I wish I could give this more than ten stars. How did I miss this? Was it my (justified) anti-ITV drama snobbery? Probably. I found out about it in a freakishly accidental way - Alan Davies mentioned it in passing on his (wonderful) Arsenal podcast, The Tuesday Club (I'm not even an Arsenal fan but this podcast is pure entertainment). I found a cheap copy and bought it, and was so glad I did. Six one-hour (minus ad-breaks) episodes is just simply not enough. I see it is dated "2001 -" with no cancellation date, so I live in hope, 19 years later...
I have never really paid much attention to Russell T Davies' stuff before (I'll keep my thoughts on the All New Dr Who to myself, and I don't think the title of Queer As Folk was designed to entice a middle-aged straight man like me). The writing in B&R is some of the best I have ever seen. Every character has a depth and personality (maybe excepting the chattering girls and boys in the respective circles of friends) - there are strong, resonant plotlines involving not just the main characters but their families, their exes, and Bob's reluctantly ever-so-platonic friend Holly, played by the stellar Jessica Hynes - a flawed character who doesn't always act in her friends' best interests, but who breaks your heart all the same. If it were not for the stunning performances by Davies and Lesley Sharp as the eponymous couple, Hynes would have stolen the show.
I had been put off Sharp by the poisonously man-bashing Scott and Bailey, but she is so, so good in this, whether hilariously throwing dignity to the wind by hanging around outside Bob's house like a lovelorn teenager, throwing a strop at her mother's get-together, or canoodling with Bob in a non-sickly, natural way.
Even in 2001, this was a brave choice for Alan Davies. Once again, I hadn't seen much of Jonathan Creek but I did love his Chef comedy, Whites (still waiting for a new series of THAT, too! Only ten years in this case...) He is outstanding as Bob. Human, humane, kind, weak...
The supporting characters have great storylines - there is a wedding scene that is as tense as anything in Breaking Bad, and the respective mothers are funny, honest and, again, heartbreaking. Finally, the Manchester locations are lovely.
Please buy this, enjoy it and lobby for a new series.
Review of Bob & Rose
