Sam Bain

Fresh Meat cast interview

That Fresh Meat was commissioned for a second series (before the first's run had even finished, let's not forget) was hardly surprising. Devised by Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, it survived some tepid early reviews to score strong ratings.

Not even Julia Davis could rescue star-studded self-indulgence Bad Sugar, written by Peep Show duo Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong and the centrepiece of Channel 4's presumptuously-titled Funny Fortnight. The problem was the premise: a spoof of the telenovella, which, for the uninitiated, is a type of high-camp, short-form Spanish-language soap opera. Which prompts at least three questions: first, who has actually seen a high-camp, short-form Spanish-language soap opera? Second, why spoof a short-form, high-camp Spanish-language soap opera with British characters in a British locale? And finally, does high-camp, short-form Spanish soap opera not fall somewhere beside Donald Trump in the beyond-parody stakes? And so it was that, without any decent material to play with, a blue-chip cast (Davis, Sharon Horgan, Olivia Colman, Reece Shearsmith) mugged away exhaustingly. The pilot began with a fake "Previously on ..." montage, although I assume the corresponding "Next time on ..." montage was for real since a full series lies ahead. Which makes you wonder if all the good comedy commissioners have scarpered to Sky Atlantic.

Stereotypes abounded in Bad Sugar, a star-studded pilot spoof, written by Peep Show's Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong and based on telenovelas and old American TV soaps - Dynasty, Dallas], [i]The Bold and the Beautiful. Except this dysfunctional, filthy-rich family of lip-glossed gold-diggers and useless husbands was British, with a tight-fisted mining billionaire father at its helm. Julia Davis and Sharon Horgan performed their "rich bitch" parts perfectly adequately ("bitch is as bitch does"), as did Olivia Colman as an animal-loving frump. Given everyone's calibre, this wasn't as funny as you might have expected. There were some good lines - when Davis's daughter ran to her in her nightdress, crying, "Mummy, I'm scared", Davis retorted: "Tell teddy about it. He'll listen." But I suspect watching repeats of Joan Collins's Dynasty might actually be funnier.

Review: Bad Sugar

Peep Show creators Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain return with a one-off special for Channel 4's "Funny Fortnight" season, and if there's any justice a full series will follow.

Julia Davis stars alongside Olivia Colman and Sharon Horgan in a spoof of Latin American telenovelas from Peep Show writers Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong. Sending up a genre that's already a send-up of itself is a tough ask, but they pull it off.

Comedy fans, prepare to be excited. This new pilot has impeccable pedigree, being written by Peep Show's Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong and starring three of our funniest actresses: Olivia Colman (Rev.), Julia Davis (Nighty Night) and Sharon Horgan (Pulling). It's a soapy spoof melodrama - think Dallas done by French and Saunders - about a rich, dysfunctional mining dynasty. Cue face-slapping, bitching and deliberately clumsy exposition.

Fresh Meat wins Televisual award

Peep Show creators Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain came up with the goods once more with Fresh Meat, following the exploits of six students in a shared house off-campus.

What's my motivation?: Sam Bain on writing for TV

You've written a surefire-hit TV script, and the producer wants you on set. Fun and canapes all the way? Fresh Meat and Peep Show writer Sam Bain shares some advice (and a few regrets).