Friday Night Dinner (2011-2020)

In light of Paul Ritter's premature passing, I took to All4 to revisit this series and nearly finished with it.

It has its detractors, certainly the last series didn't seem to go well with people but it's a rare modern comedy that has you laughing like a nutcase, or maybe it's me but we...anyway. Took me by surprise seeing "first shown in 2011" under the first series as it feels more recent than that.

The undeniable star or shining glory of the series is the late Ritter. Though the kids are sort of the stars, he is the glue that holds it together. Not to say Tamsin Grieg isn't but Martin is an enjoyable character who has sometimes this childlike way about him. There is though some brilliantly weird moments only he could pull off such as when he thinks he's invited an old mate round, except it's someone he hated at school not the mate (played by Jason Watkins of W1A etc but also, a brief role in TND as HMS Bedford's Weapons Officer. "I think I can sir").
To get rid off him Martin says gran's died, except gran shows up and Watkins twigs it. As he goes, the lads realise things have gone missing. "Oh he was a thief! That's why we knew him!" kind of thing but then after that Martin charges out with a pineapple. The family catch up to see him wrestling Watkins and when they try to stop he simply turns and screams: "GIVE ME THE FUCCCCKINNNNNNNG PINEAPPPPPPPPPPPPLE!"

Of course there's various exhortations:

Shit on it!
Shitting tits
Shitting shit shit shittting

and so on

In a way it's a shame it ended. It wasn't coming back anyway but his untimely death drew the line under it. But FND has a 10th anniversary special coming out later in the year.

If you've not seen it, hook yourself up and prepare yourself for more anarchic Friday nights than you'll ever see.

Hilly wrote:

Martin Ritter's

Paul* - Martin is his character.

But yes indeed, great show and one of the very few genuinely funny comedies of the last decade. There's nothing like a British comedy about things descending into chaos every week (Fawlty Towers being the prime example, of course).

Ritter is obviously a standout, as is Mark Heap as Jim. Special mention also to Mr Morris who's in a couple of episodes.

Simon Bird basically just plays his character from Inbetweeners. Also, along with Jason Biggs, he must be the Jew-iest Gentile in all comedy.

Oh law, thanks CJB, I fear I was writing late into the night by that point. I had a mind blank on Jackie's name too at one point.

Jim is a quality character, his unrequited love for Jackie, his irrational fear of a dog that clearly isn't that fierce and just how he speaks as well or reacts. "Bloood! So much blood!/ It's paint, Jim!/Paiiinnnnt so much paint!"

Bird does seem to do the same thing in what I've seen him. I'm not too keen on Rosenthal at the best of times, Jonny has his moments.

One episode I saw last night as I got into series 5, is where to prove a point Martin eats a twenty-year old can of beef and winds up in hospital. I'm laughing then thought of Ritter and it sort of jars but then comedy is comedy, Martin would've faced his fate with a roaring shit on it!

I have a slight thing for Tracy-Ann Oberman but there you go, Auntie Val strikes me as a little raver. Of course TAO takes it further by playing Mrs Purchase in Toast.

Rosenthal does have the sort of face and persona (on screen anyway) that calls out for a firm smack with a saucepan.

For better or worse, I think the show was finished up at the right time. Thought the last couple seasons weren't as good as the preceding ones, but were still very good, so better off to go out on a positive note (unlike US "comedies" Brits know when to call it quits... unintentional rhyme). Plus Simon Bird will be middle-aged in a few short years.

I was talking to my brother other week and neither of us like Rosenthal enough. I could easily slap the bastard.

I'm starting to think you're right, in that as I work through the series, ending it when they did was for the better. You say we know how to quit series but I think some have outlasted their welcome, not necessarily sitcoms but some of our serious stuff could easily be led out and shot.

I saw the series 5 finale last night and thought that Wilson's death was quite moving in its way. Well, moving. Though even in death, Jim is too shit scared to touch the dog, initially.

As for Simon Bird, I had a quick google and he's just over a year older than me. Which...well, yes. But he's from Guildford, so he needs some luck.

A grown-up Inbetweeners special is surely inevitable.

Surely. I still hold out for a 70s show movie/reunion in a similar scenario but that is unlikely.

I think Inbetweeners 2 soured anything else coming but a few years have passed now.

Reading up on Mark Heap this evening as I was trying to place him in something else and well, apparently, he appears in Octopussy as a torch juggler...

...however, my attempts to upload the image has been snookered by the forum but yes, an unlikely if very brief Bond alum

That's a fun fact!

I watched Spaced recently where he's meth-level thin and youthful compared to his Jim character a mere decade later.

There he is!

There he is, nice one Blunty.

Yet to see Spaced, CJB. I'm told if I like Black Books I should.

Heap was born in India not that it counts for anything for Octopussy.

"Bo-ooon---ddd!"

Well lads I finished my re-watch of DND tonight. In hindsight ending it when they did was as well. Found on this viewing (only my second of the last episode), I was not too swayed by the boys' 'females'. Some of the lines seemed forced, trying to make them funny but the delivery...Anyway, who cares.

Poor Martin though. Fucked up everything in this episode but what was touching and moving was the post episode dedication to Frances Cuka who played Jackie's mother.

Part of me used to think a FND movie or an hour long special would've been decent but well, it had to end and why not end with both 'females' pregnant and everyone kinda happy.