"Peep Show" (2003) TV series 2003-????

User Rating:

9.5/10   

Creators:

Jesse Armstrong
Sam Bain
Andrew O'Connor

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Welcome to the private world of Jeremy and Mark - two very ordinary weirdos.

Plot:

Mark and Jez are a couple of twenty-something roommates who have nothing in common - except for the fact that their lives are anything but normal. Mayhem ensues as the pair strive to cope with day-to-day life.

Plot Keywords:

Marriage Proposal | Point Of View | Inner Voice | British Comedy | Cynicism

Awards:

4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

David Mitchell	...	Mark Corrigan (36 episodes, 2003-2009)
Robert Webb	...	Jeremy Osborne (36 episodes, 2003-2009)
Olivia Colman	...	Sophie Chapman (29 episodes, 2003-2009)
Matt King	...	Super Hans (21 episodes, 2003-2009)
Neil Fitzmaurice	...	Jeff Heaney (17 episodes, 2003-2009)

Runtime:

30 min (including commercials) (30 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Canterbury House, Sydenham Road, Croydon, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Objective Productions

Trivia:

The theme song from Peep Show is "Flagpole Sitta" by Harvey Danger. This song only appears from the second series and following series.

Quotes:

Mark Corrigan: Life's all pain. Pain, gloom and misery... Hey, 33% extra free. I am doing excellent shopping. My depressed state of mind means being even more frugal than usual.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The British Comedy Awards 2006 Live (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Flagpole Sitta

Why isn't Peep Show more popular?

I don't know exactly why it hasn't gained the recognition it deserves. Perhaps that will change with the pat on the head it received from Ricky Gervais on the poster I saw on the tube.

It may not be the wittiest show on British television, but watching the second series screened late in the evening after "Teachers" it seemed like Oscar Wilde in comparison.

It is just "The Odd Couple" I suppose, a cross between that and a much more understated version of "Bottom", but the conflict between the attitudes of the two main characters is very engaging. The supporting characters are good too - Sophie, Super Hans, Johnson etc. - stereotypical but rounded. It is mercifully short of lad mag machismo, or when it rears its head it is not without shed-loads of self-deprecation and post-modern irony. Is that why it doesn't have much a following from its target audience of immature males? I imagine for it to be shown at peak time they would have to cut out the obscenity, though Mark's bland, yet frightening, yet endearing conservatism seems to mitigate that somehow - and the cynicism.

I haven't seen any of the third series. My TV set broke down recently and British television is at such a nadir at the moment I don't feel inspired to buy a new one, even if the Dude Bros are addicted to Big Brother. I just got the DVD of the first series out of the library (I played it on the computer) and that is worth seeing for Mark's extras: the hilarious digital camcorder CV and appalled readings from one of his militaristic tomes by his mates.