TV Review – The Old Guys (BBC One)
New Sitcom From the Creators of Channel 4’s Peep Show
Have you heard the one about the two old men who live together despite the fact they are complete opposites and rarely get along? Then this new sitcom starring Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger from Only Fools and Horses) and Clive Swift (Richard from Keeping Up Appearances) might come across as a little too familiar.
But as this is written by the people behind some of the most acclaim comedy shows in recent years, namely Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong along with The Thick Of It scribe Simon Blackwell, means that it rises above the levels of a mere exploitative rip-off and is rather good in places. Just about.
The Old Guys is more Traditional than Peep Show
The show follows Roy (Swift), a suburban pensioner whose wife left him years ago, and Tom (Pack), his annoying friend who has since moved in with him, as they edge towards the end of their largely uneventful lives. It's basically The Odd Couple, as Tom is excitable slob who enjoys poking fun at others and Roy considers himself above his station but is constantly being undermined by his companion.
Unlike Peep Show, which this will no doubt be compared to, it follows the usual established sitcom set-up – studio based sets, laughter track, embarrassing outcomes - and even though it’s on after the watershed it’s still a pretty safe sitcom that features very little foul language or unpleasantness that you would expect from the team behind it.
Some Good Lines but suffers from Lazy Characterisation
The lack of edgy material doesn’t mean it’s not funny at times and as ever with the odd couple set-up, it’s usually the laid-back one who gets the best lines. This means Pack comes out with the likes of “I don’t want my daughter to take me to the toilet. This is not a Ken Loach film” when he hurts his foot and “I can’t eat anymore, it’s too delicious it’s making me sick” after Roy cooks a meal that’s better than his.
On the whole the two leads stick to what they know and are playing through the motions of their previous roles - Pack dumbs up a bit and comes out with bizarre comments at inappropriate times and Swift tries to keep his calm despite his plans falling apart due to bad luck. The problem lies in the lazy characterisation that leaves you thinking “I’ve seen this bit”, even if you’ve never watched it before.
The cast includes Jane Asher as their glamorous but snobby neighbour and object of their collective obsession Sally, and IT Crowd star Katherine Parkinson plays Tom’s strange daughter Amber. Whilst comedy does occasionally need auxiliary characters, there’s very little explanation for why these two are always around and look like they’ve thrown in for the sake of conforming to sitcom conventions.
The Old Guys is not Original but Shows Promise
Overall this is not anything new or exciting and not as good as other work from the creative team, however the writing and the dialogue between the main leads is decent enough and although the series is only a couple of episodes in it certainly has potential.
Whether you approve of The Old Guys depends on the type of comedy you favour. Those who prefer the more realistic approach taken by most modern sitcoms may find this a little dull and lacking in both visuals and witty jokes but if you yearn for the traditional style and familiar characters it might be worth a punt.
The Old Guys is shown on BBC One at 9.30pm every Saturday and repeats can be seen on BBC iPlayer.
Roger Lloyd Pack and Clive Swift
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