Twenty Twelve

Written and directed by John Morton we have BBC series Twenty Twelve, spoofing the preparation for the London Olympic games in that year. All shot mockumentary style we follow Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville), Head of Deliverance of the Olympic Deliverance Commission, his team as they count down 1000 days to opening ceremony, and of course all the fiascos and hilarities that entails. The format is a fairly standard The Office type, with talking heads, cringe, and general incompetency, but its done quite well, and the writing and performances are genuinely great. Also starring Olivia Colman as Ian's assistant, as well as a list of familiar BBC comedic faces, the show is short and sweet at only two 6-episode seasons, with its airing of course having an actual deadline as the real-life games came to fruition. While the show is quite literally dated in its references, much of the humour doesn't derive from pop culture at the time, so the jokes all hold up, even now. The series would also eventually lead to a personal favourite and pseudo-sequel W1A, with many recurring cast and characters. If you've seen W1A and liked it certainly check this one out, and if you like this type of series generally, I'd recommend.

I cannot give the single reason that makes this series is so perfect . Sharply observed narration by David Tennant is superb and each of the actors were superbly cast . Understated stereotypes all contributed in perfect measure to execute this really witty script . The ending with Hugh Bonneville and Olivia Colman is the best ending I have ever seen, bar one (Blackadder). Please give this a watch ! So that's all good.....

The finest comedy show since the 1997 first series of i'm Alan Partridge. Similar to Partridge you can watch this show again and again and see things you missed first time around. Magnificent casting with my vote as the best of the lot going to the NO Nonsense head of contracts Yorkshire bloke Nick Jowett played by the wonderful Vincent Franklin. All the cast play the parts very well very well indeed and there are a few cameos thrown in for good measure.For anyone who hasn't seen it please watch it you will NOT be disappointed. I believer Hugh Bonneville and Jessica Hynes are reprising their roles in the follow up about the BBC. I wonder whether that will work without the rest of the cat of twenty twelve.. We shall see.........

The first episode was criticised by the TV critics of two British newspapers for lacking jokes. That rather seems to miss the point. I found it far funnier than they seem to have done, and often it is the small, almost insignificant points which are so telling: the casting of peripheral characters is masterly and hints at the essence of Twenty Twelve. This is not in the first instance a comedy but satire which sends up mercilessly the attitudes, dishonesty and outright nonsensical babble of recent times. But it is done in such a straight-faced manner than perhaps some miss its nuances. My favourite character is the utterly vacuous air-headed Siobhan Sharpe, on secondment from the PR company Perfect Curve as the Olympic deliverance committee's Head of Brand, but that is just a personal choice and it would be unfair to single her out. I have met all the characters portrayed in real life and, oddly, they are not at all exaggerated. With luck - and the Games being just over a year away - this one will run and run.

Anyone tuning into this show hoping it to be a match for W1A, forget it. This has none of the wonderful casting of W1A, missing essential components Hugh Skinner's Will and David Westhead's profane under-the-breath pronouncements that spoke for us, the audience. The rapid fire idiocy around the table is stilted, having none of the hilarity of its successor. But all is not lost. Hugh Bonneville is as expected, wonderful, although his character is much more refined in W1A, here more abrupt and a bit mean. And Olivia Coleman is wonderful as always.