A manager of a supermarket and woman from promotions are thrust together as part of a company promoted car sharing scheme.
Every so often a great comedy appears on British television and Car Share fits that particular description. Like most successful comedies its strengths lie in the fact that it's well-written and well-acted. And while it is frequently successfully funny, it also is genuinely heart-felt without being naff about it. But, while all the above is true, what elevates it even higher is that it has a pretty original format. Practically the whole show is set in the confines of a car, with each episode split into two - the journey to work and the trip back home. We learn everything about the characters via their car conversations, with little in the way of traditional 'action'. The only other accompaniment is the constant radio banter and retro tunes, while once an episode one of the characters daydreams themselves as part of a music video for one of the songs playing in the background. In other words, this really is a proper minimalist sitcom. On paper, it sounds like a possible disaster but it works so very well because the script is very good and, in Peter Kay and Sian Foulkes, it has two actors with great chemistry with one and other. Essentially, besides all the laughs, what we are watching is the progression of a friendship. Another reason it works so very well is because it's a set-up that most people can immediately relate to, i.e. sitting in a car, listening to incessant radio chatter while going to and from work. All-in-all, this adds up to a very good series indeed, one which has a second series in the works – I have confidence that season two will continue the excellence.
Every so often a great comedy appears on British television and Car Share fits that particular description. Like most successful comedies its strengths lie in the fact that it's well-written and well-acted. And while it is frequently successfully funny, it also is genuinely heart-felt without being naff about it. But, while all the above is true, what elevates it even higher is that it has a pretty original format. Practically the whole show is set in the confines of a car, with each episode split into two - the journey to work and the trip back home. We learn everything about the characters via their car conversations, with little in the way of traditional 'action'. The only other accompaniment is the constant radio banter and retro tunes, while once an episode one of the characters daydreams themselves as part of a music video for one of the songs playing in the background. In other words, this really is a proper minimalist sitcom. On paper, it sounds like a possible disaster but it works so very well because the script is very good and, in Peter Kay and Sian Foulkes, it has two actors with great chemistry with one and other. Essentially, besides all the laughs, what we are watching is the progression of a friendship. Another reason it works so very well is because it's a set-up that most people can immediately relate to, i.e. sitting in a car, listening to incessant radio chatter while going to and from work. All-in-all, this adds up to a very good series indeed, one which has a second series in the works – I have confidence that season two will continue the excellence.