John MacMillan
- Actor
Press clippings Page 2
Famalam Series 2 to debut in the Spring
A second series of new BBC Three BAME-talent sketch show Famalam will air in the Spring, the corporation has announced.
British Comedy Guide, 28th January 2019Hang Ups DVD review
What a surprise when an American concept gets reworked into a British series and actually works.
Samuel Payne, Entertainment Focus, 20th October 2018Hang Ups episode 1 review
With a strong core cast, an impressive roster of guest stars and an interesting style unlike anything else on British television, Hang Ups is an enjoyable watch.
Sophie Davies, Cult Box, 9th August 2018Famalam (BBC3): a sublime achievement of satire
Sean O'Grady enjoys another great BBC3 comedy.
Sean O'Grady, The Independent, 14th April 2018All-star cast announced for Channel 4's Hang Ups
Hang Ups, a new sitcom on Channel 4, will see a cast list including Richard E. Grant, Jessica Hynes, David Tennant, Charles Dance, Katherine Parkinson and Celia Imrie join Stephen Mangan.
British Comedy Guide, 2nd October 2017I don't think there's been an interesting new sketch show since Cardinal Burns. The genre itself is tired; so that if one is to work, to be original and fresh, it needs something more - sketch plus. CB brought surreality, a glorious bonkersness. What does Famalam have that most others unfortunately don't? Black talent in its cast, that's what, including Tom Moutchi and John Macmillan. And a lot of the subject matter of its sketches is about black Britishness too.
It's hit and miss - of course it is, it's a sketch show. I haven't seen enough Nollywood for pastiche Shola Settles the Score: Part 29 to mean a lot, even though I enjoyed it and it made me want to see more Nigerian cinema.
Sometimes it hits a nerve, like a (laughable) attempt to improve the diversity of Midsomer Murders. And all the black characters getting killed off first in an alien movie. Sometimes it's just hilarious, like Black British History, brought to you by Scribbler P, in a UK garage style. "And this started time ago / when brothers were still in black and white / and places like Jamaica hadn't developed yet / like no Buju, no Sean Paul, no Vybz Kartel, Bounty Killer, no dancehall full stop ... "
Oh, and I love the real Nigerian prince, who really does have $44m worth of gold bullion, which he really does need to transfer. And yet none of the people he emails believe him, oddly. Poor Nigeria, it gets a bit of a kicking.
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian, 21st September 2017Preview - Famalam
The latest comedy pilot from BBC Two is a sketch show, which these days is somewhat rare. A sketch show with an all-black cast is even rarer.
Ian Wolf, On The Box, 20th September 2017One of 12 new comedy pilots commissioned this year by the BBC, Famalam's focus on black British culture will remind over-30s of the much lamented 90s comedy show The Real McCoy. A committed cast, including Vine star Tom Moutchi and John Macmillan, ensure Famalam is frequently fresh and funny (especially the history lessons in a "UK garage stylee"), but it is also hit and miss in that way that sketch shows invariably are.
Ellen E. Jones, The Guardian, 20th September 2017TV preview: New On Two - Famalam, BBC2
After a lot of fairly trad sitcoms the latest pilot in the BBC's current raft of newbies is a sketch show. And although it is new Famalam feels like it has been around for a while. In both a good and bad way.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 20th September 2017BBC Two announces new sketch show pilot Famalam
Famalam is a new BBC Two sketch show pilot "where no area of the universe is off-limits".
British Comedy Guide, 26th July 2017