In 1977, actor Saul Rubinek was struck by how much advice is dished out on a daily basis. He’s been working on the idea ever since. Sadly, the comedy that emerges shows no signs of great thought, being instead a predictable riff on the differences between men and women.
Jake (Scott Bakula) fancies himself as a stud but, now in his forties, has settled for life as a househusband to Hedda, who is no sex kitten. He hands out self-serving advice to his neurotic friend, Stinky (Andy Nyman), who wants to disentangle himself from his infertile girlfriend.
At one point, Jake uses an apple to explain to Stinky how a woman’s anatomy works and the ripeness of the language is surely the only indication that this was written for the stage rather than television.
Thank heavens for Caroline Quentin, who brings some much-needed humanity as Hedda. In spite of their bad behaviour, the comedy depends on feeling some empathy for the men. Obviously, gender does not preclude a sense of fellow feeling, but in this case their plight leaves me cold.