Car Share

A feel good, refreshing comedy.

I have been a huge fan of Peter Kay since his 'Top of The Tower' stand up days, Phoenix Nights is comedy gold in my eyes and Max and Paddy was a solid spin off to that. Car Share is his latest 6 piece comedy show and it is vintage Peter Kay!

Peter Kay plays a manager at a Supermarket; his company have introduced a car share scheme and Peter matches up with a woman from the promotions team.

The episodes are 30 minutes each and are evenly split, the first 15 minutes are the trip to work and final 15 minutes are the return home. Pretty much the entire show is shot in the car and simply follows them on their work commute and their every day; general conversations with each episode will have a vague backdrop story, a general topic of conversation. The episodes link on loosely and give the impression that the episodes are spread out over weeks at a time as many personal situations change and their relationship develops.

The on screen chemistry of Peter Kay and Sian Foulkes is completely perfect, they bounce of each other in such a way that you would see them as a married couple. They are hilarious together, their style and approach are almost identical and they complement each other faultlessly.

Through all the laughs and silliness of the show, it does manager to reach out to the viewer, offering some emotional, touching moments. Even with a mere 6 episodes, the characters are developed and the chemistry of the two actors is developed very well.

My negatives would be that I didn't like the musical animated scenes in the middle of the episodes. I didn't really get them at all. It was also disappointing to see that there were only 6 episodes, with the series ending in a way that I don't see a second series being made.

10/10

Although it had Peter Kay as one of the leads this comedy really did take people by surprise, and quickly became one of the biggest hits of 2015, to the point where the press and fans went crazy for its second series, and petitioned in their thousands for it to return again for a finale after Kay had said it would end on the series two cliff-hanger.

It's a marvellous, simple show, that sucks you in and makes you smile and cry in equal measure.

Kay and his co-star, the lovely Sian Gibson play out the stories of two people commuting to work beautifully, and their off screen friendship shines through.

I cannot recommend this show highly enough.

I first watched on i-player and thought it was brilliant, Then watched the complete series and was so impressed . the characters work so well together and the whole scenario is so true to life. Hope this returns . The two main characters were really convincing in their portrayal of a couple of strangers brought together in a car share. I thought the episode with the fishmonger on his way to work was brilliant - just how people react in reality. I liked the way the series ended too , no happy ever after ending but just how things usually pan out and also leaves one with the thought that there may be the possibility of another series

Peter Kay's done it again with his latest series Car Share. Subtle, touching and in places, laugh out loud brilliance coupled with a simple concept, this is a masterclass of how to make a sitcom that's actually funny. On paper the idea of a comedy with basically just two characters in a car, talking, sounds rubbish but when it's got Mr. Kay in it you know it's going to work. A special mention must surely go to the superb Sian Gibson. What a hidden gem she is and perfect as the likable Kayleigh. Her comedic timing and delivery are an ideal match for Kay's character, John. Quite where she has been hiding and why we've never seen her in any other comedy is beyond me. I'm just hoping there will be a second and indeed third series and why not when you consider the amount of dross that's around pretending to be funny.

A manager of a supermarket and woman from promotions are thrust together as part of a company promoted car sharing scheme.

Every so often a great comedy appears on British television and Car Share fits that particular description. Like most successful comedies its strengths lie in the fact that it's well-written and well-acted. And while it is frequently successfully funny, it also is genuinely heart-felt without being naff about it. But, while all the above is true, what elevates it even higher is that it has a pretty original format. Practically the whole show is set in the confines of a car, with each episode split into two - the journey to work and the trip back home. We learn everything about the characters via their car conversations, with little in the way of traditional 'action'. The only other accompaniment is the constant radio banter and retro tunes, while once an episode one of the characters daydreams themselves as part of a music video for one of the songs playing in the background. In other words, this really is a proper minimalist sitcom. On paper, it sounds like a possible disaster but it works so very well because the script is very good and, in Peter Kay and Sian Foulkes, it has two actors with great chemistry with one and other. Essentially, besides all the laughs, what we are watching is the progression of a friendship. Another reason it works so very well is because it's a set-up that most people can immediately relate to, i.e. sitting in a car, listening to incessant radio chatter while going to and from work. All-in-all, this adds up to a very good series indeed, one which has a second series in the works – I have confidence that season two will continue the excellence.