Early Doors

Why is it that every comedy now has to either have some "incredibly original" gimmick, or be extremely vulgar, or both, to hit it big? This consigns near-masterpieces like Early Doors to the slops bucket of TV history. Yes, as many observe, little happens in the course of the half hour, but you certainly don't even think about that when you're watching it. Cash and Mealey's genius is to realise that everybody's lives are generally repetitive, and so they are likely to have the same discussion in the same refuge every day. This is never treated with a hint of irony, but genuine warmth for the old school pubs that Ken and his lost bretheren run. Lacklustre shows like The Smoking Room and Little Britain, so pleased with themselves and determined to run down the losers, halfwits and layabouts of this world, would do well to learn from this and find that happiness is in whatever routine you, not society, carves out for you.

Set solely in a Northern Boozer in Manchester, Early Doors is a sitcom with a small selection of witty characters. It is a fly on the wall type show which is packed full with realism, witty dialogue and lovable, complete characters who all add something special to the show. It is one of the most relaxing shows I have ever seen and at 3 hours per season, time will fly by without you noticing whatsoever.

The assemble of characters is what makes this show so memorable as they are all perfectly created and the actors/actresses are selected with faultless precision. You have the barman Ken with his adopted daughter Mel and his Mother, his Mothers cleaner and friend, the old miserable man who doesn't like conversation or to be involved in anything and who is angry at the world. The best friend men in dead end jobs who have marriage problems, the table of gossiping women, out for free drinks, looking to cop off and the oddball couple who have a heart of gold but are ultimately social outcasts, although they are still loved by everybody! There are also a couple of on- duty bent coppers who regularly appear for free drinks in return for 'law enforcement'. Other characters come and go but that is your main group and it works perfectly!

Early Doors taps in to the concept that the average person who is working class, visits the boozer night after night to drink the cheapest beer they can find and smoke their nights away, is more than happy to see the same people every night and talk about unimportant things, often repeated daily. Runnings jokes are common in this show and they make it all the funnier, it doesn't get boring or repetitive, it's simply realistic and hilarious. The temporary traffic light joke is a prime example of this!

Craig Cash writes and stars in this and he does it in complete comedy gold. Not much happens in each episode, nothing needs to happen really. All you need is good dialogue, witty sarcastic banter and a sense of working class realism to make it feel authentic and special. Craig Cash masters this perfectly. You could say it's the Royle Family in a pub, or Phoenix Nights without Peter Kay. I would say it's neither as it has its own style and is strong enough to stand on its own as a British Classic, an overlooked gem which sadly doesn't get the recognition that it truly deserves.

10/10

I love Early Doors! Every character is so complete and every one of them each have their moment of the comic genius. Some of my favourites are of the cleaner, Winnie, winding up Jean - especially the scene where she's winding Jean up about her husband going to court for 'allegedly' being too familiar with the barmaids.

Scenes that absolutely kill me are: 'Do you like circuses?' 'And all the kids shout out 'where's dopey?'' There are just too many moments of comic genius and this is the only comedy (other than The Royale Family) that I can watch over and over again and never get bored of it.

Please, please, Craig Cash, if you read this, do a third series! I know you can do it. Save us from crap like 'My Family'! You're the best.

Early Doors is laugh-out-loud funny, tender, heartwarming, exasperating, fascinating, at times even a little disgusting, this television series has everything anybody could want, and more. From the very first episode of the first series you take the cast to your hearts and want to know more about what the community, collectively and individually, get up to next. The main takes place in Ken's pub (the landlord) and the comings and goings of this 'small world' (the theme tune taken from Roddy Frame's debut album Surf) are not to be missed. The characters are all so very real and this snapshot of working class northern life is a real gem...you can't fail to fall in love with it! Enjoy! :)

Ken runs The Grapes, a failing Manchester pub, frequented by a handful of loveable locals. A pub where more goes on than meets the eye, probably.

This has to be the most underrated and forgotten 'MASTERPIECE' that has ever come out of the BBC. Writers Craig Cash and Phil Mealey created something absolutely wonderful with this one.

Why on Earth did this not get more coverage and no further series? Criminal: so funny, beautifully written and meaningful events, the characters were all thoroughly believable and lovable!

I was lucky enough to see the live stage show, none of the magic has gone, this show is begging to be brought back to our screens, comedy is pretty much dead, this could bring it back to life!

Jean and Winnie's dialogues are just the funniest thing I have ever seen; incredible! But the line of Eddie and Tommy speaking about Joan's driving test - what sign would you expect to see on a narrow country lane? The answer: 'fresh farm eggs for sale.' Absolute genius!

I can see the same fate happening to the current series 'The Visit,' which is very similar and again wonderfully fantastic. Why aren't these on BBC in prime spots instead of rubbish like 'After You've Gone' and 'Green Green Grass'? Please, someone read this and take note.

To the regiment! I wish I was there; a real gem of comedy with a hint of heartwarming drama running through it as well.

10/10.