Pompidou

The fundamental flaw in this show is that we're told 'Pompidou' is supposed to be likable - he isn't. That's fatal. No caring for the protagonist is such a shame as Lucas can do better, indeed has done better. Second character 'Hove' is a thin foil, not a Jeeves. A great comic actor (see 'Julius' from 'The Thick of It'), underused. The whole show feels like Lucas trying to recover from the wilderness after some borderline racism in 'Come Fly With Me'. This isn't the vehicle for that. Maybe it'll sell in international markets like 'Bean', but Lucas is no Atkinson, sadly. Atkinson throws it all behind physical comedy, Lucas apparently doesn't have as much natural comedic instinct to throw behind Pompidou. 3/10 - those three are for the excellent dog puppet. It lit up the screen, and was more likable and developed as a character than either of the humans.

I do understand most people would not really like Pompidou. However I come from truly enjoying and knowing most of the Laurel and Hardy shorts - and to me Pompidou is a great mash up of the old Laurel and Hardy formula with a modern twist to it. Knowing the old material, there are lots of parallels and they are done quite well.

But they could do better. These initial six episodes - I can only take one per sitting. The "dialog" is funny but I can only take so much. I do like how they will pick certain words that can be heard clearly, such as the signature "That really hurt me" and "out". But I have to say every one of the six contain several moments that are hilarious to me.

I'm really struggling to see what went through anyone's mind when this was commissioned, or allowed to air. Maybe the powers-that-be thought that if they didn't get it, then it must be edgy or good, or clever, or all three.

It isn't.

It isn't funny either.

This is why pilots exist. Make one, try it out on an audience, see what they think (although, honestly, it should never have got that far, the editor should have saved the rest of us the pain and wiped all the media before it left the edit suite).

Please, don't bother. I watched this so you don't have to.

Everyone who worked on this should be ashamed of themselves for being absolute failures. Not only have they completely failed to understand what works in silent comedys, it also fails to understand what works in any comedy. There is an inexcusably low amount of jokes and the jokes it had I could see coming from a mile away. Also, every single one of these boring, milquetoast, stupid jokes went on for about two minutes.

This is the worst comedy I have ever seen, and that is coming from someone who actively seeks out bad movies. Painfully, unreasonably bad. So bad I can't even understand the mindset of the writers. I can't imagine how anyone could ever think this was funny. I'd be embarrassed for it if I wasn't so angry and astonished. It also makes me sad because it's attempts to bring back the dead genre of silent comedy probably did more bad than good. An absolute waste. Watch this if you're interested in just how bad comedys can be. Otherwise, avoid at all costs.

4 episodes in and Wow… talk about dross TV.

There is only one good element to this show and that's the puppet dog. The dog is the creation of the people that helped to make another BBC show called 'Mongrels' (epic win). To watch Pompidou just to enjoy the puppet character Marion though would be like; eating crap just to enjoy a piece of sweet corn.

BBC Controller of Comedy Commissioning Shane Allen said: "The concept is wonderfully imaginative, the writing hugely inventive and it's the perfect vehicle for Matt – one of a handful of performers in the whole world who could pull this off."

Well.. it isn't, it isn't, it may well be and he couldn't. The "writers" last "wrote" for Chucklevision BTW.

Danny Cohen should have stopped this sham… was he on holiday?