Flowers, Channel 4: five things you need to know about Olivia Colman and Julian Barratt’s new comedy-drama

Will Sharpe’s dark and strange comedy is destined to be a new cult favourite
1/7
Ben Travis25 April 2016

If you’ve been looking for a new pitch-black comedy to get stuck into ever since Peep Show ended for good, you’re in luck.

Not only is Flowers a funny and well-crafted new show – it even has Sophie Chapman herself, aka Olivia Colman, in one of the lead roles.

Here are five things you need to know about the peculiar and melancholic comedy, likely to amass a cult following.

1) It’s airing every night this week

Beginning with a double episode on Monday night, a new thirty-minute instalment of Flowers will be airing every night this week at 10pm on Channel 4, ending with the finale on Friday night – good news for anyone who enjoys the series' eccentric humour.

2) It’s dark and strange in the best way

Flowers isn’t your usual family comedy – it’s full of bizarre and fundamentally flawed characters in dark and difficult situations, with an offbeat comic sensibility and a grungy, earthy look. In certainly won’t be for everyone.

But for those who like the murky and surreal likes of The League of Gentlemen and Black Books, there’s a lot that’s smart, affecting, and – yes – funny in Flowers.

3) Olivia Colman and Julian Barratt are perfectly cast

After making a name for herself as Sophie in Peep Show, Olivia Colman moved into more dramatic work, recently seen in the likes of Broadchurch and The Night Manager.

She’s not the only one returning to comedy for Flowers either – it’s been a long time since we’ve seen Mighty Boosh star Julian Barratt back on the box.

Colman and Barratt fit their roles perfectly – the former all smiles and eccentricity as music teacher Deborah, the latter all shambling befuddlement as children’s author Maurice. The pair have an open marriage and are trying to keep it together, but are held back by sadness and confusion. Look, we said it was dark.

Best TV dramas 2016

1/29

4) It’s not set in any particular place or time

Like a lot of UK comedies, Flowers takes place in a skewed reality – the surroundings are unmistakably the muddy fields of the British countryside in winter, but everything feels slightly uncanny and twisted. There’s technology around, but it’s all low-key and tired-looking, while the house is filled from floor-to-ceiling with well-worn clutter. It feels oddly familiar, but Flowers is in a world of its own.

5) It’s written and directed by 29 year-old Will Sharpe

The series comes from the incredibly talented Will Sharpe – who at the age of 29 has already co-written, co-directed and starred in his own feature film Black Pond, had a stint in Sherlock, a recurring role in Casualty, and with Flowers finds himself leading some of the best actors in the business.

Oh, and he stars in the show too as Shun, Maurice’s illustrator who seems to have taken up residence in the family home.

Channel 4, 10pm

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in