British Comedy Guide

Miranda Hart's Joke Shop

https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/miranda_harts_joke_shop/

I went to see the recording of this last Friday. Here's the blurb on the leaflet:

MIRANDA HART'S JOKE SHOP

Miranda is an unconventional woman: a tall, life-embracing, self effacing clown. She's at her happiest amongst the wind-up teeth of her Joke Shop.

She is determined to try and fit in, to suss out what it takes to be a 'girly girl'; to deal with her embarassing mother and to talk to Gary, the man of her dreams, without making a fool of herself; She tried to persuade Stevie, her childhood friend and joke shop manager, to take life less seriously.

Bur Miranda's inability to conduct herself appropriately makes most of this an impossible task.

MIRANDA HART'S JOKE SHOP is created by Miranda Hart and written by Miranda with Tony Roche (Thick of it, World of Pub).

It was script edited by Richard Hurst and includes additional material by Paul Kerensa and Leisa Rea.

The show's produced by Nerys Evans and directed by Gareth Carrivick.

CAST:

MIRANDA - Miranda Hart (Not Going Out, Angelo's)

She considers it quite normal to be single in the mid -30s and happy amongst the balloons, costumes and fart sweets of her Joke Shop. But she lives in a world where people don't understand her and worse, try to make her conform.

STEVIE - Sarah Hartland (Moving WallPaper, That Mitchell and Web Look, Learners)

Miranda's no nonsense childhood friend is emplyed to manage the Joke Shop. She has taken the job as a platform to achieving her goal - to Alan Sugar's apprentice.

PENNY - Elizabeth Bennett (Heartbeat, The Last Detective, Harry Enfield's Show)

Miranda's mother. She has the absolute conviction that she's right in every circumstance, despite the casual prejudices of her class. She wishes she had a sensible daughter in a normal job, and is desperate to marry Miranda off.

GARY - Tom Ellis (Doctor Who, Eastenders, Pulling)

Miranda's friend from University and the only man she has really fancied. But he is not convinced by her as girlfriend material. Mainly because whenever he is around, she can't control herself.

BUNTY, FANNY and PODGE - Belinda Stewart-Wilson (The Peter Serafinowicz Show)
Katy Wix (Not Going Out)
Sust Kane (Extras Xmas Special)

The 'girls' - Miranda' sloaney boarding school friends.

Also featuring Danny Edwards, Stephen Evans, Ben Forster, Jason Watkins, Simon Baines Norton and Josie D'Arby.

It's due for broadcast on BBC2 at some future date.

Right. So that's the blurb. So how was it? Well, I thought it was really funny, and could potentially become a series if the response is good. Some scenes are quite hysterically funny. The interaction between Miranda and Stevie and her mother is very good, and Tom Ellis puts up a brave front.

Cameos from Jason Watkins and Josie D'Arby are excellent.

The only part I wasn't too convinced about were the sloaney friends - a bit old fashioned, I thought, but then, hey, I never went to boarding school, so what would I know???

Do give it a viewing when it's on BBC2 - it's time that Mirnda Hart was the bride and not always the bridesmaid!

I really liked her radio show. It could be good!

I'll give it a go.

I quite enjoyed it. Some silly stuff but she does put herself down a lot.

I thought I heard a trail for a Radio 2 version of this yesterday and there is reference to it on the BBC website.

Is the TV pilot based on the radio series?

Quote: steve by any other name @ August 28 2008, 9:23 AM BST

I thought I heard a trail for a Radio 2 version of this yesterday and there is reference to it on the BBC website.

The Radio 2 version is currently on air. It is a full series following on from last year's pilot. The first episode of the series is on iPlayer now: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00d3j33/

Quote: steve by any other name @ August 28 2008, 9:23 AM BST

Is the TV pilot based on the radio series?

The show is basically an almost straight-to-TV convert from what I understand. The main actors remain, as do the writers - there's just the odd changes and additional cast as the TV version is obviously going to be a bigger affair.

Is this any different to the radio show - because that was exactly errrm OK (like Joe Brand without the Punk Rock Edge"- If its no better I wont bother

I didn't like the radio show much either, so won't be bothering with the TV version.

I see they're advertising tickets for the TV series.

I'm just intrigued to see what name it eventually broadcasts under! (Best start a new thread for more chat of that though.)

Oh, and I really enjoyed the radio series.

The radio show was a little too twee for me and I never really found it funny. Perhaps I have too crap an imagination for radio sitcom. May get it on TV in a way I've not really done on radio?

I never found the radio show funny either. It seemed to be just built around one joke - Miranda's low self-esteem.

Quote: Tim Walker @ June 18 2009, 7:53 AM BST

The radio show was a little too twee for me and I never really found it funny. Perhaps I have too crap an imagination for radio sitcom. May get it on TV in a way I've not really done on radio?

It wasn't breathtakingly amazingly funny, but it was more than entertaining enough to keep me amused, and listening. I do think it will work better on TV though. Like pretty much everything.

Quote: Aaron @ June 18 2009, 2:35 PM BST

It wasn't breathtakingly amazingly funny, but it was more than entertaining enough to keep me amused, and listening. I do think it will work better on TV though. Like pretty much everything.

That Mitchell and Webbb Sound is better - i.e., more consistent - than That Mitchell and Webb Look.

I disagree. But then I'm one of those "visual learner" types, so perhaps that's got something to do with it.

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