Homepage News Reviews - Acts - Shows - Screen - Radio - Books - Clubs Interviews Awards 2006 Edinburgh 2005 - Reviews - Blog - Previews Features Archive Awards 2005 Edinburgh 2004: - Previews - Shows - Diary Guestbook Forum © Emporium Of Mirth 2004 Editor: Lauren Murphy Reporters: Fiona Wilkie Natalie Joanne	Emporium of Mirth Nathan Barley Given the sheer amount of hype and speculation surrounding the New Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker vehicle Nathan Barley (or whatever it’s called this week) I was torn between dread and excitement when I finally came to watch the show with two years in the making and shouting. And well… I liked it. Surprisingly, this I found quite disappointing, as I’d been hoping for more of a love affair than a casual peck on the cheek, as it were. The first episode concentrates on the fortunes of Dan Ashcroft, a deity amongst the inhabitants of Hosegate for his ‘cool’ credentials as features writer for Sugar Ape magazine. He’s just published his article on the Rise of the idiots and it’s really starting to get up his nose that he can’t seem to be able to get away from them. The eponymous Barley chooses this point to barge into Dan’s life unannounced and impose his idiocy on both Dan and his sister, Claire. Unfortunately, other than Dan (played really rather expertly by JulianBarratt) most of the characters seem a little two-dimensional. They’re idiots, that’s all they are. Only Claire (she’s got the smarts but is naïve enough to let herself get dragged along into the world of the idiots) and Nathan manage to show hints of having a third dimension over all the cool worshipping, haircut sculpting and plastic tractor riding. I’m hoping maybe this will remedy over time, after all the first episode concentrates almost solely on Dan, so he’s had the best fighting chance of being given a personality, but surely Brooker and Morris are smart enough to make their opening gambit as strong as possible? Another bugbear, is that I can pinpoint two scenes in this one episode that can all too easily be compared, and it pains me to say it, to the Office. For instance, Barley’s treatment of Pingu is classic Brent-Gareth fodder and, not to give too much away, but Dan Ashcroft’s visit to the Weekend on Sunday is as painful to watch as Brent’s redundancy. Criticisms aside, there is a lot to like about this programme, it’s fun, it’s well-observed, it’s blown to ridiculous extremes and there some fantastic one-liners. To top it off, Brooker and Morris have also included a game that, come the monday after transmission will be in every playground in the country, but to be frank, we expect more of Morriss. It’s certainly an enjoyable half an hour, and I have no doubt that it will score Channel Four a hit… but is that enough? Reviewed by Lauren, February 2005 RSS  Printable version	Visit our Siamese Twin Sister Site!