Coming of Age

How this ever got made is beyond me. It is not at all funny. The humour is below the level even of a teenage boy who'd laugh at the mere mention of anything to do with sex. It's simply pathetic and childish jokes that almost make me feel embarrassed for the writer, knowing that someone has written this thinking they're funny. If the writer was trying to be controversial, then he's even failed there, it's not funny, it's not offensive (except to human intelligence) it's just bad...so very very bad. And just to add to the misery the acting is awful, if there is a single redeeming feature of this show i haven't found it.

...and that's saying something! This is a horrid sitcom that should put it's writers to shame. A sex comedy involving teenagers, a horrible subject manner that relies on sex and gross out jokes.

Coming of Age is about five friends, Chloe (Anabel Barnston) and Matt (Tony Bignell), Jas (Hannah Job) and Ollie (Ceri Phillips), and the local idiot and troublemaker DK (Joe Tracini) who somehow get to do A-Levels. Chloe and Matt are best friends, and start a relationship; but both take their time before taking it to the next level. Both are immature, Chloe is very much in childish things whilst Matt acts as like a 14-year-old boy who just wants to have sex without thinking of the consequences. Jas and Ollie are very different, and have a very active sex life together, often experimenting. DK is idiot who show gets to do A-Levels at a sixth form college, and his mission in life is to harass the teachers, and pretty much finds way to expose himself to women. He is the worst case example of a chav.

The creator and main writer of the show is Tim Dawson. He was 19 when the show was commissioned and his only writing experience was for Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. Those are warning signs straight away. The theme of Coming of Age is that it focuses on Sixth Form students (i.e. 16 to 17 year olds), having a lot of sex, and the comedy based a round the subject. I am a firm believer that sex comedy around teenage sexual behaviour should never a subject of overt comedy. It might be work as a dark comedy, but this show wasn't aiming for that. This was the show that Cruel Intentions 2 would have been. Sex comedies like American Pie work because the focuses is on 18-year-old, so are at least adults. As well as the subject matter, the humour itself is so weak. It is basically sex jokes, which are really poorly done, and other types of vulgar humour which wouldn't entertaining a child with low comic standards. Examples of the humour include a boy examining another boy's genitals with their girlfriend walking in, jokes involving girls and their sexual toys and people being able to play musical instruments with their bottom. This isn't even the low common denominate of humour.

The programme is also really out of wrack with reality. This is not what Sixth Form/A-Level students, because for a start they trend to be people who want to stay on in education and do well. A kid like DK would never ever go to sixth form, he properly never even pass his A-Levels. Chloe is way too childish to be considered normal and could have and should have been played as a typical fashion conscious girl. Some sixth form couples may be sexually active, but nowhere need the levels Ollie and Jas are and I doubt many would get up to kinky escapees. If they do then possibly something very must have happened to them. The best sitcom are often to some sort of reality which people could relate to. Examples are Peep Show, Friends and Only Fools and Horses. There is something you could believe in. They is often also some sort of drama in the best comedies and the characters are able to grow and have relationships, even in surreal ones like Scrubs or the final episode of Blackadder.

This is a horrible show that is a curse on our TV screens. It even more of a shame because there are so many talented people who are trying to break into the entertainment industry.

I heard about this gem on a worst programme list and was absolutely delighted to find that my instinct to give it a try led me to a hilarious and fresh comedy from BBC 3.

Every episode has it's moments but sprinkled throughout the three seasons are moments of pant pissing hilarity.

I implore everyone to check it out because it's one of the best televisual discoveries I've made.

To think at one time the BBC was know for it's great comedies like Fawlty Towers or Black Adder, Red Dwarf and Only Fools and Horses and countless more. But now The BBC seems to lower their bar each time with what the exhibit on BBCThree. Although to be fare we should all be aware that if a programme was any good the BBC would put it on one of their real channels. Coming of Age has managed to make Two Pints look mature, now you could say 'That's the whole point it is about young adults' well then have a look at a far more sharply written comedy on CH4 'The Inbetweeners'. This is dumb, crude humour, no wait Family Guy and the Young Ones had dumb crude humour they where still funny. What is it with this? Oh it's just not funny in the least it's like a sitcom that's been written by a 12 year old.

BBC as a license payer I expect a refund.

For me, this show has single-handedly facilitated a complete loss of all faith and respect I had for the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Now I recognise some people will like this show. I also recognise some people will not like this show. However, the current IMDb rating of 3.8 and the almost ABSOLUTE lack of positive reviews from other sources lead me to believe that most people despise this show. And as well they should.

The only reason I can think for its recommission is that it enables the BBC to tick its 'young' box and think nothing else about the matter.

The main problem I have with the show is that the writer simply cannot writer. Simple as that. As Charlie Brooker would say; 'It's like watching a play written by a dog'.

There is no storyline to each episode. Full-stop. In a show professing to be a unique, young insight into college life it, in reality, shows us nothing at all. It could have enthralled us with the intricacies of college relationships, politics and all the agony that comes with college life (Inbetweeners, anyone?)! Instead, the most utilised set is a shed.....yes a shed.......where the characters' sit, exchange euphemisms for sex, and occasionally talk to a cardboard cut-out of Jeremy Clarkson, who is no doubt appalled at the use of his effigy in a show quite so diabolical.

The irony is that for a show about college life, hardly any scenes are shot in the college (Sheds are far more interesting you see). Invariably, in the few college shots there are I tend to find the extras wandering about in the background of far more interest and attraction than the principle cast (does anyone else find this?!). Perhaps for this reason the producers thought it best to shoot the core elements of each episode in a shed, eliminating all other more interesting stimuli so that we have to focus on the characters' forced, poorly delivered diatribe.

The characters are flat, undeveloped, devoid of any charm and seem to soley exist to give me something to hate and to effectively terminate the future careers' of the cast.

Coming of age has no redeeming features, not one. I take it as a personal insult to the license player and to the intelligence of young and old alike.

I'm 23. I was a student not so long ago. This does not show student life. It does not show comedy. I am simply lost for anymore words. I think I'll go weep in the corner now.

Be ashamed of yourself BBC