Sunday, January 01, 2017

Peter Pan Goes Wrong: The funniest thing on TV this Christmas


Charlie Brooker's 2016 Screenwipe was as much a wake for liberalism as a comedy, and I have not watched Cunk on Christmas properly yet.

But my vote for the funniest programme on television this Christmas goes to Peter Pan Goes Wrong.

Stage productions do not often benefit from being transferred to the small screen, but this was a triumphant exception.

David Ralf's review for The Stage gets it right:
While there’s a slightly feverish sense that Mischief Theatre have tried to cram every joke from the stage show into this one-hour slot, it does mean that the gag rate is exceptionally high, and the camera catches the exquisite and excruciating details of the company’s physical comedy that might be missed from the stalls ... 
A well-judged prerecorded opening segment introduces each of the characters – delivering plenty of laughs in its own right – and sets the stage for other recorded incursions, including a climactic runaway pirate ship gag which demonstrates just how involved and good-humoured the Corporation were in adapting the show for this one-off broadcast.

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