Human Remains

Wonderfully understated black humour, as only the Brits can do it.

There are a few misses along the way, but for the most this is top notch stuff and highly recommended. The second (?) episode about the couple that run the Bed and Breakfast is pure comic heaven.

This series is a terrific showcase for the amazing Julia Davis... my favorite comedian on TV these days. Rob Brydon is also a good fit and considerable talent. They play a very different couple in each episode although some same relationship dynamics are threaded throughout the series.

The series defies easy synopsis but I viewed it as a study of couples who somehow manage to make a relationship work, despite profound dysfunction.

As for genre, you might need to invent one! Generally it falls into "cringe comedy"

I would call it: "extreme emotional noir comedy."

(DISCLAIMER: The series is so strange that I might be WAY off in my analysis. I wish someone directly connected to the series would tell me if I'm even close. Also, I missed a couple of the episodes. )

There was a lot more I didn't like about it than I did. For the most part it's filled with meandering nonsense, it has the "beating a dead horse" style of British comedy that I never really liked, it's basically the same gag done over and over in different scenarios or circumstances. There are some good bits in there but you really have to have patience to get there. Looking back at this series, I think they should have just picked one or two of these characters and did a fully fleshed out series and made sense of those particular characters and told a well crafted story with them. I even noticed there was a short scene in one of these where it fades in offering nothing to the story and fades out and just looks like it was added to fill time. There are plenty of dud scenes that could have been left out. And also what stands out is just how much better some episodes are than the rest. If your a fan of these actors you'll probably just want to watch for the sake of seeing more of them and that's pretty much the reason I bothered watching.

Take 6 seemingly normal couples, probe a little deeper into their lives and discover that they are riddled with idiosyncrasies, peculiar sexual proclivities, pitiful, human and, above all, very, very funny.

The writers have written/produced a piece of work that is dark, subtle, fairly original, well acted, well constructed, as believable as any other comedy series, and funny in a way that makes you pity them and thank the heavens that you aren't them.

The first episode is perhaps the weakest, the following four are fantastic, and the final episode is also fantastic but has strong depressing undercurrents.

Perhaps if this show had received more exposure to the mainstream public then each couple could have been developed further and we might have even seen a series for each couple, but then again, comedies like this are often not popular in the mainstream i.e no canned laughter, no 'spot it a mile off' punchlines, dark, and often so subtle that some people might wonder if they've just watched a comedy, or a documentary about a bit of a peculiar couple.

Do watch if you like: Nighty Night, The Thick Of It, Alan Partridge, The Day Today, Saxondale, The Office (maybe)

Maybe give it a miss if you prefer: Friends, two and a half men, my family, everybody loves/hates Raymond/Chris.

Give it a try. You'll know within 10 minutes if it's for you or not. For me, it's pretty much top-notch comedy and years ahead of most.

CM.

If you like the mockumentary style (such as Best In Show or This Is Spinal Tap) then you'll love this six part British TV series each of which is a self-contained story.

The writers, Julia Davis and Rob Brydon, star in the show and portray a couple with a completely dysfunctional relationship.

From seemingly ordinary circumstances, the two actors manage to turn their relationship into a complete disaster as they engage in interviews about the short-comings of the other, as well as life in general.

If it comes to a TV station near you then do yourself a favour and sit down for half an hour of adult-humour entertainment.

Rating: 7/10