This Is Jinsy

The reason most people who watch Jinsy will think it's genius is because nobody watches it under any illusions of its content - you know it's ludicrous, surreal and childish before seeing it and if you know that's your kind of humour then this will always tickle you terrifically in the tenderness of your titter pouch.

It is Monty Python/Goodies. People say The Goodies is a children's version of Monty Python's surrealist humour - Jinsy is the Island lovechild of their humour. It's like a place in the world where this humour sadly got put in a cardboard box over 30 odd years and has lost what little there was left of its mind and has recently been found and unboxed to confuddle and delight us all once again.

It is adult, although it never swears (unless you are native to Jinsy in which case it's terribly crass and appalling language), and it is just two very childish writers/actors/friends having a lot of silly fun with nonsense ideas that a seven year old could spin off high on sugar.

I envy them massively.

With a guest list involving so many brilliant people as well, it's just got the parrapawow-pop on top of the pong-shwing of swell. It's no low budget attempt at low logic laughs.

This show sits within that specific genre where people either love it or hate it. I'm not a fan of all absurdest comedy, but once I started watching this I just couldn't stop! It has a hypnotic quality that I just can't describe and it sucks you in. It's just so fabulously fresh and out there, but in a way where it has such momentum going from one crazy and entertaining thing to the next, that there is no time to ponder on one thing too long and get bored with the format at all.

Adding further to this; the show has (for me at least) that rare quality where despite the "nuttiness", it still has enough coherence to make sense without totally losing me. I also love the inspirational story behind the incredibly talented duo who star in and write the show, so I'm crossing all my fingers that we get the third season they so deserve.

If you enjoy something completely on the flip side, with a lot of (very well done and thought out) absurdity thrown in, then do yourself a favour and watch this gem. Hopefully the more positive reviews they receive, the more likely it will be that we'll get another season. Although I understand that this show isn't for everybody, I'm pretty confident that for fans of such niche genres, this show will become an instant cult classic!

WARNING: Be prepared to have the songs and ditties from this show stick in your head for days on end...aaarrgggh!!!!

Nightly Bye all ;-)

Since I watched this in '15 I occasionally checked to see what they'd do next...nothing! This was unique, funny, bizarre and canceled before its time. The high caliber guest stars and great songs made me think we had a pair of great tv creators for decades to come. I'd really like to know what happened to these guys.

If you like any of the absurdist Brit comedies ya gotta see this. The premise is brilliant. The ensemble of regulars seamlessly weaves in guest stars who all appear well into the joke. My recommendations fall on deaf ears and blind ears among my friends and acquaintances but if you've found your way here....search this out.

...There is every chance you'll enjoy this. This is its own thing. But it's never going to escape style comparisons with Monty Python. And darn it, if you love weird, surreal, off-the-wall and unconsciously jarring British humour, Jinsy is going to sink under your skin. Even when you can't find it amusing, or find it repetitive, the visuals alone will haunt your back brain.

Jinsy also has flavours of Brazil, The City of Lost Children, The Delicatessen, and Twelve Monkeys. It includes the sort of self-consciously ironic music-comedy skits that peppered The Big Gig and The Sideshow variety shows from Australia.

I predict that in 10 or 20 years Americans will discover another reason why cults become classic.

The songwriting skills of Neil Innes at his best, the intelligent madness of Spike Milligan and an inventiveness that defies description, these are just a few of the elements that make This is Jinsy the best British comedy for many years. Justin Chubb and Chris Bran are to be congratulated on an original character based comedy that has joined sit-com to sketch-show with a joyful confidence and utter success under the superb direction of Matt Lipsey. The series is supported by a surreal design team led by Nic Pallace the captures an entire world of insane parallel development.

The highlights are almost too numerous to mention, but gold stars have to go to the entirely too believable civil service banter and by-play between the two main protagonists that occasionally riffs on Yes, Minister for the niceties of political structure formalities; Harry Hill as the sadistic Dominatrix punishment manager; The Jinsy Singers for some entirely too complex harmonies; Alice Lowe as the darkly frustrated yet interestingly sensual Tessellator engineer; the narcoleptic historian; David Hatton as the Weather Monk Tracee Henge, surely Spike Milligan on top Goon Show gibberish form reincarnated; songs you find yourself humming three weeks later; Simon Callow, Kevin Eldon, Jane Horrocks, Nigel Planer, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Serafinowicz, David Tennant and Don Warrington completely off the wall in guest roles.

It all makes a kind of mad sense, suspension of disbelief is entirely too easy, not to mention enjoyable as you immerse yourself in a very different normality. You can't help but laugh all the way through, each episode has gem moments, but the overall absurdity is a giggle form start to finish. Bravo, more please.