Tuesday 23 August 2022

Twenty Twelve - Season 1 (2011 writer John Morton)

Hilarious series typified by deadpan narration (from David Tennant) about the team of idiots who are organizing the 2012 Olympics, headed by the indefatigable Hugh Bonneville (actually the only one of them with any sense, who manages to solve every problem). They are all brilliantly played - Jessica Hynes as Head of Brand, Amelia Bullmore (Sustainability), Karl Theobald (infrastructure, 'What, you mean this Friday?'), Vincent Franklin (I think in charge of the building work) and of course Bonneville's brilliant, indispensable secretary Olivia Colman ('notaproblem').

Morton previously co-wrote a humorous news programme Broken News and before that People Like Us, a mockumentary held together by the now out-of-fashion Chris Langham as an off-camera interviewer, with the same kind of dry nonsense delivery (e.g. 'a company of just over 86 employees'). He  is responsible for the 'Yes. No. Absolutely.' kind of dialogue that infuses this and the subsequent W1A.


In an exact case of life imitating art, the real Olympics countdown clock stopped working the very same evening as episode 1 was broadcast.

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