Bradley Walsh

SunTrap should be ClapTrap as it is a mirthless mess

A talented cast led by Bradley Walsh and Kayvan Novak are lumbered with lines so bad they have no chance of salvaging this show.

Being on holiday in Spain is supposed to be relaxing. But there's a manic, motormouth feel to this Kayvan Novak-starring sitcom that makes it seem as if it's been left out in the sun a little too long. Putting aside the fact that Novak and a bristly Bradley Walsh are both playing former tabloid journalists - hardly the most sympathetic of character traits - their farcical Costa del Crime antics have more in common with 'Allo 'Allo! than Death In Paradise, though Novak's considerable repertoire of accents is put to good use.

Radio Times review

Kayvan Novak's chirpy ex-hack Woody embarks on another silly caper about a drugs set-up culminating in various high jinks in a funeral parlour. Meanwhile, his old colleague, Bradley Walsh's bar owner Brutus, has to deal with the arrival of his ex-wife, who's none too pleased to discover that her erstwhile (and very much alive) spouse faked his suicide to escape marriage and alimony.

But not even a deliciously angry Tracy-Ann Oberman can entirely rescue an instalment that has a sprinkling of good moments but one or two duff ones. I've seen later episodes and can promise that it picks up.

The real SunTrap - Location guide

Writer and producer Neil Webster guides us around the setting of Bradley Walsh and Kayvan Novak's new comedy.

SunTrap review

SunTrap deserves a chance. It's a clever idea: Kayvan Novak is an undercover reporter, on the run from his editor after a botched investigation at Buckingham Palace, and hiding out in a Mediterranean beach shack owned by a washed-up former journo (Bradley Walsh).

A dastardly duo investigate crimes on a sunny Spanish island in this hilarious series of comedy capers.

Bradley Walsh and Kayvan Novak (Fonejacker), head up the cast as expat journalists trying to play detective and stay out of trouble at the same time.

The series also boasts a stellar line-up of cameo appearances, including Paul Kaye, Tracy Ann Oberman, Jack Dee and Kara Tointon.

Law & Order: UK actor Bradley said he thought the sitcom would appeal to families, so it's a shame schedulers have put it on so late. But it's worth recording.

The action starts when undercover reporter - and master of disguise - Woody (Novak) is forced to flee Britain after being framed by his corrupt boss.

He goes on the run to find Brutus (Walsh), his former mentor at the newspaper and the one man he can trust. Brutus, now living a quiet life running a bar (called El Baro) in sunny Spain, is less than thrilled to see Woody.

But in the end they join forces to investigate local crimes.

It's a bit like Magnum, P.I. meeting the cast of Benidorm.

"I wanted the Magnum look, but without the enormous moustache," said Kayvan, about the show.

"But it's nice to be in something without wearing a balaclava or prosthetic mask."

And Bradley said: "I'd spent so many years being a downtrodden detective, standing on Hammersmith Bridge at six o'clock in the morning, getting rained on.

"So I thought, why not go and do that in the sun!"

In this opener, Melody (Emma Pierson) asks Brutus to help her find her husband's millions. But there's a catch. The only living thing who knows where the money is hidden is Teflon, his talking parrot - and the parrot has been kidnapped.

Can they track down the bird-napper before it's too late?

Radio Times review

Kayvan Novak has swapped the edgy, late-night world of his E4 prank show Fonejacker for the sunny uplands of a mainstream BBC One comedy - with pretty good results. He's Woody, a former tabloid hack who, for various preposterous reasons, finds himself calling on the help of his old expat mucker Brutus (Bradley Walsh) in sunny Spain.

Novak is not the world's greatest actor but his mimicry skills are ably and exhaustively showcased in an assortment of silly capers that seem consciously to channel 80s favourites Magnum and Moonlighting. After a slow and clunky start, things do pick up and you'd need a heart of crushed cocktail ice not to eventually warm to this oddball comedy.

Bradley Walsh on swapping Law & Order for SunTrap

"It's something different - and that's the whole basis of what I wanted my career to be."

Bradley Walsh 'was thrilled to bits to do a BBC comedy'

For Bradley, 54, the chance to star in a BBC One comedy was a no-brainer.

An obvious attempt to capitalise on the success of Sky One's superior A League of Their Own, Play to the Whistle had none of that show's charm or boyish humour. Part of the reason for this was the bizarre decision to have Holly Willoughby host the show which I don't think suited her girl-next-door style. Indeed, I found that she failed to make any of her scripted lines remotely funny and her attempts to act like one of the boys fell flat. In my opinion Play to the Whistle would've been a lot better had team captain Bradley Walsh taken up hosting duties. As anybody who watches The Chase knows, Bradley Walsh is a fine anchor and he was the stand out performer against a mediocre group. The only other highlights were provided by Jimmy Bullard who was the show's recurring character, often competing against team members in a number of challenges. Bullard, who was the best contestant on last year's I'm a Celebrity, would've made a better team captain than the dull Frank Lampard and I do feel the roles on the show definitely need a rethink. The other problem was that each round didn't last very long meaning that it was hard to play along at home or indeed root for either team. One example saw comedian Rob Beckett take on Bullard in a hurdles race which lasted all of about thirty seconds and provoked no laughter to speak of. There was also very little humour provided by the opening five minutes of banter the majority of which didn't do much for the overall feel of the show. At the end of the day, for a programme that's meant to have comedy at its centre, there was nothing about Play to the Whistle that was very funny. I do feel that if Walsh had replaced Willoughby and Bullard had taken his place at least there would've been a bit more fun. But as it was Play to the Whistle is one of those shows that has been written by committee and looks destined to join the host of Saturday night shows that eventually sunk without a trace.