Most of us first fell in love with James Corden when he played the brilliant Smithy in Gavin & Stacey, quite possibly my favourite comedy ever. Almost four years on since that final episode and Corden is firmly back in the world of comedy with The Wrong Mans, BBC Two's latest sitcom... or should that be thriller? Or is it both?
That's right, within the first five minutes of the first episode of The Wrong Mans there is a car crash, a found mobile phone and a threat to kill someone's wife, so Mrs Browns Boys or Miranda this is not. Nor should it be. What it is though, is smart, clever and funny - all the ingredients for a great comedy in my eyes.
Similarly to Gavin & Stacey, Corden has co-written The Wrong Mans, this time with Mathew Baynton who some of you may recognise as Deano from Gavin & Stacey. The sitcom/thriller (call it what you will) follows what happens to Sam Pinkett (Baynton) and his work colleague Phil Bourne (Corden) when they answer a mobile phone that was left at the scene of a car crash in episode one. What follows is a life full of unexpected international conspiracy and intrigue.
Mathew Baynton plays Sam Pinkett, a rather lazy office worker, working for Bershire City Council. Sam's the one who witnesses the car crash at the very start of the series, the one who answers the phone, and the one who has to face the consequences of the phone call... but not alone.
This is where Phil comes in, played by James Corden, Phil is the office "Mail Distribution Assistant" - that's Post Boy to you and me - and the only one who can tolerate him at work is Sam. Notice I use the word tolerate - the two are certainly not friends but something tells me they're going to be spending a lot of time together.
The chemistry between the two of them is great, and given the subject matter of the series, for me there is definitely an element of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in their performances. The way they are able to switch between the serious and comedy reminds me to films such as Hot Fuzz.
However, The Wrong Mans is not just about Corden and Baynton, sure they are the 'Wrong Mans' and the series' two leading characters, but there is also a great supporting cast.
Sarah Solemani, who at the moment can be seen in Bad Education, Him & Her and upcoming Dave comedy Crackanory - gives another solid performance in The Wrong Mans as Lizzie, who as well as being Sam's boss, happens to be his ex-girlfriend.
Tom Basden, Rebecca Front, Dawn French, Nick Moran, Emilia Fox and Rebecca Front are just some of the familiar faces you can expect to see as the series goes on. It feels like episode one was there to establish the characters, establish the situation the main characters find themselves in, and whislt I really enjoyed it I can't wait to see where their stories will go throughout the series and see how far the boundaries of sitcom can be pushed to.
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