Back to a bit of radio, in this series of short plays by The Now Show's Punt and Dennis. It would seem that they've finally upped the energy on their years long feud with The News Quiz with this first shot across the bows.
Each of the shows naturally involves a quiz in some form or another, though these are the vehicle rather than the point. There's a pub quiz, a PTA meeting about organising the school fundraiser, a wake in the form of a quiz, and a father-daughter team taking on a quiz machine while waiting for the fortnightly divorcee handover. (That's a handover between divorcees, not a handover of divorcees. This is a quiz night, not speed dating.)
Like all the best plays, they are of course really about conflicted relationships. The pub quiz features a battle between two linked teams. The PTA sets the plucky young upstart who wants to change the quiz, against the experienced voice who enjoys its current level of obscurity. The wake is joined by the dead Professor's greatest creation, his mentored University Challenge team who scored "nul points". And finally Dennis as a father who doesn't quite know how to deal with his daughter's progression through life.
They're all comedic, without much real pathos, but I don't think that's the point. They make a pleasant entertainment with a few interesting surprises, and have a nice range of voices. Perhaps unsurprisingly there's a little too much of Punt and Dennis, and naturally they use certain voice tones that you'll recognise if you've listened to The Now Show for any length of time. That does on occasion prove a bit distracting.
Putting that aside though, it's a decent couple of hours. Just maybe spread them out a bit to reduce the effect.
Tagged: Radio Comedy Cast Sitcom Anthology