Press clippings Page 13
Will justice prevail at the hair salon, where Lisa Marie (Harriet Webb) has been falsely accused of stealing Mrs Bookham's money? Meanwhile, Mike (Jason Manford) and his boss are struggling to hire for the amusement arcade. Looks like exciting job opportunities in Scarborough are rather limited.
Ellen E. Jones, The Guardian, 4th October 2019A slightly wooden Jason Manford returns in this wry take on a couple reunited from Derren Litten, creator of Benidorm. This week, Manford's Mike is finally taking the leap and moving back in with Karen (Catherine Tyldesley). But it doesn't come without its challenges, namely his gormless flatmate Bigsy.
Ammar Kalia, The Guardian, 27th September 2019Jason Manford to host BBC comedy game show First & Last
Jason Manford is to host First And Last, a comedy game show series for BBC One in which contestants mustn't come first or last.
British Comedy Guide, 27th September 2019PC Merrick (Chewing Gum's Olisa Odele) does a good camp Columbo in this episode, but otherwise it's life as usual in the overcast Benidorm. And that's exactly how fans of Derren Litten's not-quite-comedy like it. Can Mike (Jason Manford) help Marion (Stephanie Cole) with her glut of corned beef hash?
Ellen E. Jones, The Guardian, 20th September 2019TV review: Scarborough, BBC One
I've been a touch tardy publishing my review of Scarborough and I've not been able to avoid some of the reviews that Derren Litten's new sitcom has received. There have been good ones and bad ones and, I have to say, I side more with the good ones.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 8th September 2019Review: Scarborough
When Scarborough was announced, it seemed to have a lot in common with creator Derren Litten's long-running hit Benidorm, being set in a seaside resort town with a cast of working-class characters united by a love of karaoke. But they show two very different iterations of the same broad premise.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 7th September 2019TV review: Scarborough series 1 episode 1
Perhaps it will improve as it goes along, and it certainly has a strong cast who all turn in great performances. But elements of it feel a bit too cartoonish (Bigsy and Karen's workmates especially), the majority of the cruder jokes feel like the kind of thing that's been done countless times before, and the more dramatic parts just didn't work for me, so unless I start to hear that it's suddenly become enormously funnier it's something I won't be bothering with again.
Alex Finch, Comedy To Watch, 7th September 2019Benidorm's creator, Derren Litten, turns his attention to another legendary seaside destination, one where life revolves around karaoke night in the local pub. After a few relationship wobbles, hairdresser Karen (ex-Corrie and future Strictly star Catherine Tyldesley) and arcade manager Mike (Jason Manford) are trying to make a go of it. Manford does a bit of karaoke crooning - because of course he does - but elsewhere the writing is both warm and wicked, while Claire Sweeney brings some powerful energy as the local man-eater.
Graeme Virtue, The Guardian, 6th September 2019Scarborough is missing one key element - humour
Even the most forgiving audience will struggle to laugh at a flat Jimmy Saville gag.
Emily Baker, i Newspaper, 6th September 2019Jason Manford recalls 'terrifying' road rage incident
Jason Manford has claimed he was the victim of a "terrifying" road rage ordeal that saw him chased for 80 miles by an angry motorist.
Roisin O'Connor, The Independent, 19th August 2019