Count Arthur Strong
- TV sitcom
- BBC One / BBC Two
- 2013 - 2017
- 20 episodes (3 series)
TV sitcom following elderly, befuddled showbusiness character Count Arthur Strong and his friends. Stars Steve Delaney, Rory Kinnear, Zahra Ahmadi, Chris Ryman, Andy Linden and more.
Press clippings Page 4
Mrs Brown's Boys named best sitcom since 2000
Mrs Brown's Boys has come top of the Radio Times poll to name the best British TV sitcom broadcast since the year 2000.
British Comedy Guide, 22nd August 2016Radio Times launches a poll to name the best sitcom since 2000
Radio Times has launched a poll to name the best British TV sitcom broadcast since the year 2000. There are 40 shows in the shortlist.
British Comedy Guide, 19th July 2016Why studio laughter has no place in modern sitcoms
From Friends to Father Ted, some of the greatest sitcoms of all time have had laughter included on the soundtrack. But audiences have grown more sophisticated - and TV needs to follow their lead.
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian, 29th June 2016BBC One orders 3rd series of Count Arthur Strong
BBC One has announced the commission of a third series of Count Arthur Strong. The seven new episodes will be on TV in 2016.
British Comedy Guide, 22nd May 2015Review: Count Arthur Strong, series 2
There have been criticisms of Count Arthur Strong and I hadn't fully invested in it from the beginning so was anticipating that I would not enjoy this series. However, my doubts were unfounded because I laughed throughout every single episode, because of Arthur's lines like "all work and no play makes Jack... and Jill went up the hill..." and his overall persona. I felt no hint of cynicism at all.
Becca Moody, Moody Comedy, 28th February 2015Five things you might not know about Count Arthur
The ex-music hall legend is hitting the road with the show Somebody Up There Licks Me.
Brian Donaldson, The List, 26th February 2015Steve Delaney and Graham Linehan's old-school comedy must surely be given a third series, and ought to be slap bang in primetime. This run has edged diffidently towards greatness, with several moments where plot and character have meshed to make something sublime. The finale has bittersweet jeopardy as Michael (Rory Kinnear), a sitcom character who isn't trapped, considers leaving, while Arthur (Delaney) finds success as an unorthodox TV psychic. The transitions from stupid to serious are remarkably deft.
Jack Seale, The Guardian, 17th February 2015Radio Times review
If you've ever wondered how to deal with a cold caller, the unquenchable Count Arthur Strong may give you an idea or two. That phone call opens an emotional rollercoaster finale, crammed with lovely gags, sad scenes and cockle-warming surprises.
It's breakthrough time for both Arthur and Michael (genius double act Steve Delaney and Rory Kinnear), but while the Count becomes increasingly bumptious over his new-found TV fame, Michael is just a walking knot of anxiety when Hollywood beckons.
If this series is now out for the Count, it exits on a delirious high. Delaney and co-writer Graham Linehan originally said they wanted to make a sitcom with a heart. They have triumphed resoundingly.
Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 17th February 2015Why Count Arthur is still going Strong
Who knew 10 years ago that Steve Delaney's tragicomic portrait of a delusional old man would be vying with Miranda for primetime TV celebrity? He may have morphed into a lovable old duffer, but he's still a fiercely brilliant creation.
Brian Logan, The Guardian, 11th February 2015Radio Times review
"Don't worry about me, I'm very low maintenance." Why do we find Arthur's words hard to believe? He's moving in with Michael after a catastrophic trouser fire, but within two days they can't agree on anything. Michael wants to watch Game of Thrones; Arthur hates it. "It's all bums and dragons is that."
And so Michael turns to John the Watch for companionship. The entire episode is full of faux-romantic horseplay and emotional fallout, tearing up the melodrama rulebook and making spectacular fun of it. On paper it's a bit bizarre, but it's all purely Teutonic, as Arthur might say.
It's a superbly structured episode with a heart-warming finale and a fantastic pay-off/homage that classic comedy connoisseurs will absolutely love.
Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 10th February 2015