Benidorm

"Benidorm" (2007) is a typically "English" sitcom. It follows a score of flawed stereotypes from bluecollar 2008 Britain, as they dovetail together in a cheap Spanish holiday resort . I am reminded of the classic characterisations of Captain Mannering in Dad's Army and Margot in The good life, when essentially "real" and vulnerable individuals live their lives in a half hour snapshot of a series of ten or twelve.

The second series of Benidorm hopefully will become a classic, after all it has all the benefits of a great sitcom. Sharp characters, good ensemble performances and a witty script take a side swipe at working class Britain, but where as the first series indulged the audience to judge the essentially vile commonness of the characters, the second series gives the viewer a subtle glimpse of some depth and warmth within the characters without detracting from a sense of car crash tv aka Jeremy Kyle.

So we have the predatory and unattractive middle aged sexual swingers Donald and Jaqueline (the excellent Janine Duvitski and Kenny Ireland pic) that have genuine affection for each other and for the people that they meet. Janice Garvey (Siobhan Finneran) is a harried mother who for the first time in years has a chance to flirt with a toyboy and escape the pressures of life. And camp as Christmas gays Troy and Gavin ARE the butt of many homosexual jokes but are seen as a couple that have to cope with the same life problems as everyone else.

Good comedy has that balance between stereotyping,pathos and joke telling, and I think that Benidorm has judged it just right in this second series. Of course it always has the potential to over play its hand, and I hope that does not happen too much with this little gem of a tv programme.