The Ex-PM

I have just finished watching Series 1, and absolutely loved it! Shaun Micallef is terrific as usual, as are the other actors. The humour is often very subtle, so if you're not paying attention, it could go right over your head, and seem boring, but it's not. I loved it!

Let me start with a comment on other reviews. I think Aussies went into this looking for a comedy that speared their politicians and are disappointed that this (as dar as I can tell) doesn't do that. In common with the other Brits reviewing this however, any comments about Aussie politics are relatively moot anyway and we get to focus on the characters.

And if you come in with the understanding that this is not stinging political satire as Yes (Prime) Minister was, but a jet black farce propelled by grotesque characters with few to none redeeming features, then you can relax and enjoy the ensuing ridiculousness on display without caring whether it scores political hits or not or approaches any kind of realism.

It is very funny. It does take a while to build into it with the first half of the first season being much more subtle and refined, it raises a smile and some titters, but as the show goes on, the humour broadens out and many of the episodes leave me very merry.

It's not perfect - there's a big shift, not just in tone, but also in concept between series 1 and 2 as the Ex-Pm returns to the hustings in an attempt to be more on the nose. Although series 2 takes the farce to even greater heights, it does kind of defeat the point of calling the show The Ex-PM. Also a couple of the characters just don't make the jump. Both Ellen and Rita may as well be entirely different characters between Series 1 and 2, through no fault of the actors involved.

Does it matter? Not really. The show more than earns its way. There are lots and lots of sitcoms out there that don't. Well worth a watch.

Australia now has several ex-PMs, all of whom are open to ridicule and make the news for the wrong reasons. If the cartoonists can find humour in the lives of former prime ministers, why couldn't the writers of this series? The premise on which the series in based should have provided lots of good ideas. Instead, we have appalling over-acting and quite stupid story lines, far removed from the hilarious reality that the real ex-PMs provide. Consider what the writers of "Yes Minister" could have done with such a scenario. Where that series had wit and satire, this show has slapstick. After two episodes, the writers were burnt out.

I missed the first 5 episodes, so am only commenting on the last episode. With Shaun Micallef writing and starring, I was looking forward to seeing this. I've loved everything he's done, from Mad as Hell to Milo Kerrigan, so was ready to be entertained again.

I find it hard to believe that Shaun actually wrote this - it's laboured, obvious and downright silly at times, with none of the cleverness and wit he normally displays.

The acting is also terrible - I realise it's not meant to be taken seriously, but it comes across as just actors reading their lines.

Although I'm not mad as hell, I'm very disappointed.

Rather average. It's not awful but it's not great either.

The character of Andrew Dugdale is unbelievable. How could someone be so dim and have been PM? You could argue that James Hacker in Yes Minister / Yes Prime Minister as dim but there was a good deal more realism there.

Ming-Shu Hii - Rita's French accent is awful and Nicki Wendt - Catherine (Dugdale's wife) compete to be worse actors even than Shaun Micallef.

While Shaun Micallef is a good satirist he's not a great actor. We see far too much of him and not enough of Andrew Dugdale.

The script is pedestrian and the comedy tiring, if not embarrassing at times.

Best relegated to day time TV.