Funny Woman

For me, Funny Woman was a fabulous accidental find ...so needed a laugh tonight after a bleak day. Thankfully Funny Woman gave the laughs I needed...Gemma Arterton is mesmerising on screen & perfect as comical Sophie Straw. Loving this show & need more...such a great find! Hope there's a series 2, 3, 4 etc...thanks for great television, such a rarity today... Sophie Straw aka is Barbara Parker from Blackpool; Funny Woman is set in the swinging 60's & Barbara is off to London to make a better life for herself. This she does with gusto & great humour...love the music too! Great watch tv that is essential viewing...

What a treat this show turned out to be. Gemma Arturton in the lead was quite stupendous, consistently bringing every emotion to every scene - she ought to be right up there when the tv awards are handed out. Indeed, the whole cast are superb and so believable. Feel-good, yes, but I reckon it would be almost impossible not to be pulled in every emotional direction as this programme just gets better and better as it goes on. It would be great if a sequel came along, however, somehow it could just as well stay as a one-off. Finally, it should be thought of as a virtually unique tour-de-force and possibly one of Sky's ever dramas.

Based on the book by Nick Hornby Funny Woman start's with a Blackpool beauty queen, who has her future mapped out for her. Bored in her Blackpool rock making factory, destined to marry the local butcher. She gives it all up to head south to London in search of fame and fortune.

As always this does not go to plan wannabe comedian actress Barbara Parker aka Sophie Straw. Works her way through various mundane job's in between auditions before getting her break in a TV situation comedy written and staring by oxbridge performers who fail to grasp her northern humour.

Set in the swinging sixties Funny Woman is a delightful nostalgic trip through the period of early television and how women were faced prejudices to be seen as funny in what was a man's world. 8/10.

I am old enough to remember all of the sixties, though I was more or less still a child when the decade ended. The period detail, in terms of scenery etc seems authentic. The characters are more or less right, except, whilst feminism became a thing during the sixties, it wasn't, I think, quite such a big deal as it is for the cast here. The show writers here are obviously meant to be Galton and Simpson (albeit that those writers are referenced by the characters) and I guess that Dennis is Dennis Main-Wilson. The two main characters of the show within the show being an unmarried couple though is a bit anachronistic. Yes, in the cinema the reality of life was being portrayed, in stuff like A Taste Of Honey, Poor Cow, Up the Junction etc and I think it may have been touched upon in TV drama, but not in the sitcoms everyone sat down to at 7.30pm. Anyway, it's not quite real but it's amusing enough.

There should be more of these feel good nostalgic TV programmes. Lovely period piece set in the 1960s. Main character Barbara obviously based on Lucille Ball who was the famous zany female at that time and very pretty. Loved that Barbara was northern which as well as being female challenge to getting a comedic part on TV. Would have scored 10 except I think the story was stretched out a bit toward the end and could have been told in less than six episodes. Gemma Arterton plays the part very well indeed and I note is on the production team. Some clumsy, obvious efforts to try and raise 21st century woke issues.