A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou

Was wanting so much better from this as I know he's a funny comedian, but this seems like a cheap version of Bo Burnham songs lacking the good writing. There isn't the storyline and writing to match similar things like Toast either that also includes occasional songs. A neat idea and collection of stories through life which might have been better as five minute sketches put out on YouTube like baby cow does. This seems like a bunch of sixth formers have written it and put it together , or maybe I'm not the right audience and some will fall about themselves. For those who've seen Woody Allen you'll expect more . Shame.

This is great. It's subtle and it's hilarious. If you can't see that then you're no fan of Ricky Gervaise, Alan Partridge or Month Python.

This boy is going places (and no I'm not his gorgeous sister).

Now I'm gonna just repeat this to get over the absurd minimum character thing IMBD have done for some reason...

This is great. It's subtle and it's hilarious. If you can't see that then you're no fan of Ricky Gervaise, Alan Partridge or Month Python.

This boy is going places (and no I'm not his gorgeous sister).

Now I'm gonna just repeat this to get over the absurd minimum character thing IMBD have done for some reason...

This is great. It's subtle and it's hilarious. If you can't see that then you're no fan of Ricky Gervaise, Alan Partridge or Month Python.

This boy is going places (and no I'm not his gorgeous sister).

Now I'm gonna just repeat this to get over the absurd minimum character thing IMBD have done for some reason...

Sadly, A Whole Lifetime is a really disappointing sketch show. There is only a single funny sketch, Kiss Villa, with the rest being utterly forgettable. Perhaps with a bit more exposure these sketches could develop into something better, but they all feel one-and-done.

The success of Demetriou's previous work comes from the brilliantly developed and instantly endearing characters. Given 5 minutes each, that is not created here. It's silly, no doubting that, but just not enjoyable. Musical elements are thrown in to no great avail, and despite a roster of recognisable actors from the creator's previous shows, no one particularly shines here.

Jamie Demetriou had me in stitches in the wonderful "Stath Lets Flats" but here he barely raised a few smiles amid periods of sheer unfunniness. Some of the ideas were potentially funny and just misfired, others didn't seem to have much purpose at all, and, irritatingly, just once in a while something looked like it might really gel but usually didn't. In other words, this was a big disappointment and I'm wondering why. Maybe it was the format, maybe it was the lack of a truly sympathetic supporting cast (in marked contrast to the spot-on ensemble in "Stath"), maybe it was a result of trying to squeeze too many ideas into too short a time frame. Regardless, this is not the place to see the best of Demetriou.

Demetriou's solo debut for Netflix is a mixed bag but so gloriously entertaining and rammed with star quality that I'll happy hold it. The mixed bag, I mean. I'll hold it until someone wants to pick it up. Did the central premise work? Not really. Did some of the sketches go on about 10% too long? Yes they did. Did I regularly release an audible hoot of such intense magnitude that my ceiling partially collapsed? Yes I did. Look at these names: you've got Silcox in there, the lesser-seen Jonny Sweet, the legendary Katy Wix. I could keep going. This is yes, admittedly, a mixed bag that I am still holding for some reason but I like doing it and I don't intend to stop.