Peep Show

Along with Ricky Gervais' The Office, Peep Show is my favourite TV show and arguably one of the best sitcoms ever made. The unique inner monologue and POV filming style works to perfection thanks to David Mitchell's dry cynicism and Robert Webb's sneering apathy.

The show takes some getting used to and I would implore everyone to watch at least the first two seasons before giving up on it. It hits it's peak between the 2nd and 4th seasons yet maintains a very high standard right to the end. On top of two great lead performances from Mitchell and Webb, the supporting cast of Olivia Colman, Matt King and Paterson Joseph (amongst many others) are incredible. The show cycles quickly through different characters and storylines and as a result it stays fresh and creative from start to finish.

Not only should you watch Peep Show, you should probably rewatch it 3 or 4 times as well. From there you can join the various online groups dedicated to Peep Show memes and quotes and let it slowly dominate your entire life. This is the gift that keeps on giving, not much comes close.

...and also consider how strange your own life can be, how unusual your own thoughts and reasoning seem when viewed through the eyes of another. The idea is much more than a gimmick; it forms the backbone and provides a lot of the most hilarious and often shocking moments of the show.

Like all good concepts that are given a successful platform to work from, you wonder why the idea wasn't more popular beforehand. Webb and Mitchell have a dark, dry sense of humour that will appeal only to certain individuals not so bound by convention, somewhat bohemian if you will. People not afraid to admit that their own thoughts and actions can seem completely bizarre when given a different perspective.

To really appreciate the show you definitely have to put yourself in the shoes of the two leads. You have to share in their shame, humiliations and triumphs - literally getting out what you put in. This is no soap opera that you tune into so that you can tune out, this is one that demands your full attention.

Webb and Mitchell have a lot of calibre as actors as this show is obviously very difficult to film, being as it is almost entirely filmed through the eyes of the duo. A lot of tricky close camera situations and complex edits are used and work seamlessly.

It certainly won't appeal to everyone - if it did it wouldn't be a very good show would it? - but those ready for challenging, dynamic television should buy the first two seasons on DVD and enjoy.

This is one of those programs you can watch time and time again.

An utterly, blindingly funny show from Channel 4 (which was put out on E4, for some reason. Why do they do that? ) It is a terrible shame that more people can't see it. If you like shows like Bottom, BlackAdder, Fifteen Stories High, etc., you'll love this. (Its adult content, however, may preclude less prurient viewers from concurring.) Brief summary: the camera acts alternately as either of the central characters in this show - hence the title. They are both deeply flawed individuals, unable to grasp the causal origins of their unmitigated life-failure, let alone find the inner resources to affect any solution. The show is really about pain - and you won't enjoy it unless you are quite capable of laughing at your own.

Can't praise its originality enough. 10/10.

My number 1 series of all time.

If you like to laugh or need cheering up..... Just shaded Curb your enthusiasm...