Simon Amstell is funny. He's also a bit like dog shit.
Explanation? It's funny when you see someone else stuck in the middle of it, but not so good when you've just landed a foot in it yourself.
We refer to Never Mind The Buzzcocks, where guests chuckled heartily as the life faded from the eyes of another young pop star whom Amstell was busily ripping the piss out of, but murmured nervously as his savage searchlight of sarcasm turned upon them.
It was mean, it was childish, it was loads of fun. Still, somewhere along the line, our Simon got a bit sick of it and returned to stand-up comedy, fading from the general public?s minds quicker than a Joe McElderry/ Jedward co-headlining tour.
However, the presenter strikes back this week with his very own sitcom, Grandma?s House, and before you dredge up previous ?stand up does sitcom? efforts like Lead Balloon (Jack Dee) or Not Going Out (Lee Mack), just stop it. Because actually, it's rather good.
The set up is rather simple. It all takes place, rather unsurprisingly, in Amstell?s Grandma?s house, where the comic, playing himself, visits his grandparents, mum, auntie and cousin. That may not sounds like the recipe for a fun- filled half hour, but with an almost real story, shaky camera work and more cringeworthy moments than a year?s worth of Loose Women, fans of shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office will find a lot to like.
Although perhaps not Simon Amstell himself, who, while he is admittedly playing someone who is thoroughly embarrassed by his family, simply seems embarrassed to be appearing on TV. He actually looks worryingly close to giggling whenever the camera lingers on him too long, and when the revelation that he is leaving his quizshow leads his mum to exclaim ?act? You can't act can you??, it's funny because it's so very true.
Still, it's hard to fault someone playing themselves (they tend to know best) and the central character is oddly not too important in this very funny show, where a strong supporting cast expertly deliver the brilliant lines written by Amstell and his long-term collaborator Dan Swimer.
There's East Is East?s Linda Bassett as grandma, Benidorm?s sadly recently deceased Geoffrey Hutchings as grandpa, and The Thick Of It?s James Smith as Simon?s mum?s wonderfully annoying boyfriend Clive, who has the habit of being scarily smug and calling his prospective son in law ?captain? constantly.
The real star of the show though, is Rebecca Front, also a star of The Thick Of It as well as the superb Nighty Night, and now playing Simon Amstell?s mum. Whether winding up her sister about her facial hair, trying to ignore her new boyfriend?s past as a tramp killer, or just telling Amstell ?you've met Michael Buble, you\’ll be alright?, she gets all the best lines, and pulls the whole thing together, a bit like, well, a mum.
So is it a rare stand-up to sitcom success story? Absolutely. And when you throw in the chance to see Simon Amstell looking as vulnerable as a pop star in his headlights (albeit on purpose), there's no excuse not to watch and pray for series two.
Grandma?s House, BBC2, 10pm
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neil roland says
reading several positive – even -glowing – reviews of ‘grandma’s house’ having watched the show this evening, it makes me wonder if we were watching the same thing.
It was so cringeably, lamentably poor – from the dismal inability to act by Amstell himself to the forced, utterly unbelievable lines, I could hardly bear to watch it, and eventually gave up.
Perhaps Jewish community is so small now, that the wider public really have no idea what it is like, so cannot know that this was intensely wrong on so many levels.
Really, really poor – and utterly disappointing from Amstell, who I thought was quite quirky and fun in never mind the buzzcocks and other things I’ve seen him in.
It amazes me that any editor could look at tonight’s episode and think it worthy of going out to the public. utter rubbish.