The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle

When the first episode of Vivienne Vyle premiered in the UK in October 2007, the critics knives were out for Jennifer Saunders latest venture into sitcom territory. A sharp shock for anyone expecting Absolutely Fabulous or Jam and Jerusalem, Vivienne Vyle is a disturbing, all too real insight into the world of TV talk shows and celebrity culture.

Jennifer Saunders relishes her role as the ambitious, uncompromising Vivienne Vyle - host of a trashy morning talk show. Miranda Richardson excels as the heavy drinking, manic editor of the show who, after a fight breaks out on the show, decides to take the programme in a new direction.

Over six thirty-minute episodes, The Life And Times Of Vivienne Vyle perfectly balances comedy, tragedy and a disturbingly authentic view of the celebrity culture in which we live.

Ignore the critics and give it a chance - this is Jennifer Saunders at her very best.

I would tend to be very open minded about anything with a cast and production team with this pedigree, and I wanted to like it. On the whole, I DO like it, but it is too dark for my taste. Having said that, I cannot ignore the craftsmanship in the production. It has subtlety which you would not expect from the subject material. I can recognise the depth that has been put into the writing, direction and acting, and for that, I applaud it. Miranda Richardson is frightening stark and awful in her interpretation - a skill she has always been able to project. It is her darkness that gave me the most discomfort...a credit to her. I sense it is something that I may want to watch a few times to really grasp.

Watch it...it is a scary (and funny) indictment of modern television.

I love Vivienne Vyle!

Basically I think people is expecting "a new Ab Fab" which is just ridiculous. I mean, I LOVE Ab Fab and bought all the episodes and I'd be the first to scream and cry with happiness if Jen decided to do Ab Fab again, but come on! We can't expect Jen to do the same thing forever! I think it's brilliant of her to do something so different, and not just get stuck in the Ab Fab-y sort of comedy. I watched the pilot of Mirrorball and I'm glad it didn't get picked up. Sure, it was entertaining, but it was also practically the same as Absolutely Fabulous, with the same types of characters. Vivienne Vyle is something completely different and has a darker style of comedy and may therefore not be appreciated by all the Ab Fab fans, but I really loved it! V.V. is not even supposed to be a comedy actually, but a sort of a dark drama containing comedy. It's advertised as a comedy only because Saunders is in it, and therefore people will watch it. I think this show only proofs to us that Jen has several talents ad not just in comedy. She's like an onion! Not that she smells bad and makes people cry, but she has layers. Terrific layers. Either you only love her for her hilarious ones, or you can appreciate her for her deeper sides as well, as I do.

Hurrah for VV!

Before doing that...Let´s FOCUS on the Title's Content & Context ...This is one TV personality You REALLY DON'T want to rub the wrong way! When she has a run-in with someone...ANYONE... She is OBSESSED with coming out ON TOP!

OK...NOW Let's talk about that character assassination most "Vyle"! It's fair to say that we Americans fall into 2 categories: Those who don't particularly care for British humor; and those whose appetite for it is simply insatiable! Would you care to venture a guess as to where I fit in?

YES!, from the country that gave us "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "Benny Hill", we present a veritable panacea for that pandemic feeling Americans have been grumbling about in a chorus that has grown constantly more vociferous in recent years: "American comedies just don't seem to be that funny anymore!"...Unless you find chronic flatulence amusing, because a kind of "I never met a fart joke I didn't like!" mentality, more often than not, prevails here in the USA! Mr. And Mrs. John Q. Public, we proudly present, Ms. Vivienne Vyle! You'll love her one minute, loathe her the next!

She's one TV talk-show host who can instantly discern crass, exploitative, manipulative, ratings-driven interview situations from serious, balanced, well-grounded, give and take, the-truth-must-be served interviews!... And she never flinches an instant...in taking the cheap shot!... Going for the jugular! 6 episodes of 29 minutes each (Unlike their American counterparts, here the half hour shows are just that! Sure beats 23 minute ones!) Usually I can't countenance the little explanative blurbs associated with each title, because they're so far from the truth. In this case, it's rather spot on! The "humour" (British spelling, mind you!) is so wretchedly invective, so perfunctorily twisted! The interaction between Jennifer Saunders and Miranda Richardson is fiendishly inspired! 8.5********

ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

This so called comedy is probably one of the unfunniest that I have ever had the misfortune to watch. For a start off it is years too late to parody trash talk shows. Anyone going to do it should have done it years ago when they were relatively new. Secondly, it seemed to rely on the use of obscene language throughout to try and get laughs. Absolutely Fabulous was a genuinely funny classic piece of TV, but is this puerile nonsense the level that Jennifer Saunders has sunk to? Similarly Miranda Richardson, what on earth was she thinking taking part in this garbage? There wasn't a single thing in the half hour that even made me smile let alone laugh. How on earth it was ever commissioned is beyond comprehension. Truly, truly awful and definitely not worth watching again.