Siblings

Radio Times review

How's this for a sitcom exchange? Mum: "The doctor said I had to drink lots of fluids." Daughter: "I don't think he meant vodka and soda." That's the path of least resistance Siblings takes a bit too often. Which is a shame because you sense the seeds of something good stirring under the topsoil here.

Luckily, Charlotte Ritchie is watchably, winningly good, even when she's playing a heartless, selfish cow. In this episode Hannah's mother recuperates from surgery, making Hannah her slave, while brother Dan falls in love with his STI doctor.

Charlotte Ritchie's favourite TV

The Fresh Meat and Siblings actor on her TV prime beef and scrag end.

Radio Times review

The gruesome twosome take a trip down memory lane when Hannah is invited back to her old school for careers day. Inevitably, her inspirational speech doesn't go entirely to plan and she succeeds in gravely insulting teacher and pupils alike. More likely to make 20-somethings cringe with recognition is the drudgery endured by an earnest sixth-former desperate for work experience.

Meanwhile, her brother Tom has finally found like-minded individuals who laugh at his jokes and swallow his macho boasts: nerdy first years.

Siblings review

It's always a great feeling to discover a new sitcom on a popular television channel that surprises you with its innovation and originality. Siblings is one of those programmes for me.

Radio Times review

Hannah is distraught to discover her best friend has fallen for a charming, highly successful veterinarian. Her brother is smitten, too, especially after the interloper offers him a job. The only sensible thing to do, Hannah decides, is go into battle with Mr Right. Cue an entertaining engagement party where she's wrong-footed by a clique of simpering yummy mummies.

The gags come thick and fast - and yet, can there be much mileage in a sitcom where the main characters are relentlessly, unapologetically obnoxious? Even Peep Show's hapless twosome stirred our sympathy from time to time.

Immediately following Cuckoo, BBC Three debuted a new sitcom from Keith Akushie (who co-wrote an episode of Fresh Meat) called Siblings, that stars one of that Channel 4 comedy's actresses, Charlotte Ritchie. She plays lazy office girl Hannah, who co-habits with her dumb, unemployed brother Dan (Tom Stourton). They're the "worst brother and sister in the world", merrily ruining other people's lives thanks to their stupidity, selfishness, and indolence.

It's a very stripped-down premise, so a lot relies on the capabilities of Ritchie and Stourton to make these potentially horrid characters sympathetic and fun. They mostly succeed, as it's easy to identify with their aim to live a carefree life as infantile adults. They also seem to have a moderately healthy relationship as siblings; as this first episode revolved around Dan agreeing to help his sister impress her new boss (Tracy Ann-Oberman), by pretending he's a wheelchair-user like her own son, Charlie (David Proud). Naturally, the lie runs away with itself and lonely Dan quickly bonds with Charlie (over a mutual appreciation of Keanu Reeves), and struggles to keep up the pretence that he can't walk.

While the set-up doesn't feel very special or interesting, this does mean the weight of the show rests on the performances and material. And, for the most part, I found Siblings gently amusing with occasional big laughs--even when you knew where the storyline was heading. Fortunately, while it was ridiculously obvious Dan would be exposed as a fraud during a game of wheelchair basketball, it was less obvious Hannah's attempt to befriend her strict boss (so she can take advantage of her) would result in an unwanted threesome with a hotel barman!

It certainly feels like there's potential with Siblings, which has a strange tone that suggests something quite light-hearted and twee (mainly thanks to the music), and yet finds the dysfunctional characters doing terrible things and digging themselves into big holes. Provided they don't become detestable idiots (which feels unlikely given the inherent niceness Ritchie and Stourtone kept exuding), I think Siblings could grow into something very good.

Siblings episode 1 review

The light tone and broad humour put this more in tune with long running cult US sitcom It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia than the bedsit grime of Stefan Golaszewski's Him & Her.

Siblings: good idea held back by unlikeable characters

With a lineage that can be traced back to Fresh Meat, a mix of sharp observation and cringe-making farce and a heavyweight guest star, Siblings should be a sure-fire hit. So why did I not warm to this opening episode?

Radio Times review

From the makers of The Inbetweeners comes a new sitcom that also boasts two graduates from Channel 4's first-class university caper Fresh Meat: Charlotte Ritchie (aka neurotic Oregon) and writer Keith Akushie. Ritchie is perfect as selfish, work-shy Hannah while Tom Stourton - best known for pillorying his Etonian education on the stand-up circuit - plays her needy brother Dan.

The first episode of a new comedy is often a strained affair, but Akushie is a good student, walking the same fine line between laughs and cringe-worthy antics as Fresh Meat. Tonight, Hannah is so desperate to befriend a new boss she pretends her brother uses a wheelchair.

Charlotte Ritchie: I love playing unlikeable characters

The 24-year-old sits down with RadioTimes.com to talk Siblings, Fresh Meat and why women are seen as less funny than men.