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London Irish (2013)

Good fun, if not slightly stereotypical

London Irish centres on the daily drinking habits of four Northern Irish housemates living in London, inspired by the writer's own experiences. Although aspects of the four characters' daily lives enter in to the show every now and again (i.e. going to work), the show is driven almost exclusively by the group's pre-drinking shenanigans and post-drinking headaches. The comedy relies predominantly on the characters playing off each other's wildly different personalities. For instance, Conor's mind-bending lunacy acts as the perfect foil to his sister's, Bronagh's, inexhaustible aggression. Alternatively, Niamh's attitudes towards sex and men, which would be viewed as inexcusably sinister had they been expressed by a male character, are rendered comically creepy by the fact that they are delivered by an extremely petite, sweet-looking girl. While the actor playing Packy seems to have been cast mainly as eye-candy, he is also the most relatable of the characters, being the one who most often attempts to explain Conor or Niamh's idiocy to them. Although the show plays on Irish and English stereotypes quite considerably, the show parodies a drinking culture that most UK viewers will be familiar with. Foul-language and politically incorrect statements are commonplace, so any viewers anticipating the restrained, frustrated, socially awkward comedy of Father Ted (broadly implied by casting Ardal O'Hanlon) will be in for a shock. Altogether the show has many laugh-out-loud-moments and is just generally good fun.