Borderline

Borderline is proof that the mockumentary is alive

Real life, properly portrayed, almost always contains moments of inadvertent hilarity. That was the whole grounding of the spoof-documentary style made famous by The Office. Borderline, a new comedy set in the border control department of a fictional Northend Airport, showed that mockumentary remains very funny when done well.

C5's original comedy Borderline has great promise

For the first time in nine years, Channel 5 has created its own comedy series, Borderline. Set in the fictional Northend airport, the mockumentary follows a group of inept border guards trying to enforce Home Office policy. It is truly a comedy for post-Brexit Britain, and it has promise.

Channel 5 show Borderline filmed at Coventry Airport

Borderline was filmed at Coventry Airport and features city-teacher-turned-comedian Guz Khan.

Channel 5's first homegrown comedy in 10 years, Borderline is a mockumentary following an inept team of UK border officials. The retro-scripted rockumentary is based in the border security office of Northland Airport, a small provincial airport in the UK. The six-part series follows the daily lives of the staff who work there, their relationships with each other and the obstacles they face on a daily basis. Tackling the hot topic of immigration, Borderline examines what happens when 'normal' people have to make decisions they wouldn't usually make, because of a new government initiative or legislation. Shining a light on the complexities of these decisions, and based on writer Michael Orton-Toliver/p]'s own real life experience, Borderline shows these issues through a humorous lens and, in true British comedy tradition, give us an opportunity to laugh at ourselves in the face of adversity.

'The Office' for the post-Brexit era?

In these febrile times, it's cathartic to laugh at suspiciously shaped luggage and dodgy passport photos. Any show that succeeds in making immigration or border control funny, even if it means revising your ideas about Channel 5, should get everyone's stamp of approval.