Greg Davies (I)

Previously The Inbetweeners' grouchy headteacher, Greg Davies stars as Dan, a teacher capable of rivalling Jay, Neil et al for immaturity. Listlessly plodding through a life that has left him leeching off his parents and lumbered with dysfunctional friend Jo (Roisin Conaty), Dan spends much of this opener determined to win back his girlfriend by getting a mortgage, or at least a second pair of trousers. A pretty by-the-books start, but if we get more of Dan's eccentric dad (Rik Mayall), it's one to keep an eye on.

The unfeasibly tall Greg Davies, best known for his explosions of exasperation in Cuckoo and The Inbetweeners, reveals his surreal side in this mildly manic sitcom which charts the comic misadventures of Dan.

A teacher who makes Jack Whitehall's Alfie in Bad Education look like an Ofsted box-ticker, Dan delights in indulging his pupils with wild flights of sci-fi fantasy, while outside the classroom his personal life is falling down quicker than his trousers. It's all mildly bonkers.

Greg Davies brings his gift for the deranged to a new sitcom that is so loaded with childish eccentricity it practically bludgeons us into laughter. Davies is the six-foot-eight comedian who made a name for himself as a comic actor in The Inbetweeners and Cuckoo. There he played exasperated adults; here he plays maddening man-child Dan, a hopeless oaf who in the opening scene fantasises about designing a fart-powered hovercraft while his girlfriend points out he still hasn't replaced their broken light bulb.

When she finally decides to leave him, Dan is driven to new lows, not helped by losing his trousers and being attacked by his dad (Rik Mayall) in a bear outfit. None of this is subtly nuanced or anything, but there are real, stupid laughs, not least at the sight of Dan driving round in an old banger with his seat so far back he has his arm out of the rear window.

Man Down, Channel 4, review

There were some amusingly sarky lines, mostly snarled with relish by Greg Davies. Overall, however, the tone was strained and awkward.

Greg Davies on why he couldn't go back to teaching

"After everything I've said about teaching; the profession wouldn't have me back," says the Man Down star.

Anyone who enjoys the madcap stand-up routines of Greg Davies will love his new sitcom... it is very funny.

Greg Davies on writing his new sitcom

The stand-up and Inbetweeners headmaster is readying his new Channel 4 comedy Man Down. But, he says, writing for TV is a lot tougher than getting up on stage.

Greg Davies: how to hire your hero

Routinely described as 'a fat Rik Mayall', comedian-actor Greg Davies explains how he got his doppelgänger-hero into his new show - sitcom Man Down.

Silly is something comedy shies away from now. If it's not a mockumentary, it's sarcastic verging on outright nastiness. Silly is a precious aspect to comedy, one that should be cherished and encouraged. This is certainly one of the silliest comedies for some time and what's even more endearing is that it's a silly sitcom, which is as rare as an open letter not being sent to Miley Cyrus. The extremely tall Greg Davies channels his time as a drama teacher (one in real life, not as Mr Gilbert in The Inbetweeners) to play a useless drama teacher who still hasn't grown up, which leads to generous servings of his bare legs and crotch. In a terrific piece of casting, Rik Mayall - someone Greg is routinely described as being a tall version of - plays his near-sadistic father, who delights in elaborate practical jokes. After the first episode, you'll check your back seat first before you climb into your car...

TV Preview: Man Down

Greg Davies' high velocity lunacy is in full effect. And for that we should give huge, six foot eight inch high thanks.