I wrote at some length yesterday about why I hated This Life in the 90s. Inevitably them, I watched This Life +10 to see how it had treated our "heroes". Quite well as it happens. Egg's now a successful novelist, although he does seem to have to put up with Mark Lawson interviews so it can't be that great. Miles has a hotel chain and a Chinese wife. Milly has given up practising law to look after her kid(s). Warren is into life coaching (sometime, when I've got nothing else to do, someone can explain to me what this is and why it's important). And Anna's leading a succesful life in chambers.
Except obviously things aren't that great. Egg is struggling with his next book - quite why he needs to deliver his next novel so soon after publication of his previous is not explained. Miles is going bankrupt and his wife walks out. Milly is unhappy at... Well, I don't know. But she always was unhappy. Warren is popping pills and coke (no Egg, it's not organic). And Anna wants to have kids without the hassle of living with a bloke.
All of this comes to a head over a weekend where the friends agree to meet up and appear in a fly on the wall documentary being filmed by young programme maker Claire who both Egg and Miles fancy.
The programme brought back all the reasons I hated the characters the first time around; they're all thoroughly arrogant and self-centred. The odd outburst at owning an SUV or supporting the war in Iraq is not really enough to make them caring. They're shallow.
The film within a film device is laboured, and seems there really to allow characters to voice inner thoughts without the need to write proper scenes as they open up for their private video diaries.
Oh, and has a sink ever shot water back up at you when you turn on the taps? Only in comedy films - not in plumbing reality.
Over on BBC 4 there were significantly more laughs to be had as The Thick Of It returned sans Chris Langham for obvious reasons.
Instead while the minister is away in Australia, the way is open for his junior minister to get a slice of the action including a cringing appearance on Newsnight with Paxman. Ollie's girlfriend works for the opposition including shadow minister Peter Mannion who has some excellent scenes with his image consultant where they determine whether or not he should be tucking in his Ted Baker shirt.
Peter Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker practically self-destructs at one point with his even nastier assistant Jamie, in a scene that reminds you of Alistair Campbell's famous last second appearance on the Channel Four News.
The story revolves around when the PM is going to announce that he's standing down, and whether the "nutters" faction of the party then takes control.
The performances are fanstastic. When does The Thick of It come out on DVD?