Sky 1's much heralded new comedy The Cafe began its run last night with two episodes back to back. It's not a bad way to launch a new comedy, if you like the first chances are you'll stick around for the second; a good way to get to know new comic characters, a good way to keep the audience.
The Cafe is written by Ralf Little (The Royle Family) and Michele Terry (Reunited, Extras). It's directed by Craig Cash who worked with Little on The Royle Family, that sublime slice of uneventfulness. If you come to this expecting laugh out loud moments and a comic plot involving the local Somerset yokels (the show is set on the prom at Weston Super Mare) the show's slow burn won't be for you.
Nothing wrong with slow burn, wasn't I just extolling the virtues of the device a few days ago when talking about giving drama series space to breathe. But when it comes to comedy it's a fine line to walk. The writers - both play characters in the show - have elected to go for those things that real people say. We all steal from real life but dialogue needs to carry more than the odd ball mutterings of real folk to propel a story forwards - unless of course there is no story.
The Cafe revels in being anti-plot. We're offered the tiniest of crumbs by way of story: a florist who can't say what he really feels about the cafe owner so 'says it with flowers', a young woman who gazes out of the Cafe's window looking for inspiration for her first children's book, the care worker who has almost bought a car - he's got the car magazine and the air-freshener - the human statue looking for love, a city slicker back on home turf because his mum's in an adjacent care home. Best of all, for me, were the old married couple played by Brian Murphy and Marcia Warren - theirs were the only exchanges that really sparkled - and it relies on exchanges. Not much happened over two episodes, though the Final Demand letters being hidden in a drawer by Cafe owner Carol (Ellie Haddington) point to storm clouds down the line. The characters are all fine, what's missing is any kind of story engine to get them going.
In previewing this show I talked to a member of the Production staff on my Radio show on Sunday - Weston Super Mare is on our patch, it's a place I know well, people I know well. Describing The Cafe's humour he used the words, warm and gentle. He is not wrong. It has a warmth about it, a familiarity of family and peers and it most certainly is gentle. Maybe too gentle, is it brave or foolish to begin a new comedy show with eighteen seconds of silence? Do audiences say " Did you see the Cafe last night, the way they opened with eighteen seconds of silence - brilliant!". Writers, the director, actors may consider it a brave thing to do but if you've just got the kids off to bed, you've sat down for the first time today and there's still the nagging worry about where the next shilling is coming from do you want a long realistic silence to open this much trailed new comedy show - or do you want a laugh?
I enjoyed the setting and I can see the possibilities for these characters. If you're willing to stay with the slow burn you may be rewarded - I'll be back for another slice but it'd better warm up a bit because The Cafe is a comedy and you and I have every right to expect some laughs not just wry smiles.
Will it find an audience? I don't know; perhaps television audiences these days are happy with warm and gentle, then again perhaps, in these austere times, what we want is something to take us out of ourselves, something a little bigger, brasher - full on funny.
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