I've just returned from a four-night break in Blackpool. No - this isn't a 1-star review of our dreadful 'hotel' that makes Funland's 'Shangri-La' look like the Savoy; that's just been posted on TripAdvisor. What this is, is a nod to the 'art imitates life' principle that applies so fundamentally to Funland, but from the perspective that what was once (in 2005) an over-the-top, bombastic surrealist comedy series that seemed to amplify the worst sleaze and excesses of Blackpool, has now become matched by Blackpool's accession (or maybe recession) to that once fictitious seaside town portrayed in Funland. My fourth visit to Blackpool since Funland first aired, and Blackpool has now become that place.
The series itself has to be recommended. It's hard to describe - it's a black comedy for sure, has multiple story layers and side plots, but with the central core story arc coming back to the relationship between the brilliant Ian Puleston-Davies' Shirley Woolfe, and his mother Mercy played by Judy Parfitt. The locations are pure Blackpool - the Tower features prominently, but acts both as a reference point for the story, and an allegory about the state of Dudley and Lola's sexless relationship (the scene in Ep1 where Lola gazes fixedly on a cabinet of huge dildos whilst Dudley asks her 'is there anything you want?' sticks in the mind).
Funland must be seen, but should be treated with caution for its grotesque characters, references, and sexual imagery. Funnily enough, the same could pretty much now be said for it's life inspiration: Blackpool.
