The Ginge, The Geordie And The Geek

Greatest Underrated Comedy of the Previous Decade #1

Sometimes you feel a comedy series deserved more recognition, and in the last decade we had quite a few series that never quite reached their full potential, or, through no fault of their own went under the radar.

I really enjoyed The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek, a rapid-fire sketch show from BBC Scotland that understands the importance of moving on quickly having harvested a laugh. I would place the hit rate around 70% - high for a sketch show - with the other 30% forgiven for no other reason than that the three performers are so likeable.

With sketches featuring Riverdance and James Blunt, new sketch show The Ginge, The Geordie And The Geek (BBC Two) was scarcely straining to be intensely topical satire.

And what a blessed relief that was: here was a sketch trio more concerned with getting its jokes right rather than flaunting its cleverness or political correctness in our faces.

There were misses as well as hits but, with their gangster gulls and amorous ventriloquists, Paul Charlton, Kevin O'Loughlin and Graeme Rooney hit the mark, a dash of surreal imagination added to what is, at heart, traditionally crafted comedy.

They like running about in their underpants, which was vaguely mystifying, and a sketch about cracking the female mind code came off as lame. But a couple of dance numbers were inspired. Watch the last three minutes of episode one and if you don't laugh, you're probably dead.

TV review: The Ginge, The Geordie and The Geek

It's difficult to criticise sketch comedy; inherently it is a jumble of ideas thrown at a wall. Some stick and some slop to the floor in a puddle of confused premises and unoriginality.