Common Ground

Series one, episode seven
Made by Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow stable, ‘Common Ground’ is a collection of ten 15-minute comedy shorts, each set in a neighbourhood in south London. Having featured Simon Day, Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes and Charles Dance in previous weeks, the series concludes firstly with ‘Barry’ – based around Alex Lowe’s octogenarian little Englander character which he honed by calling in to Iain Lee’s LBC programme in the mid-2000s. With his wife having run off with a retired financial advisor, Barry embarks on a bucket list with his grandson.

It may not be earth-shatteringly original, but it’s worth it just to hear Barry’s view on pink candy floss: ‘It’s like eating Barbara Cartland’s minge.’ A (fictional) former member of So Solid Crew takes over a church choir in the far-funnier ‘Nell, Ted and Marlon’. It quickly descends into a creepy love triangle (with ‘One Foot In the Grave’ actress Annette Crosbie occasionally chiming in with some unexpected filth); the humour is sharp, surreal and pleasantly wicked in places.