Funland

Originally showcased in 2005 on the now defunct BBC 3 digital channel; Funland is a jaded tale of revenge, murder, greed and debauchery set over the course of a long weekend in a seedy English seaside town.

It is not difficult to see where the writers drew their inspiration from either. There are plenty of familiar nods to popular culture - the gritty realism of Get Carter, the macabre absurdities of The League of Gentleman, the earthy humour of a 1970s Confessions film. Even King Kong for Pete's sake!

But does it work? Well, yes and no.

Funland's strengths undoubtedly lie in it's solid and convincing cast - a veritable who's who of British acting talent. Worthy of mention is the late, Roy Barraclough as the grasping, machiavellian local politician Onan Van Kneck. His caustic one liners, coupled with his unconvincing toupee and peculiar physical deformities really was inspired casting. So too, Sarah Smart as the vulnerable but exploited Lola.

Blackpool's tacky "glamour" also provides the perfect backdrop for a story populated by sleazy, morally repulsive characters and unsettling subject matter. It is jarring, but strangely compelling viewing.

But, Funland is first and foremost a comedy. A very, very, very dark comedy. The bizarre spectacle of a stuffed dead gangster being trundled around the town on roller skates will stay with me for a very long time.

The series could have benefitted greatly from some sharper editing. This is easily the show's worst flaw. Characters and situations are introduced briefly but are not developed undermining the plot and stifling the pace of the action. There is too much unnecessary dialogue, and the much anticipated finale (after 10 episodes) seemed rushed and frustratingly inconsequential.

That said, Funland is a grim, humorous, often poignant, sometimes shocking journey through the grubby u bend of life in a seaside town that they forgot to close down.



























Funland has some brilliant one-liners and succeeds in delivering some genuinely hilarious moments: the council meeting who's only topic on the agenda appears to be discussing the size of a stripper's thong; and the bizarre spectacle of a stuffed dead gangster being trundled around the town on roller skates; are easily two of the funniest scenes I've seen on TV in a long time.

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

Carter Krantz (Daniel Mays) is a London detective who's taken a trip down to Blackpool- but he's not here to celebrate a stag party or ride the Pepsi Max. He's after the killer of his mother, who's dying words mentioned the name of a person at the popular seaside resort. But along the way, shocking twists and turns conspire to take his quest to an electrifying climax.

With this and supporting roles in films like Class of '76 and Vera Drake, Mays is shaping up a fair career for himself. He's a cockney actor with an impressive dialect and a smooth, natural presence and he has a likable personality, so I think he deserves this. He's helped by a good supporting cast, including Coronation Street favourite Roy Barraclough and a wheelchair bound old lady who provides one of the show's most pivotal roles.

Performances aside, Funland is a darkly funny, impressively voyeuristic show with an interesting premise and sound delivery. It's also helped by a foreboding opening score and an impressive and realistic use of Blackpool as the seedy backdrop for all the nefarious goings-on.

Faults-wise, there's one or two grinding, clunky clichés here and there, but I suppose it's no biggie. BBC 3 usually gets slammed as being rarely watched and full of useless programmes and repeats, but they've tuned out an admittedly rare piece of quality programming here. Kudos. ****

I remember this show being advertised on BBC3 last year and thought it looked interesting, but wasn't too sure about David Mays (Carter) being in this serious, gangster like role. He just looked a bit too babyfaced for the role.

Anyway...

it pops up on bbc2 and i caught 1 or 2 episodes and was better that i had first thought, so, on returning from my holiday and bought the series and watched everyone back to back.....it was money well spent.

11 Episodes of quality, dark humour and drama. The best way to describe this show is The League Of Gentlemen meets Twin Peaks set in Blackpool. I love the idea of it being set in Blackpool. It captured the Dull, Englishness and Melancholy feel that i think every English person (especially North Western people) can relate to.

The cast were terrific, almost like each was born to play that role (especially Connie, Lola, Shirley & to my surprize, Carter, who were all fantastic). Though the Mayor will always be Alec Gilroy from Corry to me.

I rated this as 10/10 on IMDb out of sheer enthusiasm but in reality i give this a solid 9/10.

Go Buy, Go watch, Go Love...

Jordan

I have to say that I'm enjoying Funland on BBC2(I live in one of the large areas of the country where digital TV remains unavailable)and I didn't really have that high hopes for it.

It is extremely strange - and some of the grotesque features are over the top (an editor should have been more in evidence at times) - but I want to know if there actually is a plot (rather like Lost!) so I keep watching despite suspecting all the questions may never be answered.

I think we have some fine little acting gems in there - Philip Jackson (Finch) is of course excellent as ever but also mentions in dispatches for Sarah Smart (Lola), Ian Puleston-Davies (Shirley) and Judy Parfitt (Mercy). Frances Barber (Connie) was rather wasted but you can't have everything

Most of all however it has made me laugh - and that strangely enough is something the League of Gentlemen never did...

The grotesque world of the 'The League of Gentlemen' was a fairly standard comic creation, but Simon Ashdown, one of its writers, has surpassed himself with 'Funland' (co-written with an 'Eastenders' scriptwriter), in which they create an even more vicious, obscene and fantastic environment but moreover manage to play it straight throughout eleven episodes of tightly plotted thriller. The comedy here is so black that there's little in the way of conventional laughs, but the jarring lines between the ludicrous situations and the merciless drama make this a series like no other. The story is set in a Blackpool reduced to the grimmest of parodies (one wonders if the local burghers thought about suing), there's no affection here. If it reminds me of anything, I think of Alan Platers's 'Beiderbecke' trilogy, a series of unlikely escapades set in the ordinary landscape of northern Britain, but that was ultimately gentle whereas 'Funland' is anything but. What stops it from being great is that it's hard to relate what one sees to the reality of life in modern Britain, and the dialogue rarely rises above 'Eastenders' standards; but the same can be said for a good many more realistic dramas as well. And for savage inventiveness, it has few equals.