Skip to main content
Close

Pramface (UK): Season 1 Finale

By Andrew Watson · April 1, 2012

The primary problem of Pramface is that it is simply not funny enough to be a comedy, and not emotionally engaging enough to be a drama. This is the purgatory that In Bruges often talks about; not being especially bad, but nowhere near good enough to get to heaven. Like Tottenham. Pramface exists as something that has the nucleus of a good show, but in its execution lacks both creative flair and sharp writing to really create a strong show.

At the heart of this has been the fairly by the numbers story of Laura (Scarlett Alice Johnson) and Jamie (Sean Michael Verey), the young couple who are having a child, whose A plot of episode six begins as a “not-a-date” trip to the mall that turns sour when the inevitable birth of the child naturally begins. The reason why Pramface is such a disappointment is the execution of these types of stories, which unfold in such a simplistic manner that it is hard to get excited about them. Laura has been the most interesting character, highly strung and emotionally demanding, but her depth is as limited as everybody else in the plot. Jamie provides a competent opposite as a wallflower and poor sap saddled into this situation, well acted but without any interesting character traits. The closure of their stories offers nothing emotionally to us, not because they have had a tough journey, but because they have failed to wake up the audience.

As an aside, the fairly well done B-plot about Alan (Angus Deayton) and Janet (Anna Chancellor) concludes with an unexpected sucker punch. Alan and Janet have been the source of most laughs due to Alan’s natural sarcasm mixed with some genuinely good scenes with their marriage counsellor. The final twist in their quest to rescue their marriage actually tests the cynicism that has been consistently shown by Janet. The one question to ask with the plot twist is whether it would have had more power had it occurred before the big change in episode five, whether Janet would have had a more engaging story while still in complete apathy rather than being loved up like she was in this episode. Whatever the answer, it has been one of the few crumbs to enjoy from this piecemeal series.

Finally, there is the tiring C-plot, in which the world’s most uninteresting character Mike (Dylan Edwards) undergoes a fun run for charity, which is actually to pay for a prostitute. Although there is the crux of a good comic runner, the plot doesn’t really go anywhere. The discovery by Beth (Yasmin Paige) about his intentions suggests a moment of real humiliation for him, the big reveal of what Beth blackmails him into wearing is neither funny nor embarrassing to Mike, and so it doesn’t really test his character. The climax does go in the right direction, punishing Mike for his morally reprehensible actions, but it perhaps could have taken it further before pulling the rug from Mike’s feet.

In all, while this has been a better episode during the six-week run of Pramface, it has illuminated some of the big problems that the show has. It doesn’t do anything new with the pregnancy storyline, instead going for a knockoff of Knocked Up. Whenever it does stumble across a clever idea, it suffers from a lack of confidence and goes into hiding. Pramface isn’t bad. It’s just…competent. The scenes are okay, I can see the technique behind the jokes, and the characters do occasionally develop. The show proves a vital lesson that technical competence is not enough to create a good comedy series; that creativity and the quest to find subversive ideas are also vitally important. Pramface is lucky; it has a second season to fix all of the faults that have plagued the first. You will not be so lucky, so make sure you avoid these kinds of mistakes.