Don't Forget the Driver

Toby Jones plays a set of twins - Peter, coach driver in Bognor Regis, England, father to Kyla, stroppy young adult still-at-home daughter. Peter's one of nature's heroic cowards, fighting against his natural timidness to savee an illegal Eritean immigrant 19 yr old woman from human traffickers - rather hapless traffickers as it happens... And Barry, Peter's twin, - who is rather predictably the complete opposite of Peter. Brash, matey, know-it-all ex- pat living in Australia - who we get to see through Skype sessions.

All the supporting class keep pace with the masterful Toby Jones, but highlights include Marcia Warren, who plays Peter and Barry's mother, Joy, who's at the start of dementia, and who, in Peter's eyes, refuses to accept that Barry (her obvious favourite) has abandoned her and gone off to Oz. Joy rather cruelly always 'mistakenly' calls Peter, Barry;

And Fran (Claire Rushbrook) , not unattractive but generously proportioned middle-aged woman, mother to Kieran, her son with Cerebral Palsy, whom she adores... She has an unfailing optimistic view of everything. Somehow, Peter has unwittingly and inexplicably attracted her amorous attentions....

Very gentle, bitter-sweet comedy throughout. Some have called it dark, even black comedy because of the subject matter involved, but not me. My tolerances might be higher than the average, though. Worth a binge watch. as it's only 6 x 30mins episodes.

Written and starring Toby Jones and very much in the mould of the successful "Detecterists" in which Jones co starred. Don't forget the driver is a charming sometimes moving piece on the daly life of a day trip coach driver. The humour mostly comes in the shape of the diverse coach trips, the driver engages whilst trying to cope with a hectic home life of being a single parent to a teenage girl, a mother with dementia a will he or won't he relationship with a women who has a severely disabled son. If you enjoyed Detectorists or Ricky Gervais After Life then this will be for you. 8/10

Toby is wonderful. The sinister side of a modern humanitarian crisis laid bare alongside its' encroachment upon the everyday mundane existence of an imperfect gent and his family, in the seaside town of Bognor. Some of the worse bits of humankind exposed, but utterly eclipsed by many of the best bits. Captured with quality cinematography, thoughtful editing and a lighthearted but not flippant frivolity. Thoroughly recommended viewing.

Bassets Assets rule!

A well crafted story set in the bleak tacky absurdity of a south coast English town, with characters that are crippled either physically or emotionally or economically, losing with life, in a claustrophic darkly comical setup.

The silences speak volumes, the camera lingers on decay and mundane things. The ever present 80s/90s music radio adds to the faded feel of everything and everyone. Meanwhile dementia, disability, homelessness, illegal immigrants, human trafficking and economic malaise form the storyline.

I liked it a lot. Toby Jones and the many actors are suberb, totally credible, and give satisfying performances.

This series is not for those who want instant gratification, it is not for those with short attention spans. But for those who persist it's rewarding. I hope they will make another series.

I really enjoyed seeing Toby Jones play this character, wimpy, but good natured, underdog type. Similar to the character he plays in the Detectorists.While at work, Peter witnesses something he recognises as wrong but is reluctant to become involved with. The story utilises this situation to highlight the larger issue of illegal immigration and human trafficking. It is done well, with working class Britain as the backdrop.