Way To Go

An opening scene in which a young woman panics about her dog shitting itself might lead you to some understandable conclusions. Namely, that Way to Go can join Coming of Age, Grown Ups and the rest on the giant trash heap of dreadful BBC Three sitcoms. But Bob Kushell's new series is a little more ambitious than that, probing and prodding for laughs - at a genuine taboo - with moderate success. Half-brothers Scott (Blake Harrison of Inbetweeners fame) and Joey (Ben Heathcote) recruit their oafish chum Cozzo (Marc 'Shirley Ghostman' Wootton) to build an assisted suicide machine when it becomes apparent that bumping off people who want it could be a lucrative business. Given the pitfalls, it's surprisingly ungratuitous, and both writing and performances are reasonably accomplished at this early stage. It remains on the watchlist, but we won't be sending this one to Dignitas just yet.

Way To Go review

Way to Go is a strange beast as it's hard to actually categorise it as on one hand it's a straight sitcom including the opening scene in which Scott has to tidy up after a dogs' bowel issues, however the themes it deals with are quite deep.

Is assisted suicide appropriate for a sitcom?

The thorny issue of assisted suicide doesn't seem to be fertile, or even appropriate, ground for a television comedy. Not so, says Bob Kushell, a writer for The Simpsons and Anger Management.

Feels like they had the title first, then made a show around it. Scott (The Inbetweeners' Blake Harrison) works at an all-night vets, half-brother Joey is up to his eyes in gambling debt and their friend Cozzo (Marc Wootton) is a MacGyver-style vending machine repair man. In a far-fetched set-up, they go into business as clandestine suicide facilitators. It's a comedy, so it has to deal with the whole self-ending thing very lightly, which doesn't work at all. Harold & Maude balanced comedy and suicide perfectly but this can't make up its mind whether to laugh or cry. Quite uncomfortable.

US writer Bob Kushell has devised something absurd and very funny in this new black comedy about three men trying to set up an assisted suicide business. Circumstances force brothers Scott (Blake Harrison) and Joey (Ben Heathcote) and their friend Cozzo (Marc Wootton) into considering the drastic move: Scott has been asked by a terminally ill neighbour to help him kill himself on the promise of a pair of George Best's football boots, Joey has gambling debts and Cozzo's girlfriend is pregnant. Oh, and his experience of mending deep-fat fryers in takeaways means he has the know-how to build a suicide machine.

Blake Harrison: Suicide comedy is 'sensitive'

Best known as The Inbetweeners' Neil, Blake Harrison stars in Way To Go, BBC Three's new series about three guys who start an assisted suicide business. Here, he talks about difficult dilemmas and those Inbetweeners sequel rumours...

Blake Harrison interview

Blake Harrison plays medical school dropout and vet's receptionist Scott in BBC3's six-part black comedy Way To Go.

Row over BBC's suicide comedy Way To Go

The BBC was attacked last night for treating assisted suicide as a "matter of fun". Tory MP Mark Pritchard slammed the sitcom, saying: "This is a sensitive and complex issue that should be handled with compassion and understanding."

MP blasts BBC over new comedy series Way To Go

The BBC came under fire today for a new sitcom which makes light of assisted suicide. A new series starring Blake Harrison tells the story of three young men who build a suicide machine and offer the 'service' to those who wish to end their lives.