Iain Hollands

Radio Times review

You don't get much bigger than the end of the world and Iain Hollands's drama squeezes every ounce of tension from the fact that Earth's destruction is not so much nigh as a living nightmare. "It's been quite a morning," says Mat Baynton's Jamie (or is it?) in the safety of the Slough bunker before we flash back to all the close shaves, dramatic escapes, self-sacrifice and redemption that have led to the final reckoning.

Earlier forays into the supernatural (we met God, played by June Whitfield) also prove not to be a one-off as divine intervention once more plays its part, alongside special effects of biblical proportions) There's a final twist, which may irritate you as much as it did me, but this is still an exciting and satisfying end to an excellent series.

Radio Times review

The end of the world is now just 14 days away and the breadth, scope and ambition of Iain Hollands's thrilling, good-hearted drama has not waned.

Mat Baynton's Jamie is on the hunt for his daughter and he finds quite a few answers this episode. Meanwhile Operation Saviour could be in jeopardy unless Kyle Soller's Scotty saves the day - but he might have to sacrifice his lovely sister to save the planet. The questions and dilemmas are pretty epic for Rob Lowe's Father Jude and sexy Sister Celine as well. Does God want what the audience has been crying for all series - that they actually get it on? Betrayals, life, love, death, deception and the odd stunningly implausible coincidence - this series has it all.

You, Me And The Apocalypse - Episode 5 review

We're at the halfway point in Iain Hollands' inventive You, Me & The Apocalypse, and, perhaps understandably, this episode aimed to give everyone a chance to breathe, take stock, and see where our heroes are and where they're all going.

From the off it was quite easy to ascertain that You, Me and The Apocalypse was a co-production between Sky and NBC as it featured several stars from the American network's biggest sitcoms. Despite the big American names the show is narrated by Slough Bank Manager Jamie (Mathew Baynton) who is still nursing a broken heart after his wife mysteriously disappeared shortly after their honeymoon. Things get worse for Jamie when he's arrested for cyber terrorism and discovers that he may have an identical twin who is the head of the organisation. This feeling is confirmed by his mother (Pauline Quirke) who reveals that she adopted him after finding him in a shoebox. As the story is told in flashbacks we also see several the stories of several other people who are sharing a bunker with Jamie as a meteor collides with the Earth. They include a naive nun (Gaia Scodallero) who arrives at the Vatican to work in the office of the Devil Advocate under the foul-mouthed Father Jude (Rob Lowe). Elsewhere we see Rhonda (Jenna Fischer) who takes the rap for a crime committed by her teenage son who hacked into the NSA network. Rhonda is soon befriended by white supremacist Leanne (Megan Mullally) with both ladies escaping prison once the end of the world is announced. The first episode of You, Me and The Apocalypse contained some big ideas and I felt it tackled them well for the most part. Writer Iain Hollands has come a long way since E4's Beaver Falls and has crafted some interesting characters who find themselves in bizarre situations. The cast, primarily the American stars, were great at handling the wittier lines of the script with Lowe and Mullaly being the stand outs for me. However, I was disappointed by Baynton who appeared to be playing the same character he portrayed in The Wrong Mans. Additionally I felt that the pace of the opener was rather slow which probably had something to do with the fact that it will be running for ten episodes. But despite this I would say that You, Me and The Apocalypse does have promise and I'll at least watch one more episode to see how it progresses.

You, Me And The Apocalypse - Episode 1 review

For what it's worth, I really enjoyed the first episode. I don't think writer Iain Hollands intends this to be seen as an out-and-out comedy. Instead it's that dreaded hybrid: a "dramedy". Which, translated, means that it's offbeat rather than laugh-out loud hysterical.