Human Remains

It's such a shame that this comic gem has passed under the radar slightly but it's probably for the better as Human Remains holds itself better as a "cult" show.

The writing of Human Remains, all done by Julia Davis and Rob Brydon, is superb and the accuracy of the observation is spot on. Chances are, you will have met at least one of the characters they play sometime in your life. They also manage to hit the mark with their performances which variate so much with each character it is a true showcase of their acting and comic talents.

The comedy is very dark in places and sometimes quite sick, but if that's the kind of humour you like then you will love this. But you would also love this if you appreciate great comedy.

There was a lot more I didn't like about it than I did. For the most part it's filled with meandering nonsense, it has the "beating a dead horse" style of British comedy that I never really liked, it's basically the same gag done over and over in different scenarios or circumstances. There are some good bits in there but you really have to have patience to get there. Looking back at this series, I think they should have just picked one or two of these characters and did a fully fleshed out series and made sense of those particular characters and told a well crafted story with them. I even noticed there was a short scene in one of these where it fades in offering nothing to the story and fades out and just looks like it was added to fill time. There are plenty of dud scenes that could have been left out. And also what stands out is just how much better some episodes are than the rest. If your a fan of these actors you'll probably just want to watch for the sake of seeing more of them and that's pretty much the reason I bothered watching.

This series is a terrific showcase for the amazing Julia Davis... my favorite comedian on TV these days. Rob Brydon is also a good fit and considerable talent. They play a very different couple in each episode although some same relationship dynamics are threaded throughout the series.

The series defies easy synopsis but I viewed it as a study of couples who somehow manage to make a relationship work, despite profound dysfunction.

As for genre, you might need to invent one! Generally it falls into "cringe comedy"

I would call it: "extreme emotional noir comedy."

(DISCLAIMER: The series is so strange that I might be WAY off in my analysis. I wish someone directly connected to the series would tell me if I'm even close. Also, I missed a couple of the episodes. )

This series of "days-in-the-life" (6) is without a doubt one of the funniest and best-acted pieces I've ever seen. The two principles, Julia Davis and Rob Brydon, have a very well-defined sense of comedic timing, and their characters are at once hilarious and pitiful.

The makeup deserves credit as well; I was half-way through the second episode before I realized that I was watching the same acters. (that's "acters" as opposed to actors, as opposed to actresses)

This is good stuff, and I can hardly wait until this is available on DVD. I just hope we can get (at least) another six out of Davis and Brydon...

The reason i have done this review now is because i was watching the comedy awards the other night and one of the series that had won thanked the makers of it for giving them the chance in the first place.

The makers were the company baby cow (steve coogan) who also made human remains an absolute classic of a series and in my opinion never received the credit it so deserved. At the time this was made both brydon and davies were not the household names they are today and i just thought to myself what an eye for comic genius coogan must have.

The writing and performance in all six episodes just shows how talented brydon and davies really are. One of the best British comedy series ever made and should be up there with the likes of python and milligan.

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