Miranda
Miranda
8.275%91%
Miranda works in her joke shop with her best friend Stevie. She struggles when in social environments and no matter how hard she tries, she is always making a fool of herself, especially in front of her crush Gary. Plus her pushy mother, Penny, is forever trying to find her a suitable husband and turn her into a respectable lady.
匚卂尺ㄥ reviewedMarch 13, 2025
All three series of Miranda, though missing the belated two episode finale. Starring Miranda Hart as the socially awkward lummox Miranda, part of the joy of this series is the continual breaking of the fourth wall as Miranda confides her real thoughts directly to the audience. Like a big child who has never grown up Miranda has a love-hate relationship with her as I call it mother Penny who is forever trying to fob Miranda off on whatever man would have her - such fun! Miranda runs a joke and novelty shop with store assistant manager and best friend Stevie, wonderfully portrayed by Sarah Hadland and their childish brinkmanship is a joy to behold, particularly when they resort to name calling which often quickly disintegrates to trading insults about their physical characteristics. Stevie is Miranda's childhood friend and the sort of shorthand language they use establishes this long-standing relationship well. Stevie is often just as half-soaked as Miranda, prone to the same level of silliness at times and the interface between these two characters is beautifully portrayed. The supporting characters too are all strongly written, with Miranda's lust for next door restaurant owner Gary and exasperation at posh friend Tilly, who still uses public school rhetoric as well as the always amusing 'bear with' catch phrase whenever distracted by her mobile phone.
I like that this is eminently silly, often exaggerated and always strongly written. Laughs come often, usually at Miranda's expense. What is also clear is that Hart is a fabulous physical comedian, using her stature to excellent effect. This is a character that in some ways refuses to grow up but in others is desperate to and that dichotomy is one of the strengths of the writing. Miranda often finds herself in quite bizarre situations, and her frequent awkwardness as she tries to squirm her way out of yet another tight fix, wrapping herself in ever tighter knots is always a joy. One can suspect that some of this is an only slightly exaggerated version of Hart's real personality, so naturally does she portray the social awkwardness. This is a traditional British sitcom, there's nothing hugely groundbreaking here except the sheer excellence of it's cast and writing and the continued breach of the fourth wall which has since become a staple of the very different "Mrs Brown's Boys" and "Fleabag". Definitely on of the best the BBC has produced in the 21st Century.