Great Britain?
Will it be a ‘yeah, but’ or a ‘no, but’ for the third season of Little Britain?
When Little Britain made its television debut in the UK in 2003, playgrounds and offices were suddenly awash with feigned West Country accents and Vicky Pollard’s gratingly ubiquitous ‘yeah, but, no, but’ catchphrase. Three years on audiences are echoing the tracksuit-clad teen’s sentiments once more (this time with less regional mockery), as reactions towards the third series are as split as some of the little Britons’ personalities.
While TV critics question whether co-creators Matthew Lucas and David Walliams have gone too far this time, armchair moralists are busy asking: ‘what, further than the endless vomiting, naked fat suit exhibitionism, urinating old people, necrophilia and the downright mockery of the mentally ill?’ And although the comic duo’s attempts to surprise and disturb during the previous two seasons have had most of us crumbling into fits of laughter, have the pair’s shock tactics now become, well, shockingly obvious?
The clever satirising of stereotypes struck a comic chord through parodies (albeit highly exaggerated) of local characters that one might stumble across in villages and towns across the UK. But rather than continuing to totter on the edge of reality, Little Britain 3 (now showing on Star World) has taken a running jump over this edge into an abyss of ridiculousness. While Vicky Pollard was created as a gleeful derision of the hoodied ‘chav’ subculture supposedly taking over British council estates, Lucas’s character has now become a sad and overstated caricature. Her one-liners may continue to get the loudest laughs, but the subtlety of the spoofing seems to have slipped.
The introduction of new characters such as Desiree (Bubbles’ ex husband’s equally obese and naked new wife) and Ting Tong (Dudley’s Thai mail order bride) are predictable choices to appear alongside old favourites: disabled Andy (who continues his able-bodied antics), Emily (who, we are reminded, ‘is a laydeee’) and Daffyd (‘the only gay in the village’, as if you didn’t remember). Characters such as Dennis Waterman (who now won’t get to write the ‘feeme toon’ or sing it) meanwhile, have been given the boot to make way for the new arrivals. Tom Baker’s narration, meanwhile, continues to be a highlight.
Fret not, Little Britain will still make those who appreciate over exaggerated toilet humour laugh. But you’ll watch with the knowledge that this particular brand of comedy tires fast. Just ask Harry Enfield And Chums or members of The Fast Show – or take a step back even further in TV history to when Dick Emery (who the urinating OAP Mrs Emery is named after) made for primetime viewing. Sketch shows are ephemeral as their relevance hinges entirely on the aspects of society they are parodying. So it is hardly surprising that following two DVDs, a book and a sell-out live tour, Lucas and Walliams are keen to pursue ‘other options’ after this season.
Little Britain makes no apologies for being highly offensive and preying on the sensitivities of even the slightest politically correct sensibilities, which in an eversanitised society should be applauded. But with approximately 11 million UK viewers tuning in to see the first episode of the third series, we can but hope that Lucas and Walliams take a tip from The Office’s Ricky Gervais and go out with a bang, while the show, only just, continues on top. Michelle Byrne.
Little Britain, Star World, Sundays, 23:00.
Above article as referred to in Stewart Lee's article, 'Guilt-free pleasures', printed in the Guardian newspaper January 3, 2007. For an online version of the Guardian article please click here.