Reviewed by James Whittington
Stars John Henshaw, Naomi Radcliffe, Steve Edge, Darren Tighe, Neil Bell,
Beatrice Kelly, Angel Coulby, Iain McKee, Craig Fitzpatrick | Written by Tony Burgess
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 210 minutes | Directed by Tony Dow
BBC3’s The Visit is basically Porridge for the 21st century. Now that Season 1 is hitting DVD, it is surely the funniest thing you’ll see this year — until Season 2 comes along.
If The Royle Family reinvented the situation comedy, then Early Doors was its talented brother and The Visit is the naughty offspring from the two that pushes the format to its ultimate destination. Set entirely in one location, that of a visiting room in a prison, we meet the inmates and families who assemble weekly at HMP Radford Hill. We cut from conversation to conversation, evesdropping on each discussion, catching the juiciest pieces of their everyday lives. It may seem that nothing is happening, that a narrative is not occurring, but each episode is crafted so well that each stream of dialogue comes to an end with subtlety, hilarity and at times heart-breaking sincerity. The main story centres on Michael, who has taken the rap for a jewellery robbery; his refusal to grass means he gets locked up while the real culprits go free. But he has the support of his family — his dad, brother and nana visit, and though they mean well it does grind on him.
Written by stand-up comedian Tony Burgess, The Visit captures the unique atmosphere of the room with some fine detail. OK, I know this is about as real as Porridge was, but I guess some of the conversations, as bizarre as they may seem, are pretty near to what actually is discussed in such places. Everyday problems such as childcare, speed bumps and stage musicals all pop up, while the ever-present guards make sure that nothing untoward is happening. The cast are a comedy dream. John Henshaw, a man who made Early Doors such a humorous treat, gives his character of Dad huge dollops of pathos whilst Steve Edge as Clint the bullshitter proves that his turn in Phoenix Nights was no fluke.
Tony Dow, the guy who directed most of Del Boy’s finest moments, handles the comedy with an understated and dark touch. There are no pratfalls here or mugging to camera; this is straight-forward, honest comedy. A gem, a treat, a real pleasure.
EXTRAS None, which is a shame and stops this release getting the 5-star treatment. Maybe when Seaosn 2 hits the format we’ll get some decent pieces such as commentaries and out-takes. Until then, let the comedy alone be the reason to buy this.