The Power of Parker

As someone whose from Manchester and lived there in the 80s/90s the memories this series brought back are excellent.

What really makes the show is the banter. Northerners are known for the banter and every episode is littered with one liners that from the time. Setting it in Stockport is a stroke of genius for many reasons. At this time many of us in Manchester thought Stockport was 'posh' and a great night out. People in Stockport cherished a Stockport address and looked down on Mancunians.

The two sisters at the centre of the story are great and watching Parker slowly unravel just adds a layer of dark comedy.

In trailers this sitcom looked pretty silly initially, but turned out to be something of a gem. Polished acting and a funny script, the series was slick and fast-moving. I enjoyed the nostalgia of the times and the premise of a smaller entrepreneur doing battle with the Rumbelows of the day. The two ladies in Parker's life were tremendous and played with aplomb by Sian Gibson and Rosie Cavaliero. The other characters in the sitcom all played their part too in producing a very enjoyable series. I don't often laugh out loud at today's humour but the blend of nostalgia, quirkiness and a funny script performed by some excellent character actors, really hit the mark for me.

Six episodes of this new comedy.

It's a very entertaining show. The laughs come quickly and the two lead woman are excellent.

Season two already being filmed and season three commissioned and I'm not surprised.

Coupled with the soundtrack it's pure entertainment with some risqué jokes.

We laughed all the way through. I never received facsimiles that Parker did. What a shame.

Some of the jokes are toilet humour but that sits fine with us. Maybe we are an immature audience.

I'm surprised there were low reviews as it's easy viewing at only 30 minute episodes.

Can't wait for the new season.

Martin Parker is a self made man, but he's run into financial difficulties, he's forced to take drastic action. His family life is also complicated, he has a social climbing wife, and a demanding mistress.

When I saw a sitcom starring Conleth Hill and Sian Gibson, I was all over it, I wanted to love it, and for the most part I did.

The best thing, the nostalgia, if you're my age, and grew up in this era, you'll spot so much, the accuracy was amazing. It's the late 80's, early 90's brought to life, the music is awesome.

It's funny, there are definitely a good few laughs, it's not belly laugh humour, but it's amusing, Sian Gibson really does supply a lot of the humour.

The BBC doesn't exactly have a comedy armour right now, I'm not sure Not going out will run for much longer, inside no.9 is ending, it needs good shows, this one has potential to run for a little while.

As well as Hill and Gibson, you'll see plenty of well known faces, including George Costigan and Sheila Reid, it's very well cast.

Very watchable.

8/10.

Good to see something set up North. This had a fun start with the cheesy 90's TV advert and a cast of well-known actors who have comedy chops. Production values were cheap and cheerful but it was well enough made.

This is a watchable show with a few gentle laughs and some nice 90's nostalgia for those old enough to remember, but I was left a bit disappointed.

For me the lead character needed to be a lot bigger, Parker was a bit underwhelming as a lead and I'm not that bothered on going on a journey with him. The show would have benefitted from a more dramatic storyline and a funnier script it's all a bit soapy.

The soundtrack of pop songs from the era seemed to be randomly inserted every 5 or 6 minutes?

Better than many recent UK comedies but one you could safely skip.