Harry and Cosh

Do you remember the British show, "Sister Said"? Didn't think so. I'm ashamed to have such vivid memories of it myself. Well - it focused around a comic book, that told the story of an aspiring girl group who, each week, would find themselves in a different predicament.

Well - the two boys who would read the comic each week were Harry and Cosh. In perhaps their best idea to date, Channel 5 in Britain took Harry and Cosh and gave them their own show.

Okay, so it is just as outrageous as "Sister Said", but it is much more entertaining. Each week Harry and Lucinda will argue, break up, get back together, and snog - for some reason. Usually Lucinda blowing something that Harry had said or done out of all proportion.

I love it.

Great characters, excellent writing, strange (but funny) dialogue. Danny Peacock delivers every time. The guy must be a little bit 'touched', with his warped but eternally sunny outlook on the world and this comes across in his superb, creative and original directing. Despite his experience It's like he is experimenting all the time, constantly adopting new camera tricks and angles. This show is so sketchy and off-the-wall it should come across as disjointed and not work - but the dialogue, constant in-yer-face action and clever repetition of music gels it all together and it flows wonderfully. A bizarre slice of sunshine from the greatest writer/director in England.

While certainly not reaching the lofty heights of being able to be voted Best Children's' Comedy of All Time (or even not perhaps as good as Grange Hill which was pretty high quality) Harry and Cosh had a charm all of it's own and was quite a feat especially considering the budget was probably not exactly, how can i put this.....astronomical. Zillions of episodes were made and avidly watched by a legion of fans who adored it. The cast were reputed to be a truly lovely bunch of kids without big egos and many older actor praised them for how pleasant they were to work with. I think some (or all?) were released on DVD though not necessarily every one from every series.

Daniel Peacock may be considered something of an auter (ooh get me!) in the distant future. He has been involved in UK shows such as Diary of a Teenage Health Freak, Harry & Cosh and Cavegirl and all have something of a unique feel (more Larry David than Peter Engel in quality and style thankfully). They are all shows for teenagers that absolutely hit their target audience where they live, with their shockingly realistic portrayal (albeit exaggerated for fun) of the gleefully nasty anarchy of raging adolescence.

The sad thing is that the show is broadcast on a Saturday afternoon on UK's Channel 5 which, whilst a terrestial channel, is not very well promoted, thus neither is "Harry & Cosh" . If the show was on Children's TV (BBC or ITV) it would surely be at least a cult hit (even as a TV addict, I only came upon it this year, 2002, it was so well hidden). However, if it was more well known it would doubtlessly garner many a parental complaint, due to the nihilistic and erotic obsessions of Harry, Cosh and friends. Seen as Peacock's latest show "Cavegirl" has similarly been broadcast on a new digital channel, maybe the subversive writer/director is deliberately keeping low-key, like the trojan-horse of kid's TV.... no it's probably just those damn controllers/schedulers.

I don't understand it - what's with all the positive comments? Is this a joke?

Harry and Cosh is absolutely horrendous. The writing is beyond awful. The direction takes amateurism to a whole new level. When I saw this 'sitcom' I genuinely, genuinely thought that it had been written by a barely-literate 14-year-old boy, as part of some sort of 'youth writing initiative' commissioned by Channel 5. To find out that Daniel Peacock is some washed-up actor in his late forties is just incredible. How was this rubbish ever made?

I realise the programme is meant to appeal to zitty hormonal adolescents but the writer obviously assumes that all teenagers are completely thick, and will forgive any ropey old dialogue as long as there's a snogging scene somewhere in the episode.

And what's with the disgusting editing? I've never seen so many dodgy chops and cuts per scene as in this programme. I can only assume the editor doesn't want to linger on the 'actors' too long, for fear of the viewer realising just how abysmal they are.

Harry and Cosh is, without a shadow of a doubt, the WORST piece of television ever created, and believe me I've watched some dross.

Daniel Peacock will no-doubt go down in history as some sort of Ed Wood for the millennium. Channel 5 should hang their heads in shame.