Is everybody happy?
Catching the latest three episodes of the BBC 2 sitcom Grandma’s House made me sorry that I missed the first season.
Simon Amstell. an openly gay struggling actor from a Jewish family, plays the part of an openly gay struggling actor from a Jewish family. No prizes for guessing how he and co-writer Dan Swimer came up with the idea.
It’s got all the makings of a boring, safe comedy or a self indulgent mess but works because, like in Mike Leigh’s plays and films, you cringe in recognition of the characters .
Simon isn’t a great actor but manages to work this handicap into the part – “I’m stiff in real life”, he says at one point. He comes over as vulnerable and likeably dysfunctional.
Rebecca Front is particularly good in the role of his mom Tanya, defending him (“he’s rich in soul”) while wanting him to be more sorted out and assertive. There can’t be many moms who tell their sons they should masturbate rather than meditate. Continue reading
My TV year started very late. On principle, I watch as little Italian TV as possible. I prefer to follow the advice of the graffiti in the photo: ‘Turn off the TV and turn your brain back on’.
At the impressionable age of 9, The Beatles filled my musical world. John, Paul, George and Ringo seemed like exotic family members I never got to meet but were ever-present.
