TV Comedy Review - Peter Kayes Car Share

Tweet

Spoiler alerts – 2015 This is a lovely little sit-com with quite a simple premise and setting. Two workers from a giant Northern England supermarket are obliged by their corporate bosses to share a car driven by Kaye’s John character as a fuel saving initiative. His designated passenger is Kayleigh, (Sian Gibson), a ditzy romantic dreamer from a different department. She upsets him as soon as they meet by spilling a medical urine sample she plans to take to her doctor after work all over him. Gradually over subsequent car-share rides to and from her house to the work and back, the duo begin to warm to one another. Most scenes take place in the car during its journey across Bolton & Manchester, with a few distracting but well filmed cutaway fantasy scenes in which the stars picture themselves in parodies of well-known pop videos. There are great running gags such as the curse of death befalling the store’s hired shopping trolley pushers, and Kayleigh mistaking dogging (having sex in the open while people watch) for straight-forward dog-walking. The commentary from the Forever FM radio presenters broadcasting through the journeys is virtually a sitcom in its own right. The only niggle is Kaye adding his own name to the show’s title which smacks of appalling narcissism. He is listed as co-writer of the show alongside Paul Coleman, Sian Gibson, and Tim Reid, who at least don’t insist on adding their names to the title as well. Arthur Chappell