Ambassadors

Although it only had a three episode run, this was a truly well done program. It was realistic and dramatic, but it contained so much genuine humor as well. Definitely worth the watch.

This is a very fine TV show. If it weren't for fools who admire shows based on daily hospital routines and cops with boring lives that investigate repetitive murders; then unique and rare brilliance such as this would exist in today's TV show listings.

However, boring people are the majority of judges in ratings; therefore they rate those boring shows and inspire them to make at least a dozen series within their lifespan.

Unfortunate excellence such as Ambassadors, Kingpin, Hung, The Honorable Woman, and many more don't get a chance to cause greater impression in following series than they already had in their first season showing.

As a former member of the British Diplomatic Service I found this series ticked a lot of boxes. I recognised a number of the characterisations as being similar to people I had come across in my own career, and the balance of realistic scenarios and humour was cleverly done. I found myself empathising with several of the characters in the Embassy who struggled to maintain a semblance of normal life amid conflicting, usually urgent and sometimes dangerous, calls on their time. Reviewer journalist1 clearly has a different interpretation of "politically correct" than me. The programme deliberately poked fun at institutions and individuals, from the British Royal Family to the ruling clique of the semi-fictitious country where it is set. Of course there were errors - the Union Jack regularly being flown upside down, for example, something that the producers should really have got right - and it had to be a bit "over-the-top" to be funny, but overall it was an amusing but realistic peek into the world of modern diplomacy at the day-to-day level. I hope there will be another series.

I cannot understand the odd really rubbishing reviews that have appeared here and there of Ambassadors ; almost as if there is a hidden agenda. There are so many 10 star reviews, of which I agree, that to give 1 star is really perverse. For myself (and my wife) we found Ambassadors the wittiest, most original production we have seen for a long time. It was interesting to read a former member of the British Diplomatic Service stating how near reality it was; I suspected that it was and it was good to have this underlined. Both Mitchell and Webb were superb here; I have not always been a fan of their skit shows, but this was clever comic acting at its best. I would love to see a further series, but if that is not forthcoming then another Mitchell and Webb production using this characterful and entertaining format would be a winner.

I have never been tempted to write a review before, but was roused into action when I heard that this series only had three episodes and there are no plans for any more.

I think this is the best comedy I have seen since Episodes. There were many times when I laughed out loud. Each week my girlfriend and I eagerly looked forward to the next installment

This was intelligently written and very funny. It centres around the ambassador and his right-hand man, the ambassador's wife and a small group of staff at embassy. It comes across a quintessentially British bumbling around in a foreign country trying to grasp a strange culture. As someone well travelled, I would normally hate that approach but credit to the excellent writing. This kept me entertained with mild plots and lots of laugher.

I will be recommending this to all my friends especially ex-pats that are always looking for gems of British TV and British comedy.