James Fleet

The Function Room is something which I read about earlier this year and I thought sounded really good - a possible rival for Craig Cash and Phil Mealey's brilliant pub sitcom Early Doors from the early 00s. And I have to say - aside from the annoyingly loud studio audience - I liked it.

The cast was brilliant - Trollied's Beverly Rudd, The Inbetweeners' Blake Harrison, The Vicar of Dibley's James Fleet to name just a few. There was even a great late appearance from Psychoville's and one quarter of The League of Gentlemen's, Reece Shearsmith. With such a strong cast, I had a certain faith in The Function Room before it even started... and that faith paid off.

It took a while but right from the moment a disgruntled Rudd uttered the word "Bergetw*t", I found this show very funny.

I think the key to The Function Room, and something which seems to be missing from quite a few comedies nowadays, is strong characters. From a very theatrical actor (Fleet), to a passionate busy-body who generally objects to everything (Daniel Rigby, the one who plays the slightly odd flatmate in the BT ads), and to a young, outspoken couple who only seemed to be at the 'Meet the Police' meeting 'for the craic' (Harrison and Rudd).

The Function Room definitely has legs and should be picked up by Channel 4 even just as a three-part series. It's far more deserving than Verry Terry!

A climate-changed, bank- collapsed England of the near future, where the Dutch are the despised immigrants (Holland having disappeared under water), is the subject of this Funny Fortnight sitcom pilot from Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (Outnumbered and Drop the Dead Donkey). A promising scenario delivered by James Fleet and James Bolam.

The Function Room is a cheerfully traditional and often very funny studio sitcom set in a pub, and starring a host of familiar comedy actors including The Vicar of Dibley's James Fleet, The League of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith, The Inbetweeners' Blake Harrison, The Fast Show's Simon Day (once again playing a pub know-it-all) and every-comedy-of-the-last-fifteen-years' Kevin Eldon.

The sort of uproariously gag-heavy sitcom that encourages deserved rounds of applause from its studio audience, it's definitely a step in the right direction for Channel 4, and if they have any sense - which they don't - they'll commission 
a series.

It's anarchy among the potting sheds in this gentle comedy when gardening novice Edward (James Fleet in full bumble mode) decides he'd like an allotment. But it's not a simple case of putting his name down on a waiting list. The secretary of the allotment association is Bernie and he doesn't believe in waiting lists, "Hitler could come through on one of those". No, Bernie's the kind of chap who runs a tight ship and an even tighter dress code: "sturdy casual - no bare arms or legs". Applicants for plots have to go through a formal interview before they can lift a spade, so surely Edward doesn't stand a chance against a fellow interviewee's three-year plan and Powerpoint presentation? Ah, but she doesn't have Edward's breeding...

Comedy by clever Nick Warburton, starring James Fleet as Edward. He's timid, bashful. Passing local allotments one day he speaks to attractive Amanda (Joanna Monro) and decides there and then that he must get an allotment too. But first he has to be interviewed by fierce site manager Bernie (Jonathan Coy).

A way through the resulting confrontational suddenly opens when Bernie learns Edward's father was a noted local horticulturist he's admired all his life. Whew! Yes there's another surprise for all in store. And there will be three more in the series.

Hard to imagine why Kim Fuller's nimble comedy is going out here when, nightly at 6.30pm, there's mainly preaching and screeching. Here's the start of a new series of medieval goings-on, with wonderful James Fleet as Sir John, bewildered by his children, at the mercy of twists of fate which sound very familiar to modern ears. It's the age of dungeons but everything (apart from Merlin's talking sausages) is pretty much like today, from WAGs being forbidden to go with their knights on Crusades, to Sir John Chilcot's enquiry into Dragons of Mass Destruction.

Fleet would return to 'Vicar Of Dibley'

James Fleet, who played Hugo Horton in The Vicar Of Dibley has revealed that he would star again in the sitcom if given the chance.

Another radio sitcom starring James Fleet - how does he find the time? Hinting at modernity from the perspective of medieval Britain is a nice idea, but I have to say that the laughs are a little thin on the ground. The best bits tend to be the quick musical interludes, where a selection of pop hits and rock classics are performed on medieval instruments.