“Count Arthur Strong is comedy defined” WPR Review (US)

By Kyle J. Steenblik

The history of terrific situation comedy broadcast in the United Kingdom reads like a list of television programs.  If you look closer, the print is larger, but if you read between the lines, you will see you are probably not as familiar with British comedy as you thought.  Take that as a lesson you smug bastard.  History is not what I want to talk about, while I would always recommend some great older shows as prime examples, I will now first recommend Count Arthur Strong.

I cannot think of an endorsement greater, than to simply say, this show very nearly killed me, literally, almost.  I laughed so hard I choked, on water no less.  If, like me, you were prone to sudden intake of breath as in involuntary precursor to a fit of laughter, I would recommend avoiding consuming food or beverage while watching.  Save that for the breaks between episodes.  Really, I can’t think of a better way to illustrate how enamored I am with this program. The show tried to kill me, and I still love it.  Can you develop Stockholm syndrome with a television program?  Now I can hear what you are saying, “I just don’t ‘get’ British comedy, their shows look different, and I have trouble understanding accents and references from other parts of the world.”  Well stop it, you sound like a cretin.  Watch the show, and read my interview with creators Graham Linehan and Steve Delaney
Count Arthur Strong centers on Arthur Strong (Steve Delaney) and Michael Baker (Rory Kinnear) who is attempting to write a memoir about his late father, Max Baker, with the help of Max’s former vaudeville partner Count Arthur Strong. Michael is subjected to Arthur’s rambling remembrances, and his uproariously hilarious misadventures.  Along for the ride are Bulent (Chris Ryman) owner of the local cafe, Sinem (Zahra Ahmadi), Bulent’s sister, and Arthur’s friends John the Watch (Andy Linden), Katya (Ruth Posner) Arthur’s biggest, possibly oldest, fan.

If you were to embark on a study of comedy, and needed examples of most major forms of comedy, you would be hard pressed to find a better example than Count Arthur Strong.  That isn’t to say you couldn’t find better examples just that it would be difficult, and not packed into a single series consisting of six episodes.  From that point, the show is magnificent as a study tool, and you kids should use that as homework.  Go tell your teachers you were studying comedy.  Even if you aren’t interested in the many aspects of comedy, and just want a laugh give Arthur a chance.  It’s better than a salmon in a toilet.

The history of terrific situation comedy broadcast in the United Kingdom reads like a list of television programs.  If you look closer, the print is larger, but if you read between the lines, you will see you are probably not as familiar with British comedy as you thought.  Take that as a lesson you smug bastard.  History is not what I want to talk about, while I would always recommend some great older shows as prime examples, I will now first recommend Count Arthur Strong.

I cannot think of an endorsement greater, than to simply say, this show very nearly killed me, literally, almost.  I laughed so hard I choked, on water no less.  If, like me, you were prone to sudden intake of breath as in involuntary precursor to a fit of laughter, I would recommend avoiding consuming food or beverage while watching.  Save that for the breaks between episodes.  Really, I can’t think of a better way to illustrate how enamored I am with this program.  The show tried to kill me, and I still love it.  Can you develop Stockholm syndrome with a television program?  Now I can hear what you are saying, “I just to ‘get’ British comedy, their shows look different, and I have trouble understanding accents and references from other parts of the world.”  Well stop it, you sound like a cretin.  Watch the show, and read my interview with creators Graham Linehan and Steve Delaney