Ambassadors

It was a nice surprise to stumble upon AMBASSADORS because I am such a fan of Mitchell & Webb - their sketch show and then PEEP SHOW are both terrific. What was refreshing was that the tone and pace and humor in AMBASSADORS is very different from their previous stuff. This show is like a mix of Yes, Minister, Veep and In The Loop. What is also impressive is the superb supporting cast - Keely Hawes, Matthew MacFayden, Tom Hollander, Amara Karan, Susan Lynch and Shivani Ghai. Don't expect the raunchy, will comedy of their sketch show/Peep Show. This is engaging, smart, measured and there are certainly laughs.

A fascinating mix of political satire, relationship drama and intelligent comedy, the Ambassadors was well acted by a quality cast and developed nicely over the 3 episodes. The absurdities of service in the FCO were well balanced by the consideration of some interesting themes and the inevitable moral quandaries that arise when trying to meet the often multiple and incompatible requirements of the diplomatic service.

Both Mitchell and Webb delivered enjoyable performances, and the production values were excellent, providing a realistic backdrop for the supporting cast to develop their characters.

I was genuinely disappointed to find out that there are only 3 episodes - it deserves more.

I cannot understand the odd really rubbishing reviews that have appeared here and there of Ambassadors ; almost as if there is a hidden agenda. There are so many 10 star reviews, of which I agree, that to give 1 star is really perverse. For myself (and my wife) we found Ambassadors the wittiest, most original production we have seen for a long time. It was interesting to read a former member of the British Diplomatic Service stating how near reality it was; I suspected that it was and it was good to have this underlined. Both Mitchell and Webb were superb here; I have not always been a fan of their skit shows, but this was clever comic acting at its best. I would love to see a further series, but if that is not forthcoming then another Mitchell and Webb production using this characterful and entertaining format would be a winner.

I tend to have a short attention span, but I watched all three episodes back to back. Highly recommended although unexpectedly serious and definitely not Peep Show.

It's a new genre for Mitchell and a Webb and I think they pull it off really well despite the fact that you're waiting for those side glances from Webb at the end of his scenes. Budgets looked fairly big as it seemed all to be shot in Turkey or surrounding regions. Therefore I hope the mixed reviews don't affect a decision about follow up shows.... I'm hoping they make a second series which I think will learn from the first, and will see the characters mature and grow further.

I have never been tempted to write a review before, but was roused into action when I heard that this series only had three episodes and there are no plans for any more.

I think this is the best comedy I have seen since Episodes. There were many times when I laughed out loud. Each week my girlfriend and I eagerly looked forward to the next installment

This was intelligently written and very funny. It centres around the ambassador and his right-hand man, the ambassador's wife and a small group of staff at embassy. It comes across a quintessentially British bumbling around in a foreign country trying to grasp a strange culture. As someone well travelled, I would normally hate that approach but credit to the excellent writing. This kept me entertained with mild plots and lots of laugher.

I will be recommending this to all my friends especially ex-pats that are always looking for gems of British TV and British comedy.