User Reviews

You may remember when Channel 4 was celebrating its 25th birthday they broadcast Comedy Showcase, a series of one-off comedy shows, and I immediately recognised this title, I was interested to see how it would be turned into a series. It sticks to the same format, Rob Black (Daniel Mays, replacing Rory Kinnear) is the ordinary love songs complication album arranger who talks to the audience about his experiences. He split up with his girlfriend Linsey (Miranda Raison), and she is getting married to pop star Duncan from Blue (Duncan James), and not only is he invited, its on TV, and he needs a Plus One. The only people he consoles with are his brother (EastEnders' Nigel Harman), sister Rebecca (Ingrid Oliver), and friends Paul (Steve John Shepherd) and Laura (Ruth Bradley). Rob is trying to get a beautiful date to upstage his ex-girlfriend, but there are more imagination sequences as to what would happen with each one, oh, and T4's Steve Jones is hosting a show about the couple's wedding. This is pretty funny, but I am not sure if there should be another series, I'm not even sure I'd want one, but definitely worth watching. Very good!

Plus One is one of the best UK comedies of recent years.

The show plays like a more earthy 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall', mixed with 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'-style comedy-of-errors. The basic idea – an ordinary guy gets dumped for a famous pop star – isn't completely original, but the show runs with it and takes the idea off into increasingly bizarre and hilarious territory.

The contrivances – so necessary for this kind of comedy to work – are always just the right side of unbelievable, and very often take you off in an unexpected but highly amusing direction. Who knew that Duncan From Blue's first love would be in a coma? Or that Rob Black's dancing abilities would lead to the best comedy dance scene since Ricky Gervais in 'The Office'? Other recent Britcoms would have gone for the obvious – but not this show.

The script is highly quotable – if a little over-sweary at times – and is not afraid to poke fun at 'hot button' topics, but only ever to highlight how racism, sexism, and assorted other social no-no's are, indeed, unacceptable – and to be wrongly accused of such evils would be – and is, for Rob Black – the ultimate embarrassment.

The show has a strong cast full of actors not known for their comedy work – but who all display admirable skills. Daniel Mays makes the lead character Rob Black seem lovable no matter what strange plan he's involved in, while Nigel Harman and Steve Shepherd are both perversely hilarious. The female cast are all continually impressive – sympathetic women among the idiotic men around them. Ruth Bradley goes from strong support in some shows to the lead in others with ease, and Ingrid Oliver is always brilliantly acidic. The guest stars are also solid – the celebrities playing themselves all do so with style – especially the game 'villain of the piece' Duncan James. The repetition of calling him 'Duncan From Blue' and his hit song 'One Love' playing every time he's on screen only serve to make the gag stronger.

Finally, I will say that if you enjoy the new school of Seth Rogen/Paul Rudd/Judd Apatow comedy from the US, then this is a fine UK attempt at that kind of humour. The show is abrasive at times – but it's got a warm heart, hits the mark a lot more times than it misses, and is consistently laugh-out-loud funny.