Mathew Horne

Critics maul lesbian vampire film

James Corden and Mathew Horne, ubiquitous stars of BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey, have received stinging reviews for their new comedy horror movie Lesbian Vampire Killers.

Review from The Stage

Such was the popular enthusiasm and critical acclaim for Gavin & Stacey that someone at the BBC had the bright idea of inviting its male stars, Mathew Horne and James Corden, to write and perform their own sketch show. After all, anyone can churn out a sketch show, can't they? Horne and Corden are clearly accomplished comic actors, but they are just not comedians and introducing themselves as such at the beginning of the show misfired badly.

Bruce Dessau Review

At times it is so blatantly end-of-the-pier it seems like this kind of retro-humour must surely be being ironic and knowing. There is even a camp war reporter ("It's all kicking off. It's nuts") played by Mathew Horne, who, like Al Murray's current camp Nazi in his ITV1 sketch show is so over the top it is as if alternative comedy never happened.

Their dodgy turn on the Brits served as a warning. Left to their own devices, without the narrative of Gavin & Stacey to keep them anchored, Horne & Corden are - and it hurts me to say this - really not that funny.

There are only so many times you can resort to a wobbly belly for belly laughs and, by the end of episode one of their first sketch show, it felt like you'd been chubby-chased in your own living room.

There's no doubt Mathew Horne and James Corden are engaging characters. And they've definitely got chemistry, even if the homoerotic undertow to their relationship feels a tad exploitative given their hetero status. But the big problem with Horne & Corden is the thinness of the material. It was a good ten minutes in before a genuine rib-tickler, and that was the sight of Corden wobbling down the finishing straight of a relay in Lycra running shorts. Which is a bit like laughing at the fat kid at school.

The playground was where H&C seemed stranded. Like over excited schoolboys, the pair of them couldn't keep their hands out their pants, with nearly every gag involving some kind of cock-and-bull story. At worst offensive (a camp war reporter on the Iraq frontline because, obviously, being gay is in itself so hilarious) to downright dull (Superman and Spider-Man embarrassed while stripping in a locker room), this was a sad case of a show trying way too hard.

Sam Wollaston Review

A sketch show by G&S stars Mathew Horne and James Corden was never really going to be my thing. But I wasn't prepared for quite how awful it was.

Gavin & Stacey stars Mathew Horne and James Corden feature in their own six-part sketch show, shot unnecessarily in front of a live audience. It's mostly good, with Horne (very funny) sporting a variety of haircuts and Corden making rather too much of a show of his ample belly. Highlights include the offensive old boarding-school chum (Corden) and a Superman/Spider-Man routine.

Two stars of Gavin and Stacey, Mathew Horne and James Corden, now have a show of their own. Like so many sketch shows, it is a wildly mixed affair. The best of it is the quality and variety of their acting, which is spectacularly accomplished - these guys are very, very good. One sketch in particular, in which Corden plays a seedy, down-at-heel wastrel who embarrasses an old schoolfriend in front of his family, is a masterpiece of loathsome observation. The downside is that much of the material is crude and horribly unfunny. It is no surprise to discover that the series was directed by Kathy Burke, who was never likely to add a lightness of touch. In one sketch, two teachers give a joint lesson to a class on how to draw penises; in another we meet a gay news reporter; elsewhere, Corden pulls up his shirt and rolls his stomach in front of a burger bar as a form of consumer complaint. Nice.

Are Mathew Horne and James Corden the next Morecambe and Wise? On the strength of this, probably not - and the quicker Corden starts writing the next Gavin & Stacey series, the better.

What differentiates this from other sketch shows is that some parts were shot in front of a studio audience and it was directed by Kathy Burke - a comedy god. But it's the usual hit-and-miss affair of sketches that work (superheroes meeting off-duty, a camp war correspondent and a brilliant Ricky Gervais impersonation) and those that don't.

There's a surprising amount of naked flesh as the lads seem to get their kit off at the drop of a hat. The duo's popularity should help them ride this one out but as their awkward stint presenting the Brits showed, being mates is one thing - creating that effortless on-screen chemistry is a lot, lot harder than Ant and Dec make it look.

A brand-new sketch show from Gavin and Stacey stars Mathew Horne and James Corden. OK, we admit that on the evidence of their BRIT Awards double-act, there's not a great deal to suggest Gavin & Smithy off Gavin & Stacey's move into sketch show territory is going to be much cop. Even Smithy's joke about bunking up with Kylie was, essentially, the same gag he cracked about Keira Knightley at an awards bash last August. Then again, characters such as a pair of rubbish magicians and a lovely pop at Ricky Gervais inspire some faith in the lads. File under 'promising', then...

Mathew and James Interview

Mathew Horne and James Corden, the stars of Gavin & Stacey have graduated to their own comedy sketch show. They talk about how the series is the most 'gay friendly' around plus the critic's response to their hosting of The Brits.