ITV in Funny Sitcom Shock. That’s the verdict on The Delivery Man, which hit the ground running last night. Darren Boyd plays ex-copper Matthew Bunting who swaps the constabulary for midwifery because he is so sensitive. And also hapless enough to get a barrel of TV laughs out of the idea of a man doing a woman’s job.
The first episode introduced an ensemble cast which gave away part of the reason why this works. ITV has basically bussed in a group of C4 faces who don’t hit you over the head with their comedy but prefer to play it subtle. Ooh look, there's Alex Macqueen (The Thick of It) as a deadpan, superior obstetrician, rising star Aisling Bea as a young nurse, Kerry Godliman (Derek) as an irritable mum.
And while they were at it they also borrowed heavily from C4’s Green Wing. Which is fair enough as the creators and writers Victoria Pile, Robert Harley and James Henry were involved in Green Wing. Boyd, of course, was also in Green Wing. As were the stop/start/slo-mo bits of action between the scenes.
Occasionally this classy cast jarred with the channel's mainstream sensibility as Matthew met his new colleagues. New divorcee Caitlin (Fay Ripley) played it very broad as the staff member with an instant crush on “the hairiest midwife in the hospital, except for Tina”. And Paddy McGuinness as Matthew’s mate from his old profession who bookended the episode was so overtly northern he felt like he had been parachuted in from the set of Benidorm.
I guess the real test is will people keep watching? Judging from the first episode I will, but I hope they do less jokes of the mistaking-the-fat-woman-for-an-expectant-mum variety. But the dialogue is satisfyingly slick and the ensemble mostly works well together, even if the setting is obviously nothing like any maternity ward I’ve ever visited.
It could be better of course. What they really need is the godlike Mark Heap from Green Wing and they would really be onto a winner. But this is an auspicious start. The birth of a hit even.
The Delivery Man, Wednesdays, ITV1, 9.30pm.
