STAGED

It so happens that my decision to at least partially return to the world of blogging just so happens to coincide with the Covid-19 based lockdown. Who new?

A few months into this situation and the world is becoming already used to the idea of "lockdown TV" being the new way any novelty is achieved through entertainment. I confess, I haven't bought into that much of it - preferring to binge watch series or films the old fashioned way, if that's even still possible. One thing I have enjoyed (and something I devoured very quickly via BBC iPlayer) was the new lockdown series of comedy drama shorts - Staged, lead by the ever-brilliant duo of David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

Capitalizing on the pair's established friendship and insane levels of on-screen chemistry (see Amazon's Good Omens, a TV highlight that occurred during my blogging exile - possible retrospective review to come?) this series gets very meta very quickly - seeing all the characters play "versions" of themselves (think a lockdown version of The Trip, without the overly egotistical savagery and glamorous locations) as actors who have been home-bound without being able to produce a play they're about to star in, and try to "rehearse" via everyone's favourite online convo enabler Zoom.

Devised, directed and indeed also staring renowned director Simon Evans (not the comedian) and also starring the respective spouses of the two leading chaps Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg as well as some truly awesome and insanely hilarious lockdown cameos - this series is a real treat, limits of technology or not.

Despite the brilliant array of faces that pop up on screen, Tennant and Sheen (or is that Sheen and Tennant?...You'll get it if you watch it) carry off the whole thing with aplomb.Over six 15-20 minute shorts the result is charming, very funny and I would say just the tonic that is needed about now.