Him & Her

Review: Him & Her

You don't need social realism to make a comedy hit home. But it's the nightmarish moments of shared recognition that have made Stefan Golaszewski's anti-romance Him & Her feel so near the funny bone.

Five reasons why Him & Her is the best sitcom on TV

The cult comedy starring Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani is back. Claire Webb explains why you'd be a fool to miss out on the fourth and final series...

It's the final series of this deliciously grubby comedy with Steve and Becky (Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani) looking on, horror-struck, from the sidelines as Becky's nightmare sister Laura (Kelly Howard) prepares to tie the knot with fiancé Paul. He looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights - who wouldn't at the prospect of becoming Mr Laura? - but there's more to his wayward behaviour than simply an attack of the pre-nuptial jitters...

For its final outing, the format of Him And Her manages to outdo The Worst Week Of My Life by having the entire series take place over a single day.

It's the wedding of Becky's nightmare sister Laura (Kerry Howard) to her pitiful boyfriend Paul and for the first time ever, Becky and Steve (Sarah Solemani and Russell Tovey) have been allowed to venture out of their squalid bedsit.

They're now staying in a hotel with the rest of the wedding party, which includes fellow bridesmaid Shelly, Becky's ex-boyfriend and the bride's unfortunate baby who's being handed around like a game of pass the parcel.

But a wedding is all about the bride and Laura, who's utterly unbearable at the best of times, hits new heights of narcissism
and nastiness on her big day.

But where is the groom?

Don't expect romance from the fourth and final series of this cult comedy, in which Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani play the eponymous couple: as grubby, beleaguered and endearing as ever. Do expect to wince and guffaw by turns.

For the first time, we see Steve (Him) and Becky (Her) outside their dingy bedsit. They're holed up in a second-rate hotel for her delectably odious sister Laura's big day. Sharing their pain is Shelly, sporting a terracotta spray tan; her mangy lover; Becky's dapper ex-boyfriend; and the bride's baby, who is passed from pillar to post. But where oh where is the groom? This is a perfect antidote to those sickly sweet rom-coms so beloved by Hollywood.

The jewel in BBC3's comedy crown begins its lap of honour with a final series set on a single day. The appalling Laura and the pathetic Paul are tying the knot, Becky is the main bridesmaid, Steve is the best man and chaos is sure to ensue.

We'd wondered if this scenario might be a touch too busy for a show that has often specialised in doing nothing much, very slowly and very charmingly for whole episodes at a time. But on the evidence of this opener, it should work fine: Steve and Becky (further showcasing the remarkable chemistry of Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani) are the still point around which a series of bizarre, hideous and unbelievable events seems likely to swirl - and we're sure they'll take it in their collective stride.

A word too for Kerry Howard, whose Laura is surely one of the most unbearable creations in TV history - she manages to infuse Laura's every moment of screentime with a uniquely noxious mixture of selfishness, neediness and spite. We can only hope her career survives the association...

Interview: Sarah Solemani

Sarah Solemani has had more gags than hot dinners this autumn: as a hippy teacher in Bad Education, a long-suffering ex-girlfriend/boss in The Wrong Mans and now in the third and final series of cult sitcom Him & Her. But what does the comic actress tune into in her downtime? RadioTimes.com asks the all-important questions...

Him & Her preview

I've said it before, but it's worth saying again, Him & Her is one of the best (and most under-rated) sitcoms of recent times.

Video interview: Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani

Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani, the stars of BBC Three comedy Him & Her, speak to Harriet Gibsone about the show, which returns for its fourth and final series on Thursday 21 November. It follows the antics of Becky and Steve, two lazy slobs in love. Though previous series have all been set exclusively in their bedsit, the fourth sees the action move to a hotel, scene of Becky's sister Laura's impending wedding.

'Him & Her' final series interview

There's only a few things guaranteed to bring a tear to our eye - one is a wedding and the other is the emotional conclusion of a TV favourite, and the final series of BBC Three's superb Him & Her has both of those things...