Catterick

Catterick is quite simply a work of genius. Popular UK comedians Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer play brothers who have been reunited after a number of years while Bob's character has been away with the army. He's returned home to make contact with the son he abandoned. A simple journey to the town of Catterick becomes a nightmarish adventure as the brothers collide with a psychotic young man and a hotel owner with a shocking secret among others. Filled with outrageous characters, hilarious dialogue and performances from some of the UK's finest comedy actors, Catterick is one of the finest, and most ambitious, comedies in recent memory. With nods to everything from Dennis Potter to The League Of Gentlemen, this is a truly British show and a definite must-see.

Given the date when this first aired, I see why I didn't see it first time. Twenty years later I have a far greater appreciation of where this comedy sits and the acting strengths of the actors. Bob Mortimer is a genuinely "nice bloke", as it's said and that comes over in his contributions to the script. Vic Reeves (Jim Muir) is more surrealist oddball but the two have always worked very effectively together. Catterick....perhaps Catholic is what is referenced - despite the actual military camp at Catterick where "Paul" and his mother appear to live. We do get to see a vengeful mother, a male who's 'bit' goes missing and a psycho child. Very much the Pagan Ishtar story barely hidden in Catholic Church worship. Interesting! Mark Benton plays his character adorably, with polite good boy vibes all along. Meanwhile, the comic acting range of Matt Lucas is absolutely showcased by his many guises throughout this series. He is a legend. There is dead-panning galore, understatement worthy of an Oscar and outright slam-dunk slapstick humour sprinkled liberally. A really lovely series which satisfies whilst also leaving us on a tenterhook.

Catterick is excellent in fact i would go as far to say it is the best work reeves and Mortimer have done. With the added extras of Matt Lucas and co makes this series a classic. If you don't like Vic and bob this series is not for you, its stupid one liners is what makes the series. Good work, hope something similar will come soon.

The last comment compared this series to the league of gentlemen. The two can not really be compared, where as the whole weirdness and eccentricity are the same, the humour is not. I think catterick will be loved by northern people but southerners would struggle to find it funny, its the northern humour that really makes the series hilarious.

Catterick's main premise is that Carl Palmer (Bob Mortimer) returns to his hometown in search of the son he left behind. However, things don't go to plan, and various exploits occur along the way.

I tried this series by chance, and I didn't expect to like it very much as I'm not generally a fan of Vic and Bob, but I thought this was actually quite good. Very unusual, odd humour and a dash of slapstick. This series is full of bizarre characters like Matt Lucas' hotel manager and Reece Shearsmith's superb madman.

This series contains a surprisingly good comedy cast, with Vic and Bob supported by Reece Shearsmith (League of Gentlemen), Matt Lucas (Little Britain), Morwenna Banks (Saxondale), Mark Benton (Murphy's Law) and Tim Healy (Auf Wiedersehen, Pet).

Reece Shearsmith was the best thing about this series, his performance as Tony, a psychopath who still lives with his mother, was in turn vicious and hilarious. Without Shearsmith's performance, this series could not be as great as it is.

Catterick may not be as hilarious or well-polished as Spaced and The League of Gentlemen, but it's definitely worth a watch if you like that kind of comedy.

Written by and starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, it is clear from the start that it isn't going to be an ordinary sitcom. The show follows two brothers, one of whom is searching for his estranged son, around the town of Catterick. Along the way they encounter some very odd people, such as a cruel but very funny hotel owner played by Matt Lucas, and a psychopath played by Reece Shearsmith.

It's pretty surreal humour at times, with characters suddenly miming along to songs in the middle of scenes, and others having conversations that appear to make no sense whatsoever.

It may not set anyone's world alight, but it's definitely worth a watch.