katzenjammer in Black Books. In fact, her "Love Soup" Alice couldn't be further away from Fran. Alice is thoughtful, organized, positive, hopeful and loyal. And very funny.

The DVD, which is only available in the UK (but can be viewed on multi-regional players) is great and the extras are very fun. Tiny tidbit: The actress who plays Chloe originally read for the role of Millie.

I am very excited about the upcoming sequel -- I really wanted more, I enjoyed it so much.

Love soup is screening for the first time in New Zealand (Feb 2007). In a country where television is increasingly dominated by (mainly) brain dead American trash, I am heartened that some enlightened buyer has purchased a program that appeals to people with a brain. I would not describe it as a comedy perse. The humour is subtle and not obvious to anyone who has not been "through the traps". My fascination is due to usually being totally wrong when trying to predict what happens next. I mean how many girls do you come across with a full body tattoo? Like many well written works, the series touches on many of the taboos that we all eventually experience to some degree or other.

Alice and Gil independently wander through life wondering if there is anyone else on the planet who 'get' them...

This is a beautifully observed, hilariously acted set of 6 hour-long episodes, posing the question 'is there really a perfect partner for each of us, and if so, how do we meet them?'. Renwick creates one cringingly funny situation after another, and he is ably served by Tamsin Greig and Michael Landes as Alice and Gil. Greig is particularly wonderful, underplaying brilliantly in the face of one embarrassment after another. Smith and Lombard are also fantastic as Alice's colleagues, and Styler is a revelation as Gil's frustrated neighbour Irene. Occasionally 60 minutes feels a little long, but on the whole an unmissable show. Role on Season 2?

Love Soup is a reflection of all of us. We all want to meet that particular person that just seems to be our Mr/Mrs Right. Most of us can't really define it, we just know it exists. Love Soup's opening gambit is really a suggestion that perhaps somewhere on this planet at this moment in time is a person who is absolutely perfect for you. You may live on the same street or they may be living at the other side of the world. Whatever scenario exists you may never ever meet.

Love Soup explores the lives of Alice and Gil in tandem. They don't know each other but live in the same part of Britain. It becomes apparent very quickly that both Alice and Gil are looking for the same things. They have similar ideologies and similar outlooks on life. They are both quirky eccentrically shy oddballs who look upon the world with innocently suspicious eyes. It is with this conflict that David Renwick explores both of the characters worlds with comedic marvel! Some of the jokes are superbly built into the storyline as to be absolutely crucial and some are just amazingly crafted to make you laugh out loud then laugh again when you see more and more meanings dangling off the same scene.

The tempo of the series is crafted perfectly. You are sucked in and after the first two episodes you are hooked. David Renwick was clever enough to increase the level of laughs perfectly as the series went on until he could afford to introduce the darker elements of the plot without detracting from the audiences enjoyment. The scripting is exceptionally clever on so many levels that it really makes you want to watch more. The ending came and was exactly what I hoped for. The message was quite clear through the series and ended as it should. Lots of roller coaster twists are added too! - it is all in there! I do hope that this will not be turned into another series because it will just become something it should never be. I am quite happy to think of Alice and Gil stumbling around the dating game with their embarrassed squints of pain when it all goes wrong. BRAVO David! Please write more television!