User Reviews

I bought the box set recently, and was happy to realise that the show is still really funny. Matthew Cottle is hilarious as Martin, the subservient saddo, who has a funny fascination with women. Samantha Janus/Womack is perfectly cast, as she is very sexy and beautiful, so she drives the guys crazy with lust. Her character(Mandy) also has issues and quirks, so she's also fun to watch. Then you have the character Matt, played in the first series by Ben Chaplin, and in the second and third.. by Neil Stuke. Ben Chaplin did a great job, and I thought he was better in some ways than Stuke, simply because you could believe he used to be a girl magnet, because he's good looking and pretty cool, whereas Stuke doesn't look like the kind of guy who'd have women swooning over him.

Chaplin's character was more serious, but I'd say more believable and in some ways funnier. Stuke plays Matt as more madcap and much dimmer, and he definitely doesn't have the authoritative air that Chaplin gave the character. Stuke still did a great job, and changed the Matt character a lot, but I can forget about Chaplin, and just enjoy what Stuke delivers.

Overall, the series is a true '90s gem, that is still worth owning and enjoying.

Game On was devised by Bernadette Davis and Andrew Davies. Davies is mostly famous for his costume dramas, such as Pride and Prejudice) and as time has gone on, Game On is very much a historical sitcom as it rides the wave of the nineties.

The set-up is three friends living in a London flat. Landlord Matthew (Ben Chaplin, then Neil Stuke) is a neurotic agoraphobic who nevertheless thinks he's a hard man; his best friend sex-starved Martin (Matthew Cottle) is basically his lackey; and nympho Mandy (Samantha Janus), who will sleep with anyone except Martin and Matthew and despite her intelligence flits from temp job to temp job.

The first series is a little darker and a bit more subversive as Matthew's rampant sexism, perversions and occasional casual racism are on display. Chaplin is a better actor than Stuke and his charm and good looks make it more interesting, as on the surface you'd expect Matthew to be doing pretty well in life. A couple of the highlights of the series involve Matthew's cross-dressing and his brief venture playing in a band who lives in the flat upstairs.

The addition of Neil Stuke softened the darkness of the comedy. Stuke is more likable and relatable in the role- a more traditional sitcom choice- but had Chaplin had more time in the role, he would have made it iconic. He has that coolness that Stuke couldn't bring.

I really liked Samantha Janus in the role of Mandy; not simply eye candy for the boys, she is very funny as she handles her string of jobs and men.

Martin is the weakest character. It's not particularly the fault of actor Matthew Cottle but the writing for the character is very one-note. The introduction of his girlfriend Claire (Tracy Keating) makes him even more annoying.

By Series 3, the show ended up in a very different place from the first series with some emotional backstories for some of the characters (in addition to the death of Matthew's parents, which is mentioned throughout the show). This helped diffuse the sameyness that had crept in.

Similar to Men Behaving Badly in the way that it showed 90's laddishness and sexual permissiveness, Game On had some very funny moments and some subversively dark moments but was not consistently funny and ultimately did not lead up to its promise.

This show is a completely under-rated classic! Matthew Malone is one of the funniest comedy sitcom creations ever and show go down in the books next to Cosmo Kramer and all the other greats. Mandy is hot and poor bloody Martin, what a sad tosser! Its a shame they stopped making this show cause I love it, my fave Matt was Benny from the first series but his replacement was wicked too. An all round great show and one of the best of the 90s. Gotta love the themetune too. If you dont know this show too well then go check out the re-runs.

Watching in December 2019 in hope that it holds up...

It totally does!

'Game On' is one of my favorite comedies of all time it's another Brit hit.

A program like 'Game On' is another reason why England is the best when it comes to comedy.

The show has great comic timing, delivered by three/four great actors. The script is written brilliantly with lots of awesome film references, you can tell the makers of this program are big film buffs hence the two posters; Blade Runner (1st season), and Reservoir Dog's (2nd/3rd season). Also the names of each episode are always some outlandish title, e.g. 'Double Hard Bastards & Girly Shirt-Lifting Tosspieces' lol sounds like a Tarantino segment, love it.

My favorite seasons are two & three, with Neil Stuke. I do like the first one a lot with Ben Chaplin but he is no way near as funny or as charismatic as Neil Stuke, Stuke brought comedy genius to the role of Mathew Malone, he made the show as good as it is.

Perfect sitcom. The first in years I liked. The great sense of humor, the well played characters and the beautiful use of the art-language made this sitcom a high amusingly one. The exploited phobia of Matthew is perfectly mixed with the grimmerish ginger tosser and the behavior of the well-shagged blond. Perfect trio for a delighted laugh ever again. The series at the start is very good, especially the Fame episode, terrific how Ben Chaplin makes his moves to stardom and finally burns up by his phobia on stage. I never had such a laugh in ages. The way the second series build up their naivety gay-outcome is great.

One of my three favourite comedies (the other two being Fawlty Towers and Seinfeld), I watched this show from the beginning, back when it first aired in the mid-90s. It was my love of this show which made me despise Friends - and its wooden comedy in the first couple of seasons - for so many years. I kept asking how can Friends be so popular yet so unbelievably Inferior to Game On? Well, the answer I guess is never that straightforward, and I did come to love Friends eventually after sitting down and watching the whole thing with my wife. It really highlights the difference between American and British comedy shows. With the British stuff, you usually get one or two writers who create a show based on a season / series of six episodes, and they write it all. If it becomes a hit, you might get a couple more series but even most of the all-time greats often only have a dozen or two episodes in total which usually equates to no more than a single season of an established American comedy show. American stuff usually also has just one or two creators who may write the first short season or a few episodes and then the episodes often get farmed out to other writers or get written by committee, which allows for a much more 'fleshed out' show with far more episodes, more characterisation, more everything. I still know why I despised early Friends but it's clear that the actors eventually gelled and the sheer number of episodes and writing talent ended up creating what I don't mind admitting became a great show . But the British style I think is maybe more pure.

Regarding the controversial "two Matts", I think what a lot of people don't seem to get is that the creators eventually changed the Matt character to fit better with the replacement actor (Neil Stuke). There are so many scenes in the second and third series which would never have been written to be played by the first Matt actor (Ben Chaplin). The first Matt was dark, moody and broody, darkly troubled. And yet also the coolest character ever! He was a bully, and a b*****d, far more than he was when played by Neil Stuke. You probably should hate him but you love him. Chaplin played this part to perfection. Really, there's not a whole lot going on in the first season but it's the subtle actions of the darkly troubled comic character which are so perfect. Just a slight movement or one word from Chaplin can be literally just about the funniest thing ever!

The Matt played by Neil Stuke was almost slapstick by comparison, more animated, far more pathetic. The writing had more going on, too. Both actors played their DIFFERENT Matt characters perfectly. The show had so many re-runs on the likes of UK Gold and Dave and I think a lot of people ended up getting into this show from catching a random episode on one of those channels. I think if you started off watching the second or third season, you'll have trouble adapting to the first Matt, because he's probably less lovable and basically does less and less happens to him. But if you watched it from the beginning, going to series two with Neil Stuke, you miss Chaplin's utterly believable performance of a darkly troubled character and you'll no doubt find it all a bit daft. Stick with it and eventually it finds its rhythm.

Hasn't aged in my opinion and stands up with the best. Just wish there had been more episodes. Third series and the First series in particular (IMO) are a match for the perfection of Fawlty Towers!

Having watched the complete series several times, I also have to vote for Neil Stuke - he is absolutely hilarious! The first season starring Ben Chaplin was far too 'clean' and lifeless compared to 2nd and 3rd season. Stuke is so way over the top my stomach just keeps cramping up with laughter. Equally sensational is Sam Janus, in the way she changes her first interpretation of a 'dumb blonde with squeaky voice' into a mature and intelligent young woman struggling with modern-day life as do all of us. The 'ginger tosser' I liked a bit less, because he just doesn't handle the Clare problem efficiently (or in a more entertaining manner). This just made me eager for more and more scenes and gags featuring the 3 of them (brilliant). Can never get enough.

IF YOU LIKE THIS SHOW: also watch: Men Behaving Badly (Neil Morrissey and Caroline Quentin are sensational), Father Ted (out of this world), Coupling, Love Soup.

Watched 'game-on' on the BBC in the mid-90s, but since lost the VHS recording. Just after getting all 3 series on DVD, and my suspicions confirmed: Series One featuring Ben Chaplin, the only one worth watching. The man is awesome, what a pity Hollywood came calling just before the recording of the 2nd series. Neil Stuke, with the greatest respect, is not in the same league as Chaplin, and in my opinion, the character of Matt Malone is devalued in series 2 and 3 with Stuke playing the lead-role. Series One is up-there with the best of English comedy, in the 90s or any era. Just a great shame Ben Chaplin didn't feature in all-18 episodes.. He's the King!!

Just watched an episode of this recently almost ten years after it was first broadcast. Then watched another....then another....then another!

Now have checked it out on the internet as a result of four stunning episodes of this underrated 90s classic. Its obvious parallel is Men Behaving Badly, but this is much better in my opinion. It's deeper, darker, more three-dimensional and more interesting.

I vaguely remember the second and third series, but from watching these episodes of the first series I have to say Ben Chaplin is out-of-this-world as Matthew, I very much doubt the other guy was as good. His performance as the highly deluded landlord is perfect, he should be totally unlikeable as he talks nothing but rubbish...but still you can sort of feel sorry and grudging admiration for him and his warped imagination as he constantly struggles to entertain himself. Particularly funny was the moment he sneaked into Mandy's bed and wore her panties!

The relationship between Matthew and Martin is the stuff of all the comedy classics: I can see elements of Del and Rodney in their relationship (loudmouthed but deluded "elder brother" figure and slightly gormless "younger brother" figure who idolises him and despairs of him at the same time); also Lister and Rimmer from Red Dwarf (two mismatched figures who are trapped together under the same roof and who reluctantly need each other despite wanting to punch each other's lights out). There's elements of Blackadder and Baldrick (sadistic, greedy, devious master/landlord with eager-to-please "servant" figure). There's also a definite hint of homoeroticism in Matthew's attitude to Martin, the way he loves to get physical with him and gets so upset when he wants to leave.

As for Mandy, granted Samantha Janus ain't the most sophisticated actress in the world, but she does what she needs to do perfectly, ie glides about ultra-sexily, taunting the guys by being so near but so far! Her relationship with the two of them is complex and poses various questions. There's definitely somethign going on mentally between her and Matthew, the way she sometimes looks at him...but then he'll do something so crass and stupid that she ends up ridiculing him.

The story lines and jokes themselves are not particularly strong or memorable, but they provide a framework for the characterisations. I actually found myself laughing most at some of the quieter, more obscure dialogue rather than the obvious crowd-pleasing gags. It's the facial expressions and unspoken body language that intrigued me and made me laugh uneasily, in the same sort of awkward style as The Office or elements of The Fast Show, particularly Ted and Ralph, and the latter's unspoken feelings towards the former.

Finally, for what it's worth, every episode featured some genuinely funny taboo-breaking scenarios that could have backfired but didn't. There's funny gags about paedophilia, bedwetting, racism, agoraphobia, parents dying, bullying....these could have been heavy-handed and contrived ("let's be controversial to boost our ratings!") however they come across as genuine, touching and resonant. It's clear the scriptwriters have had some personal experience of these issues and aren't just making cheap gags, they're actually writing from the heart.

All in all, I think this show was a standout comedy that is still worth watching today. If you like edgy humour about freakish losers then you'll love it; if you prefer more cosy, cuddly humour then you're better off with Men Behaving Badly. This is more like Men Beahving Sadly...and I prefer it like that, it makes it funnier!

My fave all-time show (series one). I've practically memorised the script from watching it a thousand times( or there abouts). The character of Matt was played best by Ben Chaplin no question. Matt was Martin's hero in s1 despite the fact that he walked all over him, but, by s2 Matt had become this total loser who could no longer dominate Martin like he had and it even looked like Matt (now Neil Stuke) would probably lose in a fight with Martin. Series 2 was probably better written than the first series, but for me Ben Chaplin owns that role.Who can forget that excellent De Niro impression or the story of how he had killed his father. Priceless.

This is what a comedy should be. Funny,inventive,crude. Political correctness has ruined comedy these days there are just not enough (if any) good comedies anymore.

Even changing actor for the character of Matthew for the last two series worked out ok.

Great show and very funny.

Great sitcom with all series being top class. Series 1 has a different actor for Matt and it was weird getting used to the new actor in the second series but both actors had their own way of portraying him and were equally funny. Both were great as the loser that tries to act tough and bullies Martin. The other two characters for me were just support characters as the Matt Malone character stole the show. His antics with being scared to go outside and not knowing Jason was a homosexual were very well scripted and well done. The addition of Archie in the third series made it not as good as the earlier ones but still enjoyable. More series of this would've been nice but I suppose with the idiots at the BBC we were lucky to get the three series they made considering the state of British comedy these days (Little Britain, League of Gentlemen).

Still love watching this show. Both matthews did very well and captures the 90's brilliantly. Although dated in many ways . I still think today's youth would get it .

The first series is by far the best. Ben Chaplin as Matt is genuinely sensational. Sadly the quality of the writing and Ben Chaplin moving on to other projects (resulting in him being replaced by Neil Stuke) drove the quality down considerably.

Still, even the last two seasons are worth watching. So many laugh out loud moments and a real slice of the 90s. The first series I would say has every episode scoring either a 9 or 10, but by the end they're just about limping in with sixes.

I caught this show at exactly the right time, being a teenager when it originally aired.

I just re-watched this show and I have to disagree with other reviewers and say that it doesn't stand the test of time well.

What made this show stand out originally was how rude it was (in a juvenile kind of way). The constant stream of shag jokes appealed to a younger me,but that and the continuous Clare references have just become annoying now. That might be a result of binge watching though.

The main characters are pretty likable but the plots are pretty poor and each episode seems to revolve around the same recycled jokes Comedy has moved on and is more rude,in your face and brutal now and this looks tame in comparison.

I was thinking of rewatching Men behaving badly but think it may not age well either.

I think this is a forgotten gem. I rewatched it recently and forgot how funny it is, not to mention so many great cameos. Launched so many careers. The characters are perfectly written and perfectly cast. I first thought it should have carried on for more series' but actually it would have become boring and repetitive. The fact that they recast Matt didn't seem to have any detriment whatsoever. Both are equally funny in their own way. The whole show hasn't aged at all and the jokes and situations are all relevant nowadays. Soon, I'm sure someone will remake it which would be great but for the time being I love it. If you haven't seen it I would strongly suggest you check it out.

One of the best British comedies ever. I can't agree that Ben Chaplin was the only good Matthew, in fact I rather liked Neil Stuke as his "double-hard bastard" routine was even funnier than it was with Chaplin who looks like he could actually be hard if he tried. I can hardly wait for seasons 2 and 3 to come out on DVD. Does anyone know when they are supposed to be released? I'd be very grateful for any information.

If you tell him I will spank you, I will spank you like a bad, bad donkey, OK?

Being a real lover of good comedy series like Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, a.s.o. I must say that none of those has ever made me laugh as much as this one did/does.

First of all let me say that I have never seen the first series (with Ben Chaplin) so I can't judge if this is better or worse. But what I do know is that if you can't laugh with the humour on 'Game On' you should really wonder if you have any sense of humour at all...

Neil "Double-hard Bastard" Stuke (Matt Malone) and Matthew "Ginger tosser" Cottle (Martin Henson) couldn't have been better cast for their parts. They are the absolute stars of the show. Samantha Janus is a little disappointing, compared to them, but good enough. She doesn't ruin it, but it is obvious why she doesn't get bigger and better roles...

To be brief: the stories are original (homosexuality, marriage, friendship), the dialogues are hilarious, the acting is good,... and in the end you get a GREAT comedy, believe me.

I give it a 9 out of 10.

PS: If you disagree with my opinion feel free to let me know...

"Game On" stands the test of time and really feels like a little turning point into the twentysomething sitcoms that pretty much dominate these days. I must confess to basing the vast majority of my opinion on Series One alone. Ben Chaplin, I feel, gave the show a bit more of an edge in that he was actually a very convincing bully and there was darkness in his issues that made the show really buzz. Equal credit should go to Matt Cottle and Samantha Janus. All of them nail the lines perfectly. The comedy from just the audio delivery of words like "shag" is fantastic on a simple level but the character depth boils on a consistent level as well. Game On was dark stuff and rarely resolved cheerfully, but in terms of biting character stuff it's as good as the format got.

My knowledge of the later series is a bit sketchy but I seem to remember it feeling slightly less relevant and slightly more daft. However the show was always visually convincing despite being studio audience based (everything was in 1994). I think that the show has aged really well, I have fond memories of watching it at the age of 14 and it being brilliant and it still is.

One of the UK's funniest comedies of late. Superb, sneering performances from the new (and arguably improved) Matt Malone (aka Neil Stuke), combined with hilarious, although silly storylines make this sitcom one you won't want to miss!