Reviewed by Duncan Bain
Stars Robert Lindsay, Zoe Wanamaker, Daniela Denby-Ashe, Gabriel Thompson, Siobhan Hayes | Created by Fred Barron
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £19.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 340 minutes | Directed by Various
Whimsical, toothless, irritating – these are all the sorts of accusations that are frequently levelled at “My Family.” I must protest though – admittedly “My Family” may lack the subversive edge of “Peep Show” or “The Thick of It”, but let’s not forget that it is a pre-watershed, family friendly BBC1 sitcom designed for prime time after-dinner viewing.
As such, I struggle to think of any peer that has even approached the consistency and volume of episode after episode. That this is the DVD of series NINE should speak volumes in itself – cultural elitists may choose to sneer, but My Family is extremely popular throughout the land, and quite rightly so. It may have only placed 24th in “Britain’s Best Sitcom” but there is an ocean of fan-faves that never even approached that list.
Across the two discs here are the nine episodes of the most recent series – said by many a fan to be the best since a lull around series 6. As for the storylines, it is the sort of generic farce that My Family excels at - anyone who knows that the real interest in the show is the dynamic throughout the family: Dad Robert Lindsay’s misanthropy and Mum Zoe Wanamaker’s sneakiness are what the show is best remembered for, whilst they are inevitably surrounded by the regular cast of know-it-all children and idiotic lodgers.
If you’re not a fan of My Family, then I’d hardly guess that starting at series 9 would be the wisest of jumping off points, but each episode is self contained and entertaining enough that you wont be needing a pad or pen to keep track of who’s who and what they're up to.
Good, clean, honest, family fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
EXTRAS None