Moving on to the Guardian's top 50 TV shows of 2021 list now, and in 50th place was this sitcom - which I must admit had passed me by entirely. The position in the chart was actually for the second run, but obviously I had to watch this season first, which was released on the BBC in 2019.
Liam (Liam Williams) is an adult struggling to understand why he is the way he is. Directionless and angry, he explores his childhood in Garforth, for clues as to his mental state. He grew up with three close friends, Adnan (Aqib Khan), Ralph (Samuel Bottomley) and Tom (Shaun Thomas) in the lower middle-class Northern town, where boredom, hormones and existential angst threaten to overwhelm them.
The scenes set in the 90's, evocative of the time, with the Playstation 2's, dial up internet and burgeoning R&B scene could, in the wrong hands, have felt like a milder retread of "The Inbetweeners". What elevates this though is that adult Liam comes with us on these flashbacks, and narrates the storylines, undercutting the rougher moments with 21st century commentary and apologies. It's having its cake and eating it too, a bit - but it's often a very funny aspect of the show. The longer the series runs, the more it plays with its concepts too, as adult Liam is blindsided by forgotten memories, or the truth of a romanticised situation and it may feed back into what's happening in his adult life.
The performances are really good, the four leads work well together and manage to get some separation into their characters without making it feel like their one note roles. I particularly liked bullies turned comic relief Nick Preston and Jordan Pearson as Rupert and Tinhead. There are also guest roles for Josie Long, Con O'Neill, Katy Wix and Jamali Maddix.
Could it be more consistently funny, yes, but as a comedic exploration of white middle class angst it's pretty much without peer.