Ten Percent

Anyone who hasn't watched the French original, I sincerely advise you do that. This is merely a pale imitation. It's hard to put a finger on all the reasons why, but suffice to say that everything that's vital has been lost in translation.

The funny thing is, it's disconcertingly faithful to the original. The characters are each precise replicas of the French ones - even down to facial features - as are the settings, and the plot lines are often similar. But somehow the wit and flair of the original writing has all been sucked out. What you're left with is a rather empty shell.

I haven't seen the French original so can't compare the two. But this is a very poor effort. The dialogue is ripped straight from W1A and Twenty Twelve. Yeah, no, totally, no, yeah. There are few jokes, the series instead relies on the odd bit of farce and inconvenience to keep you amused. It's all well-made, but mildly amusing at its best. A waste of talent.

I really hope this gets a second series. You do need to stick with it and after 3 episodes I was hooked. The characters, the star cameos (Kelly Macdonald was a great one) and the quick wit make it something different and fun.

I haven't seen the original series this is based on so can't compare but you can tell that it has French influence.

Initially it seemed awkward and contrived, but looking at it without considering Call My Agent, I think it is working quite well. One of the characters looks like she is trying to be an actress in Twenty-Twelve, and it is almost embarrassing, but I do not think they are replicas of the French production, and I am enjoying it. Especially if they continue to relax.

The French series was always going to be a difficult act to follow, and the British version somehow doesn't have the same warmth and finesse as the original.

A few points.

1. The introductory music is dreadful. It made us want to hit the stop button straight away.

2. In the French series, the real-life Actors and Agents were indistinguishable from each other, it was that good. This series has been patchy and I don't think the casting is quite as good, although I love Tim McInerney.

3. Everyone is over-polite to with each other. My French isn't good enough to compare to the original

4. The production values are great and the choice of stars is wonderful. With Helena Bonham Carter and Dominic West particularly good.

5. I don't think the writing is as engaging as it was in the original. It's a pity as the series on its own is perfectly watchable.