Netflix has snapped up a ‘searingly intelligent’ sitcom from David Mitchell and Robert Webb which has been labelled ‘as sharp as Peep Show’.
Channel 4‘s Back saw the British comedy legends feuding on screen once more over the course of two seasons created by Simon Blackwell, whose impressive CV includes The Thick Of It, Veep, Four Lions and Peep Show.
Fans were left in stitches by the opening run of episodes in 2017, which saw David’s character Stephen take over the family pub, the John Barleycorn, in Stroud, Gloucestershire, after his father died.
Things took a chaotic turn, however, when Robert’s character Andrew arrived on the scene. A former foster child who was raised by Stephen’s parents for a short time, he aimed to revive his relationship with the family over the course of the show.
Stephen was left less than impressed, branding the returning friend ‘a glib, dangerous sociopath who’s about to steal his family, his business and his life’.
Chaos then ensued over the course of two side-splittingly funny series (the second airing in 2021) and, if the favourable reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are anything to go by, fans will relish the show’s arrival on the streamer.
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Netflix has snapped up a ‘searingly intelligent’ sitcom from David Mitchell and Robert Webb which has been hailed as being ‘as sharp as Peep Show’
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Back saw the British comedy legends feuding on screen once more over the course of two seasons created by Simon Blackwell
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Fans were left in stitches by the opening run of episodes, which saw David’s character Stephen (pictured, with L-R: Robert, Oliver Maltman and Jessica Gunning) take over the family pub
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The pair have entertained comedy lovers in a string of hit shows including Peep Show and when Back first aired, David described the initial ‘click’ between the two
The sitcom boasts an incredible 97 per cent rating among critics on the website and viewers have also piled in to praise the series.
One amused fan wrote: ‘Please give us a Season 3! Back is the best thing I’ve seen on telly in ages.
‘Delightfully witty, the characters are perfectly realised, the script pitch perfect, and plot keeps you guessing. Can’t wait for more!’
Another added: ‘Absolutely fab!!! Very funny and engaging. Binged the lot in two days! Season 3 please!!!!!!’
A third said: ‘I’m dying for the next installment! It’s so good.’
And one viewer posted: ‘The conflict between happy ignorance and real memory is very well done here.’
When the show first aired, David shed light on his long-running professional relationship with Robert and how the pair became such prolific comedy writers.
He said: ‘We first started doing stuff together when we were students, and we just thought “Well, this seems to click”. I think we just felt like it worked, and it’s difficult enough to make it on comedy, so we’d be fools to throw this away.
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The sitcom boasts an incredible 97 per cent rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes and viewers have also piled in to praise the series
‘We’ve been working together for over 20 years, and in that time it’s gone through phases when it’s all been tremendous fun, and phases when we’ve felt bleak and hopeless.
‘There have been phases where we’ve been doing stuff that we’re excited to do, but we’re utterly sick of the sight of each other.
‘And then it comes back round to be fun and joyful again. But we did some of our best stuff when we couldn’t stand the sight of each other, so the fun is not key – but it’s nice that the fun has returned.’
Last month it was revealed that the pair would be teaming up once again in Channel 4’s new sketch show Mitchell & Webb, in a bid to make a ‘bold return to British sketch comedy’.
