Sensitive Skin

A warm and touching comedy about an older woman, this show resonated with me more than any other comedy I've seen recently, which is surprising considering I'm a 22 year old man! Joanna Lumley is fabulous and beautiful, and her portrayal is spot on. Her husband, played brilliantly by Denis Lawson, is funny and affable, though perhaps a bit predictable after so many years of marriage. Her son, played by James Lance (brilliant as usual), provides the biggest laughs of the show. The writing is smart and mature, and the humor is gentle rather than laugh-out-loud. The supporting cast is excellent. The subplot about marital infidelity might seem commonplace, but is handled with great skill. The last episode is particularly good, and the end is very poignant. If you're looking for a brilliantly conceived bittersweet show that handles the affairs of everyday people so skillfully as to make the themes universal, this is the show for you.

Excellent, warm, witty, mature drama/comedy. Perhaps the wife is discontented and missing something in her life, but she also loves her husband deeply. She has reached the age where time is finite and wonders what life is all about. The comedy is understated but still found myself laughing out loud. I think season two may be even better than one. Joanna Lumley is beautiful but looks her age which is refreshing. Denis Lawson is fantastic and funny. Nicholas Jones and the rest of the supporting cast are wonderful. This reminds me of the 1970s comedy Butterflies. What is most refreshing to me is the lack of cynicism and biting one liners that pass for comedy in many U.S. productions. Characters seem real because they seem to genuinely care about each other and go out of their way not to hurt each other as they metamorphose.

Rather than being an out and out comedy, I feel that 'Sensitive Skin' is a whimsical and often understated comedic drama. Semantics, I know, but it must be pointed out that the comedy is mostly implied, rather than being delivered with punch-lines and laugh tracks, and the viewer is always allowed to choose both if they find this funny, as well as when. I feel this show is not for everyone. You have to pay attention, as some lines just slip by unannounced.

Firstly, the couple, played by Joanna Lumley and Denis Lawson, are both well past 50, and their son (played by the talented James Lance) is still an 'adolescent' of 30-something. Viewed from the outside the couple appear to have everything, but the whimsy is in recognising the ways in which they are unsatisfied, and the comedy develops as they go about kidding themselves that they are sorted.

As in any superior storytelling, the scripts make this show, but the cast deliver every line with the professionalism we've come to expect from them. The close-ups of Lumley's face as she shuffles through her thoughts or her memories, or searches for an appropriate answer to a query from someone is well worth the trouble it takes to tune in to this unique show.

The first 2 episodes of this program have been shown in Australia and I just love it. I can very much relate to these characters, they are very real characters. Just one gripe. I absolutely love the music they use in the show but they never credit the pieces or players. I know that one was a Bach piece played by Glenn Gould, but not one I've heard before. If anyone can help with the music I'd really appreciate a list. I do hope there are more programs like this coming up, such a wonderful change from the violent, sadistic crime shows we seem to get swamped with these days. I am getting rather concerned with the obsession we have with really nasty subjects not to mention the 'Big Brother, 'Biggest Loser' rubbish and others like it. I'd encourage more like 'Sensitive Skin' which is just such a refreshing change. Delighted and want more like it.