Steve Pemberton

Lets make no bones about it: given their League of Gentlemen track record, this series has been an average outing for Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. With the exception of last week's dark, twisty hilarity (something to do with the return of Royston Vasey cohort Mark Gatiss?) Psychoville has continued to display the League's knack of elevating even the most banal, infantile subject matter to the status of high drama, but fared poorly on the laugh count.

There's still a few chuckles to be had: tonight, largely residing in the continued bidding war for Mr Snappy, and his owner's odd obsession with Crabtree's bodily functions. Mr Jelly also appears to be embarking on a satisying journey to redemption through a reconciliation with Mr Jolly, so fingers crossed for this narrative. But be warned: the eagle-eyed will have noticed that the actress who wound up swinging upside down in David's 'bad murder' was Natalie Cassidy. Which suggests plenty of footage of Sonia from Eastenders next week. Unlikely to be a good thing.

Who knew Dawn French could be quite so frightening? Even more frightening than the conjoined twins with matching eye patches or the hook-handed alcoholic clown, in fact. But if you thought she was scary, just wait till you see Freddie, her fake baby, starts talking to her over the intercom... We're beginning to realise that comedy is very much The League of Gentlemen's second love after horror.

A collection of characters - a theatre dwarf, a clown whose act has been usurped by the surgeon who amputated his hand, a blind collector of soft toys, a maternity nurse who cradles a doll as if it were the living baby she lost, an adult "mummy's boy" who attempts to be a serial killer - are caught in a mysterious web of revenge, punctuated by messages saying: "We know what you did". It is mildly sadistic and disgusting; it has many homages to other films (such as, this past week, the Hitchcock thriller Rope, in which two teenagers murder, inspired by their teacher's discussion of Nietzsche's superman) and has fleetingly haunting passages. But, unless you like mild sadism and disgust, you won't find pleasure. You certainly won't find humour, which, since Dawn French is in it, is itself an achievement

In Psychoville, the goblins have been running riot for some time. Last night's stunning episode balanced dark drama with dark comedy, leavened with a perfectly pitched, yet subversive, homage to Hitchcock's Rope shot in two long takes. The serial killer obsessed serial killer David (Steve Pemberton) has been killing people, under the evil aegis of mother Maureen (Reece Shearsmith).

It says something about the skill of the men's writing and performance that you look past the grotesque drag of both characters instantly. You laugh at the ridiculous mix of homeliness and psychopathy and at the deliciously childish wordplay, then shudder at the truth of their relationship: incestuous, yes, but their bond - the shady death, finally revealed here, of David's father - was movingly evoked, as was their shared dependence on one another.

The script was devilishly fast and crafty. Mark Gatiss was brilliant as the camp and unknowing interloper bringing the secrets of the past to the surface. He seemed to be a policeman, but wasn't: he was an am-dram devotee after a role, and hopeful that his brazen theatricality would win David and Maureen into casting him in a murder-mystery event. The twist was that they were going to kill him, believing him to be a real policeman, but let him go when they discovered he was not. He was murdered ultimately, having discovered that Maureen had killed David's father, not David (as David had believed). David hadn't known that either.

Matt Lipsey's direction would surely have made The Master proud: in the claustrophobic confines of David and Maureen's scuzzy, blood-spattered flat the camerawork was as unrelenting and viciously playful as the script. The over-stylised, freaky vibe of Psychoville can sometimes appeal only to the dedicated, the horror and comedy too grave-robbingly close to its cousin The League of Gentlemen. However, this episode was supremely classy and stood alone as a fluent, delicious piece of television. Lucky you if you caught it.

Things took a weird turn in Psychoville, even by said show's agreeably weird standards. The whole interlinking plot thing took a time-out to allow Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton to indulge themselves in a homage to Hitchcock classic Rope, perfect murderers Maureen and David Sowerbutts doing the dance of death around guest star (and League Of Gentlemen mate) Mark Gatiss. Admittedly it was movie buff heaven but it smacked of selfindulgence. Psychoville's impressive head of macabre steam came grinding to a halt and though we learned some vital clues - Maureen is rather more than an over-indulgent mother - I missed the randy dwarf and madcap midwife action.

Psychoville episode 4 review

Psychoville plays its trump card as the Beeb's new best show just got better...

TV Review: Psychoville 4

Last night's Psychoville was a departure from previous episodes. Instead of switching between stories and location, the whole thing had a feeling of theatre about it. Watching it was almost like watching something on the stage, with one room and no discernible edit. It was a real treat and not something comedy usually tries out in prime-time.

Psychoville 1.4 Review

The fourth episode of Psychoville was an unmitigated treat on many levels. Joyous, clever, witty, intelligent and beautifully-honed black comedy. The acting, writing and staging of the episode was excellent, and the script delighted me with a clever twist halfway through.

A completely different cup of tea this week. Instead of the usual rogues' gallery, we focus entirely on murderous (and hideous) mother-and-son duo the Sowerbutts (Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton), who are bundling their latest victim into a chest as we meet them. But hang on, this looks different, too. Instead of the usual gothic style, we have a simple, stagey approach: one room, a single shot with no edits. Yes, what we have here is Psychoville's very own tribute to Alfred Hitchcock's Rope. It's an ambitious idea and it's slickly done, with the expected touches of the surreal. As they try to get over the unpleasantness of the murder, the pair put "the cheering-up tape" on - an upbeat aerobics workout to which they do a hopeless dance routine. But no sooner have they put the kettle on than there's a knock at the door and they're disturbed by a stranger in a belted mac and trilby, asking uncomfortable questions. He's played by a familiar face (especially to fans of Shearsmith and Pemberton's work), but the show begs us not to reveal his identity.

Alfred Hitchcock was a film-maker who could be relied upon to find the grotesque humour in any given situation. It's therefore appropriate that tonight's instalment of Psychoville, possibly TV's first gothic sitcom-cum-thriller, should pay homage to Alf. More surprisingly, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton choose to riff off Rope in an episode shot in two long takes, with the murderous David and Maureen at the centre of the mayhem. Prepare for a killing, a trunk, an unexpected caller, a sudden panic and a fixation with pyramid teabags.