Kooky feel-good UK comedies for a weekend binge:
Dinosaur (2024) (S1) Matilda Curtis & Ashley Storrie
A fun romp through my favourite tv comedy format of 30 minute episodes, we follow Nina, a thirty-something Glasgow resident whose work as a paleontologist, as well as her relationships with her sister and the rest of her family, are sometimes complicated by having an autistic way of seeing but living in a world of neurotypicals. It's warm, funny, awkward and affirming, and a good weekend binge. Don't watch the trailer, it gives away a lot of the plot.
We Are Lady Parts (2024) (S2) Nida Manzoor
Season 2 picks up with Amina and the band confronting new challenges of trying to find funding and compete with rival upstarts whilst working on their debut album. For those who missed S1, this is a gem of a series following a punk band comprised of a disparate and diverse ragtag bunch of Muslim women musicians. It's amazing what Nida Manzoor (Polite Society) and the team do with evidently limited budget for production, but this story is so wonderful to see on screen, the original songs absolutely rock and keep hitting the funny like Voldemort Under My Headscarf. Anjana Vasan is in her luminous element as Amina with the cinematic gravitas to rival the best of the onscreen comediennes of the ages. Watch out for a jaw-dropping cameo that you will NOT see coming. Also can I get a cheer for real-life all-hijabi metal band Voice of Baceprot kicking ass performing a slot at Glastonbury this year.
Juice (2023) (S1) Mawaan Rizwan
Comedian Mawaan Rizwaan rocks a bowlcut, colourful sweaters and electric energy while trying to romance Russell Tovey and manage family responsibilities. Based on Rizwaan's successful Edinburgh Fringe performance, it's engaging and refreshing. The pace is tight and the jokes are often in the form of Rizwaan's amazing physical comedy. This is queer manic pixie-esque protagonist on steroids and definitely deserving of its BAFTAs.
Extraordinary (2023) (S1) Emma Moran
In a world where everyone has a special power - even if that special power is 3D printing objects out of your rear - although flying is more desirable - poor Jen is abnormal and appears to just be an ordinary disappointing human. She may also have a lover who transforms Animorph-style into a bewildered a stray cat called Jizzlord. Jen links up with a group of vigilante misfits and starts to navigate belonging and connection. Clear allegories of not feeling pressure to grow up and compare yourself to talented overachievers. New season is out too.
Second season on Dinosaur out now!
