Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps

I can't understand why people have criticised this show so heavily because it's absolutely hilarious.

I missed the show the first time around and only recently caught a few episodes on UKTV. The very first episode I saw had me laughing so hard, I cried! I was immediately hooked and bought the first two seasons on DVD.

One of the reasons the show is so funny is that most people can identify with the basic situations the writer, Susan Nickson, looks at. In addition, the characters are all human, complete with some pretty awful flaws. Even the actors fit their parts perfectly. They're not all staggeringly beautiful and they're not the world's greatest thespians - most of them are newcomers to TV or have relatively little experience. Having said that, the main characters Donna (Natalie Casey), Janet (Sheridan Smith), Johnny (Ralf Little) and Gaz (Will Mellor) are all played brilliantly ...with perfect delivery and comic timing.

The humour is often very crude (lots of jokes about "bum love") and some of the "issues" looked at are a little tasteless (one of the newest characters has learning difficulties) but isn't this how real life is? How likely is the man in the pub - who's just sunk six pints - to hold back from telling a joke that is a little racist or sexist? How many people do we meet day-to-day that have old-fashioned views about people with learning difficulties, or hold weird misconceptions? The important thing to remember is that the show always treats its characters/situations affectionately in the end. The character with learning difficulties (Munch), for example, always ends up on top or always gets the care and attention he needs from his brother (Gaz) or other people.

If you're not easily offended and are reasonably up to date with youth culture, give it a try!

The script is often shoddy, the acting sometimes atrocious, but if you are willing to look beyond these things, you might just find an intense, comedic rollercoaster charting the ups and downs of five twenty-somethings.

Starring Ralf Little (Perhaps the most famous of the five, due to the success of The Royle Family), Sheridan Smith (Reprising her role as Little's love interest), Will Mellor and Natalie Casey (Hollyoaks) and Kathryn Drysdale, a previously unknown face somewhat, we have a promising cast, who while may not have hit the mark quite yet, are certainly in line for a promising future.

Two Pints has a great variety of characters, some tedious, while others eerily humourous, the image of Donna's mother will forever haunt me.

"Have you ever experienced an older woman?"

Ugh, so in summary, while obviously not a frontrunner for many academic awards, Two pints has many golden moments, and perhaps in a few years, when the cast having been famed or forgotten, this show might get the recognition it deserves.

I missed the first two series of this but luckily, I was tempted to watch it and did so when the third series started recently on Digital TV.

I have to say, I was quite impressed. Each character has their own unique sense of humor and are all funny in their own little way. Louise can be pretty annoying at times but it is quite amusing listening to her way of thinking. Janet is hilarious, especially when she hasn't had a cigarette, Donna is very sarcastic and extremely funny (my kind of humor, hehehe), Johnny is dense beyond belief (you only had to listen to his story about Janet's Mud Pack to figure that one out), Gaz is just Gaz and Munch.... well what can I say apart from "HIYYYAAA."

But the best character out of them has to be Flo... I just love the way she's been there and done everything and is quite proud to shout about it too. Although I am intrigued what happened with uncle Joey and the Kangaroo....

I have heard that Will Mellor is now working on the fourth series of two pints so perhaps we should see some DVD's being released soon as it is obviously doing very well and quite rightly so.

This is a funny show. The young cast are good with some great lines but, as you would expect, lack some of the qualities that come with experience. Overall though, does it matter? This show makes me laugh and I watch it whenever I can. With a better-than-average script overall infused with little spots of genius, this show is one to look out for.

The idea is not bad. Although it's been done before, the basic situation is one that can be given many different angles. However, the jokes are forced and predictable, and although refreshingly non-politically correct, lack any sort of sophistication. The girls are either in a constant state of anger, or just plain stupid. The boys are macho monsters or just clumsy buffoons.

Ralph Little and Will Mellor gel well, however, and should try to find roles in less shallow material together.