The Worst Week Of My Life

The Worst Week Of My Life
The Complete First Season
Ben Miller, Sarah Alexander, Alison Steadman
7 Episodes
BBC Television 2004
BBC Video / Warner Home Video 2006

The Worst Week Of My Life is the kind of sitcom you will never see on the major American networks prime time or not. This is a witty, well-written, intelligent, dark situation comedy not aimed at teens and with the occasional sexual reference and a bit of nudity. It is absolutely hilarious and original. The Worst Week Of My Life is the story of Howard Steel (Ben Miller) who somehow manages to screw everything up in the seven days leading to his marriage to the lovely Mel (Sarah Alexander).

Howard’s misadventures in the seven days and seven episodes of The Worst Week Of My Life leading to his wedding involve Cassie, a co-worker, announcing she is carrying his baby just when his friends are throwing a party to celebrate the wedding, the same Cassie shackling himself to his bed, stalking him, spiking his drink and kidnapping him, and more, much, much more

There are also a lot of problems surrounding the heirloom wedding ring that ends up in the sewer and inside the family dog that Howard (Ben Miller) accidentally kills. He also has to rescue his father and his new girlfriend, a lap dancer, after they get stuck together in the bathtub, attend the family dog’s funeral, and share a bed with his future mother-in-law.

These are not the least of Howard Steel’s misadventures in The Worst Week Of My Life as the week quickly goes downhill from there and, believe it or not, it can. Every attempt Howard makes to ingratiate himself to his future in-laws fail miserably and hilariously and every thing else he does also fails miserably and only gets him into moe trouble with his in-laws.

Aside from brilliant acting, The Worst Week Of My Life features some very funny writing. A favorite line is when Angela’s mother complains about the chairs for the reception being too large: “If we had only one-legged guests coming, we’d have plenty of leg room.” The Saturday episode features one of the funniest and most brilliant bits of directing I have seen in a sitcom ever. It involves a series of cuts between the scene about the preparations in the reception tent and what is happening to granny a few miles away.

This is a hilarious, sexually charged, and sometimes dark situation comedy like only the British can pull off. It is a laugh out loud brilliant piece of work.

If you are not a big fan of BBC comedy because of the accents, obscure for a North American references, and totally different approach to what a good TV comedy is, The Worst Week Of My Life is a DVD you will watch more than once and offer to let to your friends. If you do lend it to your friends, buy yourself another copy because they will never return theirs

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