Beaver Falls is the latest comedy from the E4 stable that has previously brought us Skins, The Inbetweeners and Misfits. On the evidence of this first episode, they have another homegrown winner on their hands.
We are cleverly introduced to the three main characters via their experiences with the infamous American Immigration: Flynn (Corrie’s Sam Robertson), who hits on the woman checking his passport, is the would-be Casanova of the trio who is not quite as much of a catch as he thinks he is; Barry (John Dagleish), who had his name changed by deed poll behind his back to eradicate his surname, is the nerd who ‘needs to find other friends’ in the words of the immigration officer who welcomes him to America; while Adil (Arsher Ali) is the victim of racial profiling, not to mention a misunderstanding over the word ‘football’! His friends kindly suggest that the immigration officers might ‘find the stick up his arse’.
By the time we arrive at the titular Californian campsite, two minutes in to the programme, we already feel like we know these guys – even if we’re not sure if we like them yet. With this reviewer having spent a summer on an American summer camp, we can confirm they have the characters of the staff spot on. Their almost desperate enthusiasm, knowing their wages for this and future summers depend on the reaction of the kids, is very well observed.
Trying their luck at the welcome party, Flynn and Barry both get more than they bargained for, while Adil – having been very publicly dumped by his girlfriend – confides his problems to the perky counsellor. Things get worse for our trio the following day when they realise they have been given the camp misfits to look after. Initially coming across as the stereotypical nerds, by the end of the episode their individual characters are starting to shine through. A showdown between the campers and our heroes leads to more than a few surprises and a number of threads that will be no doubt picked up later in the series.
Yes, the comedy is broad and occasionally crude – not that this is unexpected from a show titled Beaver Falls – but it never seems to go over the top, with some more serious moments offsetting the crudity and giving the programme real heart.
Airs at 9pm on Wednesday 27th July 2011 on E4.