Count Arthur Strong - Count Arthur's House of Horrors
BBC1 2030 hours.
Steve Delaney's character twitches in a manner reminiscent of Gordon Murray's live cut-out animation on Captain Pugwash. The premise is safe and simple, the situation anchored in a TV studio café as the cast flirt with tribulations never likely to deliver perils insurmountable. The most distress comes from the awkwardness of Rory Kinnear's Michael struggling with his basic life, career and relationship issues. The comedy largely stems from his frustration at trying to improve his coping strategies in the face of the challenges posed by his commitment to his friendship with Arthur. Strong's relationship with the world around him is a joy to witness, and the ongoing friction generated by the attempts to reconcile Michael's 'normal' world with the confused, unsteady and comically fluctuating reality experienced by Strong provides very satisfactory levels of mirth.
This is a lovely comedy show, produced by people who know what funny is, without trying to push any boundaries. It reclaims some ground for mature and experienced comedy from any movement keen to only invoke the new, different or shocking.
Spoiler alert: A climax in one's pants, wearing jaunty headgear, as witnessed unexpectedly by a lesbian couple, sets a standard for denouements that will be hard to beat.
Bring on plenty more minty oblivion.
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