Ambassadors

Episode one
It may take time to settle but there’s plenty of potential in this new Mitchell and Webb vehicle. The ‘Peep Show’ pair are well cast as Keith Davis (Mitchell – stuffy, new) and Neil Tilly (Webb – slack, experienced), a pair of British diplomats stationed in the fictional central Asian country of Tazbekistan.

It’s a country whose strategic geopolitical heft is matched by its dubious civil rights record – this opening episode sees Davis and Tilly trying to square the moral circle as a British activist finds himself in prison just as a big helicopter contract comes up for tender.

This represents a tentative but distinct broadening of Mitchell and Webb’s palette. ‘Ambassadors’ fits snugly enough in the comedy-drama niche but feels lighter on laughs than anything they’ve done before, certainly as a pair. Still plenty of amusing moments, not least during an excruciating Best of British festival at the embassy, and the potential for some real character development too.