The brave Debbie of Maddox (and the many idiots she finds herself entangled with) return for a second of Yonderland – and what a triumphant return it is.
‘Panic On The Streets Of Yonderland’ begins with Mackenzie Crook (The Office) as an older gentleman who seems to know something fairly significant about Debbie’s past. Indeed, the pieces seem to be coming together to explain just how a 30-something mum with an otherwise perfectly ordinary life has come to be known as the Chosen One to the people of Yonderland.
And her mum-powers certainly come into play as the story unfolds: with news of the powerful Imperatrix’s evil plans spreading throughout the people of Yonderland, the population quickly descends into a state of mass (hilarious) hysteria, riots, and a bit of a snog.
The Elders are no better, immediately resorting to Lord Of The Flies-esque chaos, cannibalism (if a sentient jelly Elder called Trevor counts as a person, and I think he does), and of course, the shedding of cumbersome robes. Fans of seeing Simon Farnaby as nude as acceptable family viewing allows will rejoice, as his Elder gets to spend significant portions of the episode unencumbered by clothing.
Despite Debbie’s best efforts, however, her attempts at calming the population have a tendency to backfire, with magnificently silly results. Meanwhile, Negatus and the demons’ attempts at weaponising go spectacularly awry, and we get a glimpse into just why everyone is so terrified of Imperatrix.
I cannot stress this enough: THIS SHOW IS NOT JUST FOR KIDS. I’m 31 and will gladly recommend it to any and every childfree adult I know with so much as a shred of taste. The gags here are abundant, and peppered with a few cheeky references that the grown-ups will chuckle knowingly at.
It is such a joy to get to spend time in this ridiculous, wonderful world again.
Aired at 8pm on Monday 13 July 2015 on Sky1.
> Buy Season 1 on DVD on Amazon.
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