Sivvussa

I was quite surprised to come on here and see bad reviews... but I guess if you watch this program expecting it to be a thoughtful satire of Dickens then you might be a little disappointed. This program is, in a word, silly- and it is fantastic at being silly! Someone mentioned that it has the 'usual suspects' of the Beeb getting together- something they saw as a bad thing. Now, I am a fan of Mitchell, Webb, Fry etc, but putting that aside- this program seemed to me like a group of people getting together and having a laugh. So yes, the actors seem to be typecast... but they're playing the roles they love to play.

I don't think they were trying to be clever or make a new classic, they're just having fun. There are lots of shout-outs to Dickens (and our modern conceptions/interpretations of Dickens- Mitchell's character literally swelling with joy being a good example).

No, there's not much substance. There's a hearty nod to the Dickensian plot, a liberal smattering of caricatures and a mob of cannibalistic urchins. There are false moustaches and clockwork hats. There are silly ideas, and clever ideas (the three clocks).

Don't watch this expecting a serious film. Get some popcorn, relax and enjoy an hour of pastiche. You'll get to see Webb in a leading role, and you can play 'spot the comedian' with the supporting cast. Stephen Fry makes a fun villain with a stunning selection of hats. Robert Webb gets cooked with onions and arrested for not being manly. Parkinson gets addicted to treacle. Watch it, you'll enjoy it. ;)

I've just watched the first episode of this and, frankly, I enjoyed it! It's difficult for a show coming on the tail of such classics as HIGNFY and QI not to suffer by comparison, but "The Bubble" doesn't disappoint! As probably stated elsewhere on this page, a series of contestants/celebrities are isolated from the media for a few days, then asked questions about stories- whether they're true or fictitious! Obviously the responses depend on the people who are asked- Reg D Hunter really padded out the first show IMHO- but this is an issue with all topical quizzes. The host holds it all together well and overall it's very entertaining! 9/10

A good approach to watching this series might be to read the books and forget the plot, but remember the little details that made the books great. Because this series *isn't* the plot you'd expect from the series, nor are the characters completely the same.

However, it *is* a fun, thoughtful and detailed series, revolving around the things that Goodkind made great and adding enough original material to make it genuinely exciting. Most book-to-screen adaptations leave you knowing what's going to happen next; this series retains the twists, surprises and quick-thinking that was in the written series. Even if you haven't read the books you'll find it engaging and exciting, although there are sections that seem odd or "patched in" if you haven't read the book for context.

You won't know what's going to happen (although you might guess), you won't recognise all the scenes (but there are enough from the books to make readers smile knowingly), and you won't look at any of the characters in the same way as you would if you'd read the series.

Because it isn't the book series, it's a TV series based on the books. If you expect it to be exactly the same you'll be disappointed.