It’s hard to decide what I like the most about Together. Alex MacQueen’s inspired performance as pedantic dad-he-was-born-to-play Ashley? Vicki Pepperdine’s fussy trapped-in-her-marriage mum Lesley or Jonny Sweet’s starring role as Tom, the man-child trying to woo Ellen (Cara Theobold).
I think I've got the hang of what makes this series different though. It’s a love story in which the Romeo and Juliet barely meet. This week it looks as if they are going to be celebrating Ellen's birthday together in Tom’s family home, but a few things get in the way. Mainly Ellen’s tag, following her road rage incident (ramming a leukaemia charity van in the first episode), but also fate in general. Cupid's dart if you like. Each week something in Together keeps our lovers apart.
There are a lot of good sitcoms around at the moment, but this one might just be my favourite. It helps that most of the cast are graduates of the Invisible Dot comedy club, which has an impeccable record for offbeat humour. Top Dot alumnus Tim Key plays the local bobby, Nick Mohammed is a hapless solicitor more interested in getting home to his wine collection than sympathising with Ellen. and this week Jamie Demetriou pitches up as an old schoolfriend of Tom’s who used to dribble in the sixth form but seems to have now got his shit together (unlike Tom).
The script, also by Sweet, is deliciously funny, treading a neat line between the conventional and the weird. Snail porn anyone? Ashley and Lesley are brilliant, but do feel a bit like parents from sitcom central casting at times (there’s something of Ever Decreasing Circles in there I think), but the rest of the cast around Ellen and Tom add a touch of oddness to the romance.
It is worth noting that the director is Annie Griffin, who has previous when it comes to peculiar comedies - she directed C4's Book Group, the movie Festival and going back further, Coming Soon, which is worth hunting out (it's about a pretentious theatre company and the first thing I spotted Vicki Pepperdine in). When Griffin is involved things are rarely completely conventional but always watchable. And that is definitely the case with Together.
Together, Tuesdays, 10.30pm, BBC3.
