As much as we may pretend we hate the good ol’ US of A and everything that comes with it, we Brits seem to be undeniably envious of a good proportion of its output. Yet, at a few points in the last century, a few Brits have taken a look at their ‘products’ and said “Is that all you’ve got? Huh! I can do better than that!” In response to the All American sound of rock and roll, these shores produced The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, arguably the two biggest and best bands in the world EVER! Sick of the one-dimensional fairytale worlds of Walt Disney and co, Tolkien and CS Lewis created a mythology with its roots firmly based in British Isles folklore. Finally, at the end of the century, when the ‘Land of the free’ was churning out countless episodes of a sitcom focussing on several pals and their relationships, Blighty hit back with ‘Cold Feet’. Oh dear. Thankfully, we also had Coupling.
First shown on BBC2 in 1999, Coupling is a comedy about the differences between the sexes, shown from the viewpoint of six thirtysomesthings. Expertly
Of course, this would never really work without the jokes coming out of the right mouths. In order to explore the whole spectrum of sexual emotion and possibility, you need the right characters. In other words, you need six people that will routinely get themselves into these situations without is seeming a little too overdone and bizarre. Writer Steven Moffat managed to create six individuals which pretty much cover everything on the bus ride from normality to extreme perversity, stopping at all the destinations in between. The residents of Normalsville in this case are Susan and Steve (played by Sarah Alexander and Jack Davenport), whose self-doubt and ‘getting-to-grips-with-each-other’ make the basis of most of the episodes’ plotlines. As becomes apparent after the first episode, which actually centres around their meeting and first date, the unfolding of Susan and Steve’s relationship is the backbone of the whole program from then on.
With the exception of a few oldies (Steptoe and Son, Bottom) a sitcom doesn’t usually work with only two characters - you don’t get enough going on. In the words of the kid in About a Boy “you need backup”. In contrast to Susan and Steve’s pretty normal doubts about themselves and each other, Patrick (Ben Miles) and Jane (Gina Bellman) are completely au fait about the whole sexual thang. These are the two sex obsessed and self obsessed characters who manage to get into most of the outlandish sexual exploits and sticky situations, such as having multiple partners, lesbian friends/girlfriends and getting the words ‘car’ and ‘penis’ routinely mixed up. Beautician Sally, however, is the polar opposite, and whereas she started (by the writer’s own admission) the series as a bit of a one trick pony, vain and self doubting, she became a more well rounded antitheses to Patrick and Jane’s antics. It’s probably fair to say that she’s the ‘does my bum look big in this?’ woman from the Fast Show with depth, and makes best friend Susan look comparatively composed and self assured.
These characters may be excellent themselves, but every show needs a star - someone that brings it all onto a higher (or lower, depending on how you look at it) comedy plain. Step forward Jeff. Played by Richard Coyle, he was the ultimate in innocent perversion and insecure childlike stupidity, whilst remaining thoroughly clever and entertaining. This was the man who fell in love with a girl’s leg before he’d seen the rest of her, mooted the idea of ‘porn jelly’ and explained the concept of ‘the melty man’ when Patrick was experiencing a severe bout of erectile dysfunction. Put simply, he is one of the greatest comedy sidekicks ever, a Ford Prefect to Steve’s Arthur Dent and someone who could provide roars of laughter from the most seemingly banal conversational topics. You knew an episode would be funny, if only because Jeff spoke.
There is, however, another level to coupling. Despite all the perfectly timed lines, slapstick comedy (usually delivered by Jeff) and double entendres, its greatest feat in terms of writing seems to be the twists and turns that an episode can be subject to. For a sitcom to be genuinely funny and clever at the same time is not commonplace, but Coupling seems to pull it off and have lots to spare. Having an entire episode in split screen or in different periods of time (whilst jumping backwards and forwards) is a trick you would associate with Quentin Tarantino rather than a BBC2 comedy and it is all the more intriguing because of it.
This was all too perfect; a sitcom that seemed to only get better with every series and an audience who just wanted more. This line up entertained us for three series, each one building on the storylines, revelations and, most importantly, funniness of the last. Something had to give and, unfortunately, it was Jeff.
Instead of calling it a day, a replacement character called ‘Oliver’ was brought in and the fourth series was made, with writer Steven Moffat insisting fans of the show give him a chance. Initially, signs were quite good - the first episode was full of the traits which made the program so good in the first place - a typical off beat style, a discussion about childbirth referencing John Hurt in the film Alien, and even Jeff on the phone from his new home - the Island of Lesbos. After a few more episodes though, it was clear that Oliver was no Jeff. In fact, he was quite annoying actually and he seemed to be dragging everyone down with him. Whereas before, Jane was sexy, cunning and dizzy, she suddenly had a compassionate side that, well, just wasn’t as funny. The rest of the characters followed suit and it seemed that the winning formula, whatever it was, had been lost.
Whilst The Office, Spaced and Fawlty Towers managed to exit with reputation intact, Coupling will always have a black mark next to it’s name for the crime of having at least one poor series. The latest news is that the BBC have commissioned a fifth run, so it appears that the story will not end there. It could be a further downhill slide for a sitcom that once rubbed shoulders with the best of them. Hopefully though, Richard Coyle will reprise his role as Jeff and the rest of the cast, talented and brilliant as they are, will help Steven Moffat and co to make another series as classic as the first three.
That’s why I always tell you … perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
Stephen Morse.
Agree / Disagree with this article? Then tell us on the Garbled Tv Forum.
Recommended Links:
Coupling's Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/coupling/
A Coupling Fan Site - http://www.geocities.com/ianjkidd/coupling/coupling.htm
A Coupling Forum - http://ajlismassive.conforums.com/index.cgi?action=register
Classic Tv Archive:
Spaced.
The Larry Sanders Show.
Twin Peaks.
Brasseye.
Contact Us - About Us - Recommended Links - More Links - Forums - Search This Site