Heading Out

I like Sue Perkins. She's charming, witty, and a good actress. I wanted to like this show and stuck with it as long as I could - but four minutes into the third episode I had to give up.

Tonally the show is all over the shop. What lets it down more than anything is the direction. Sue Perkins has set the tone of the show as single camera comedy (i.e. more realistic - think 'The Office') and her performance reflects this. Yet several other members of the cast (namely Joanna Scanlan) seem to think they're appearing in an episode of 'Miranda'. These vastly different styles of performance within one show undermine the reality of the situation. If it doesn't gel together, you cannot suspend disbelief. Good sitcoms are like well-oiled machines. This one feels like a series of parts from vastly different gadgets have been flung together without any lubrication.

I love this show. It combines witty dialogue, silly puns & exaggerations in a socially awkward but lovable half hour. Sue Perkins is a fantastic comedian & writer, and the varying humour makes for an entertaining watch. It's not fair to compare it to existing TV programs, because while there is probably influence from fellow comedians and shows; it's entirely different. I found it refreshing to watch a show with a gay character that wasn't over sexualised or stereotypical...OK, maybe still stereotypical but more relatable & awkward. This show finds an amusing path to challenge stereotypes and makes for a good show. If you're looking for wit, humour, and something a little different; give it a go. It definitely grows. And the variation in humour keeps the entertainment coming. Really hoping for another season, lots of keen viewers over in Australia.

Perkins gets the TV sitcom nod and wink, no questions asked, from the increasingly cronyistic BBC. Straight to BBC2 with no pilot, so she's certainly settled in well in the secluded labyrinths of Broadcasting House.

That's not to say the lady doesn't have some comic talent or that she would be doomed to write a turkey. The likelihood that she'd create something half decent was quite strong in fact, with her respected wit and intelligence. But two episodes in and we are questioning whether we've over praised her in calling her the female Stephen Fry so soon.

Bits of this sitcom have had some flashes of intelligent humour but way too much has been unoriginal to say the least. She's opted for a modern off centre comedy style referencing films and pop culture in the style of Spaced but it's so close to it that it looks more like plagiarism than influence.

The narrative has been butchered seemingly in favour of making the scenes stand out, but of course this rarely works unless you're the Cohen Bros. and even then makes the narrative a very bumpy ride. Sorry, I can't say much good about this sitcom yet, but we do have four episodes left to watch. I fear they've already been written though and it's too late to save the amiable Ms Perkins' sitcom writing career.

PS The sitcom opened with a long scene starring a dead cat! Look no further than this for an omen of its future.

I found this series because I am an originally run and hosted GBBO fan who hates the new guys and vibe. Don't get me started. I really enjoyed this character. I would have loved to follow her through her various faux pas, gay and not. Very Curb-esque, Extras-esque, but for gay girls! There is not enough comedies featuring queer people, there's not any really. It was too ahead of its time and all of the "professional" criticisms, sounded like they were coming from a bunch of boring, straight people who didn't "get it" because it wasn't about them, like every other damn thing that exists is. I love you Sue. I wish there was more.

Sadly, thanks to years of being jaded by some appalling lowest common denominator sitcoms on the BBC, people are bound to have preconceptions about any new comedy programme and it is all too easy to dismiss a show like Heading Out and almost expect to be disappointed.

Unfortunately, this may cause viewers braced to be let down, to judge it too early and too harshly because it didn't have them howling with laughter immediately.

The main thing this show has going for it, is Sue Perkins' likability. This is certainly not a groundbreaking show or armed with one hilarious joke after another. What it is light comedy that would perhaps be better suited to an afternoon slot, (possibly in place of endless repeats of repeats).

It is possible to enjoy Heading Out, if it is watched with an open mind and enjoyed for what it is, rather than what it isn't.