After first watching Pheonix Nights during its original release and numerous times over the past 22 years it has lost none of it's power to make me laugh.
Brian Potter is a great lead comedy character, up there with likes of Trotter, Fletcher, Fawlty, Partridge and Brent. Peter Kay plays and writes the character incredibly well. What makes it work is the combination of Brian with the supporting characters. Dave Bramwell's Jerry and Neil Fitzmaurice's Ray Von are also fantastic creations. As a combined writing/performance team they should always work together in my eyes.
Other characters all have memorable moments played perfectly by performers like Steve Edge, Toby Foster, Janice Connolly, Archie Kelly, Justine Moorhouse, Paddy McGuinness, Ted Robins and Daniel Kitson.
Visually it feels like a classic working man's club in a town not unlike my own in South Wales. I think this, plus all the Northern English humour makes it feel authentic and brilliantly observed by the writers and filmmakers.
If Kay and the others have good ideas to follow it up with a third series or movie, I hope they do so, as it would be both a travesty and a waste if more of their creativity to goes untapped. I am unsure about other areas of Britain, but "Clubland" is dying in my community, as the population ages and the younger generations socialise differently. The writers could use this theme to give the characters and culture a poignant and proper send off.
I have reviewed each episode individually on IMDB.
Brian Potter is a great lead comedy character, up there with likes of Trotter, Fletcher, Fawlty, Partridge and Brent. Peter Kay plays and writes the character incredibly well. What makes it work is the combination of Brian with the supporting characters. Dave Bramwell's Jerry and Neil Fitzmaurice's Ray Von are also fantastic creations. As a combined writing/performance team they should always work together in my eyes.
Other characters all have memorable moments played perfectly by performers like Steve Edge, Toby Foster, Janice Connolly, Archie Kelly, Justine Moorhouse, Paddy McGuinness, Ted Robins and Daniel Kitson.
Visually it feels like a classic working man's club in a town not unlike my own in South Wales. I think this, plus all the Northern English humour makes it feel authentic and brilliantly observed by the writers and filmmakers.
If Kay and the others have good ideas to follow it up with a third series or movie, I hope they do so, as it would be both a travesty and a waste if more of their creativity to goes untapped. I am unsure about other areas of Britain, but "Clubland" is dying in my community, as the population ages and the younger generations socialise differently. The writers could use this theme to give the characters and culture a poignant and proper send off.
I have reviewed each episode individually on IMDB.