I don't usually leap up and down with glee and hang out the bunting when another sit-com pops up on television, as there's something depressingly machine-like in the way softly-drawn characters yammer out lame one-liners in flimsy plots in front of an audience who seem eternally accepting to chuckle at even the most poorest pay-off joke.
So what is it then with Miranda, the new Miranda Hart vehicle, that has me warming to it when I should probably switch over to another channel? Now I don't know much about the woman except the dreadful Hyperspace, but she shines here in a semi-surreal set-up that contains occassional cutaway sequences that seem lightly based on Family Guy's 'I remember the time when..' digressions. The whole gist of the thing is Hart's problematic journey through life, love and everything while dealing with part-ownership of a bric-a-brac shop, and it's handled with a surprisingly jolly warmth that would seem off-putting if done with less sincerity. Amiable to a fault, it contains a smattering of good jokes and situations and navigates a steady course while avoiding the choppy waters of bucolic, forced happiness. And Hart also breaks the business of the 'Fourth Wall' by addressing the viewer/audience with cheery aplomb.
It's also notable for a rare foray into comedy by Patricia Hodge, who plays Hart's mum, which makes a change after seeing her play so many icy, stiffly glacial characters (including Thatcher) that threatened to shit marble (cheers, Peter Shaffer). She pulls it off nicely indeed.
All told, worth a try. It's sweet stuff indeed, but it has the quality of endearment, which is rare. Give it a go, see what you think.
So what is it then with Miranda, the new Miranda Hart vehicle, that has me warming to it when I should probably switch over to another channel? Now I don't know much about the woman except the dreadful Hyperspace, but she shines here in a semi-surreal set-up that contains occassional cutaway sequences that seem lightly based on Family Guy's 'I remember the time when..' digressions. The whole gist of the thing is Hart's problematic journey through life, love and everything while dealing with part-ownership of a bric-a-brac shop, and it's handled with a surprisingly jolly warmth that would seem off-putting if done with less sincerity. Amiable to a fault, it contains a smattering of good jokes and situations and navigates a steady course while avoiding the choppy waters of bucolic, forced happiness. And Hart also breaks the business of the 'Fourth Wall' by addressing the viewer/audience with cheery aplomb.
It's also notable for a rare foray into comedy by Patricia Hodge, who plays Hart's mum, which makes a change after seeing her play so many icy, stiffly glacial characters (including Thatcher) that threatened to shit marble (cheers, Peter Shaffer). She pulls it off nicely indeed.
All told, worth a try. It's sweet stuff indeed, but it has the quality of endearment, which is rare. Give it a go, see what you think.
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