From its title, this sounds like a reality show about people seeing their timeshare villas sink into a marsh, or suffering the aftermath of ill-advised cosmetic surgery. In fact it’s a sitcom with a neatly unusual sit and some fairly conventional, but well-played, com.
The neat situation twist is that it’s set in the week before the main characters’ marriage, with, as the title suggests, a never-ending stream of problems making the whole thing a nightmare. So far so good, but from there on in it all gets a bit predictable.
Bridegroom-to-be Howard is played by Ben Miller (of comedy duo Armstrong and Miller), trying hard not to seem too much like a middle-class Rob Brydon. His bride-to-be Mel is played by Sarah Alexander, apparently not trying hard to seem unlike her posh city girl character in Coupling. Mel’s dad is a judge with a country mansion who doesn’t entirely trust Howard’s intentions. Everyone’s comfortably off and the younger characters all have smart docklands apartments. It’s not hard to guess the rest.
If you don’t mind conventionally-scripted, affluence-worshipping comedy, then this one has quite a lot to offer. The scripts are quite sharp, and in the hands of a very strong cast, with the likes of Alison Steadman, Chris Langham and Ronald Pickup in supporting roles. Even the minor part of Cassie, Howard’s love-obsessed former one night stand, is played by Raquel Cassidy, formerly of Teachers and Redcap.
However the show is ultimately about people who don’t have to worry about where next month’s mortgage payment is coming from, worrying instead about which cufflinks will be worn at the church. If 30 minutes of My Family haven’t already tired you of that sort of thing, then this could be the perfect chaser.
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