Mandy

Comedy this Christmas: 20 funnies to enjoy today

Comedy critic Dominic Maxwell picks 20 funny things to watch or listen to this Christmas.

Diane Morgan's snippet of slapstick comedy concludes with a typically far-fetched yet funny double bill. First, there's a money-making scheme to breed doberman pinschers before a dinner at Lord Trent's house turns into an Agatha Christie-style whodunnit. But Mandy isn't invited.

Another double-bill of the excellent bitesize comedy written, directed by and starring Diane Morgan. Her chain-smoking schemer Mandy - in some ways daffier but certainly savvier than Philomena Cunk - attempts to hop on to the profitable Airbnb bandwagon before landing a risque gig in a sushi bar.

Mandy viewers left 'vomiting' after wee gag

A scene in which Mandy wees in a wine bottle and drinks the contents made some viewers feel sick.

Diane Morgan interview

The actress and funny woman - star on the co-star that made her shudder, what fans shout in the street when they see her, and the one person who made her star struck.

Mandy, the latest Diane Morgan creation, is I suspect going to be a little bit splitty-nation. Beehived of hair, gleefully dismissive of societal niceties or even basic interview skills, Mandy is every jobcentre's nemesis, which, given that she spends much of her life there, makes for big awkwards. I, for instance, loved it, but I like most of Morgan's tinder-dry take on life, most notably in Motherland.

On the other hand I'm almost sure some will see it as punching down, dismissive of the indolent, heedless working class, and it is in some ways true that Mandy is not a lazily spat piece of gum away from the execrable creation Vicky Pollard. Where I reckon this is saved is that there's a heart to her, a remorse for the catastrophes she causes - and the death toll is mounting. This is another strength: if you're going to go down the slapstick route, you might as well go gleefully over the top rather than just have a wee dead vole in a pitta or some such. You might find yourself snorting despite yourself, but snort you will nonetheless.

Diane Morgan's dimwitted big-dreamer is comedy tonic

I'm not sure if it's the constant gurning, shiny puffer jacket that screams "flammable" or the gravity-defying vertical hairdo, but Mandy Carter is a woman I cannot stop watching.