Plebs

I've caught up late with Plebs, Sam Leifer and Tom Basden's comedy about three also-rans in Ancient Rome, which turns out to be a likeable enough affair, though you never entirely feel that they get out of second gear when it comes to the writing.

I did laugh aloud when the lads' landlord indignantly accused them of "Thracism" for wanting to get rid of a Thracian tenant he'd foisted on them, but I think that was partly because the line was delivered by the wonderful Karl Theobald. Also effortlessly funny, even when saying nothing at all, is Ryan Sampson as Grumio the slave. Shades of Baldrick - the dimwit's dimwit.

While Plebs hasn't quite lived up to the hype, it's no fault of the superb supporting cast. In particular, it's a pleasure to see Smack the Pony's Doon Mackichan playing Stylax's sex-crazed boss. A virtuoso of the double entendre and salacious glance, she takes suggestiveness to a whole new level when Stylax innocently offers her a bite of an exotic new fruit: "bananae". It's just one of many banana jokes; it may be a while before you can look at your lunchbox without blushing.

The Emperor's new rat-catching initiative has led to moggies running amok in the courtyard as our hopeless Roman Romeos crank up the double entendres in this sparky toga-tugging sitcom. While shredder Stylax (Joel Fry) dons makeshift mittens to curb his scratching after bed bugs start nibbling on his kinky rhubarb, Marcus (Tom Rosenthal) considers installing a cat flap to Cynthia's flat after her beloved stray moggy Felix takes a shine to his hearth rug. Which may or may not be a euphemism.

A family magazine is no place to describe the grisly goings-on in tonight's episode. Suffice to say that it seems ancient Romans also suffered sexually transmitted infections and it may be a while before you want to eat rhubarb again.

Once again Marcus is in his beloved Cynthia's bad books and Grumio gets all the best lines (or perhaps it's Ryan Sampson's superb deadpan delivery), while Stylax tries to turn on the charm at a highly inappropriate moment. Cat lovers may want to keep a cushion handy for the final scene.

A playful disregard for historical accuracy and some strong comic turns, most notably from Ryan Sampson as dimwit slave Grumio, make Rome-com Plebs a more enjoyable watch than its ropey-looking trails suggest. Plus, Danny Dyer pops up in an episode. Get up to speed on the ITV Player.

Tom Rosenthal interview

Tom Rosenthal talks about new comedy Plebs, and why TOWIE fans will have to brush up on their Latin...

Apparently the comic brains behind this sitcom consulted classicist Mary Beard about what the ancient Romans really got up to - and this week they make The Inbetweeners look positively puritanical. Grumio the slave is given vintage porn for his birthday and Stylax dabbles gleefully in incest. Only Marcus takes the moral high ground, while sashaying around in a "skinny" tunic mocking the skin-tight jeans so popular among today's fashionistas (one suspects the writers were taking liberties here).

Gigglebox weekly #81 - Plebs

The series, which began with a double-bill, has its strong points.

A Roman historian's view on Plebs

Plebs is transplanting 21st-century attitude to ancient Rome - so Roman historian Dr Anna Clark is surprised there are quite a few accuracies.

The gimmick of this sitcom, which is ribald without being too dumb, is that it's set in ancient Rome but blatantly has 21sdt-century sensibilities. Tom Rosenthal (Friday Night Dinner) and Joel Fry (who superbly played dimwits in Twenty Twelve and Trollied) are Marcus and Stylax, two losers with dead-end administrative jobs and a chronic lack of fmale attention. With rubbish slave Grumio (Ryan Sampson) taking the place of a feckless pal, they could be from any modern comedy, but transferring the tropes to a period setting gives this one another layer.