Sharon Horgan

Catastrophe, a new something-or-other - romcom? Chaucerian cautionary tale? - was, disappointingly, terrific. I had wanted to be able to dismiss it with an easy snide "Catastrophe 'nuff said" or similar - actually I hope I'd never have written anything so nuff-naff - but co-writers/co-stars Sharon Horgan and the American Rob Delaney have created, with one random pregnancy, two delightful characters who bleed authenticity.

Despite adhering to an overused setup (two lovers cope with an unwanted pregnancy), Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe overcame its hoariness because, frankly, it was funny and well-performed by writer-stars Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney. They played, um, Sharon and Rob--middle-aged, transatlantic lovers who become expectant parents following a crazy week of passionate sex after meeting in a London bar.

Horgan's loathe to stray from her comfort zone (there's scant difference between her roles in Pulling, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret and Dead Boss), while Twitter-star Delaney's a cut-price Jason Sudeikis with added facial hair, but they work fantastically well together and have strong chemistry. I grew slightly bored once the premiere's plot progressed into a dinner party scenario with dumb homeopath Fran (Ashley Jensen) and her taciturn husband Chris (Mark Bonnar), but Catastrophe's leads are so strong that I'm aboard for the ride.

Although I hope the remainder of the series takes the story down a path that justifies the bleak title, because I don't see what's so catastrophic about these two soulmates having a child together.

Sharon Horgan & Rob Delaney interview: Catastrophe

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney's new Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe is a deeply funny, down-to-earth look at relationships...

Catastrophe review - depraved, sweet and very funny

With nimble dialogue and bursting with jokes, Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney's breakneck comedy sucks its humour from a cesspool of human self-loathing.

Anyone who has been stumped by the acclaim attached to Sharon Horgan - who hasn't really had any sort of hit since her mid-00s sitcom Pulling - should find this new comedy, written with standup Rob Delaney, clears things up. Horgan plays Sharon, a teacher who falls pregnant after a fling with a visiting American (Delaney). With the latter's good guy credentials in serious doubt, Sharon - cynical, scared, angry and all the more likable for it - tentatively starts playing happy families with a man she barely knows.

Radio Times review

Sharon Horgan's young Irishwoman meets a handsome American stranger (co-writer Rob Delaney) in a bar and embarks on a wild affair that they both know will end when he heads back to the US. Problem is, she then falls pregnant and they decide to stay together and keep the child.

It's a premise that isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. She obviously needs the support, while he is adamant that his kid will have what he didn't - a dad who sticks around.

It's grown-up, rude, the sex scenes are hilarious and the two leads have a genuine rapport in a comedy that has you rooting for this odd couple all the way through, whether it is meeting her ghastly friends or coping with the medical scares that accompany her pregnancy. There are verve, panache and real things at stake here.

Sharon Horgan: 'It's hard to stay in love'

The Irish comedian and writer talks about her new Channel 4 series Catastrophe, the difficulties of romance while being a parent and the limits of satire.

Catastrophe review: An enjoyably rude romcom

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan's script still somehow manages to find the romance in their situation. Which is why none of it really qualifies as a "catastrophe". They're both nice people, they both want a baby, now they've got a baby. So, really, what's all the whinging about?

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan on Catastrophe

If you take an Irish woman, an American man, add some attraction and minus a condom, the result is a Catastrophe.

Catastrophe, Channel 4 review

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney have created a sitcom for grown-ups to fall in love with.