Tuesday, November 10, 2009

More posh comedy - Miranda Hart


Last night was the debut of Miranda Hart's new sitcom on BBC2 - 'Miranda'. I first spotted her on the under-the-radar but funny tv show 'Not Going Out'. Recently, she hosted an episode of 'Have I Got News For You.' Brilliantly.

She's on here because she's tall and posh. And I just love her. She has a nice line in self-deprecation (turning her 6'1" of height and slightly, er, mannish looks into physical comedy) but is not averse to pointing the finger at her own kind. In the sitcom, she owns a joke shop which is run by a bossy friend, while she spends her time dodging work. Her mother – Patricia Hodge – plays a typical toff, desperate to get her daughter married orf and with no patience for loving expressions ("We're not Spanish, darling"). Miranda goes out at one point for lunch with ghastly posh girlfriends from school, who scream instead of saying hello and call each other ridiculous names (Tilly, Bunty, Kong...).

It's slapstick in parts (she falls over a lot, which one really should be too sophisticated to laugh at but Miranda thankfully knows no one is), is a little bit clever in others but is mainly wryly observant, leavened by what is obviously a very sweet temperament.

Throughout the episode I also couldn't help but think - does this mean the time for poshos has come again? What with Armstrong & Miller, and return of OE-cool and the Tories bracing themselves for leadership...Will the Tens be the decade that sees 'The Return of the Toff'?

Crikey.

(Go to www.mirandahart.com for more info and watch the programme on BBC2, Mondays at 8.30pm.)

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