Plus One

I'm not quite sure how this new series manages to fail so spectacularly. On the surface the set- up is funny, even some of the gags are funny - well, perhaps they were on paper. But the reality is miserable, forced and with no sense of comic timing whatsoever, which is odd given that there are a number of great actors involved (Daniel Mays, in particular). The beats and rhythms of comedy are missing and I couldn't work out whether this was the fault of the writer or director. However, the writer is responsible for thinking that cheap gags ironically mocking racism are funny and not understanding that British actors, as a rule, are not good at using expletives and still making the line funny. Watch the first episode only for the sight of Mays dressed as a giant panda.