- Radio Times
- Review by:
- Jack Seale
Sharon Horgan’s BBC3 comeback — the axing of Pulling still grates with fans — has her behind bars as Helen, a fretting loser wrongly convicted of murder. Can she win freedom? Or is she (and are the viewers) in for a cold, frustrating stretch at a jail full of cartoon inmates and mad staff?
A lot of sitcoms fall back on everyone except the main character being a bumbling loon, which often feels like a way to con us out of the 3D creations that are hard to write but keep us coming back. Of course it’s possible to do comedy that doesn’t have any truth or soul if the jokes are outlandishly good but, despite a superb cast, Dead Boss struggles to reinvent incompetent lawyers and creepy screws.
Who really killed Helen’s boss? The ongoing story arc is too silly to be believable, but not silly enough for that to stop mattering.
About this programme
1/6. Another chance to see the full series of the comedy back-to-back. When Helen Stephens is wrongly sentenced to 12 years in prison for the murder of her employer, she is sure it is only a matter of time before the horrible mistake is rectified. However, everyone around her seems to be conspiring to keep her behind bars, and her boyfriend, who can provide her alibi, has mysteriously disappeared. In the first episode, Helen receives unexpected help from a colleague. Sharon Horgan, Jennifer Saunders, Bryony Hannah and Ricky Champ star.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Helen Stephens
- Sharon Horgan
- Margaret
- Jennifer Saunders
- Tony
- Geoff McGivern
- Christine
- Bryony Hannah
- Laura
- Aisling Bea
- Henry
- Edward Hogg
- Mary
- Amanda Lawrence
- Tim
- Tom Goodman-Hill
- Frank
- Ricky Champ
- Mrs Bridges
- Emma Pierson
- Top Dog
- Lizzie Roper
- Lennie
- Golda Rosheuvel
- Fatty
- Susan Calman
- Slasher
- Ashley McGuire
- Yvonne
- Claire Prempeh
- Mrs Cole
- Kerry Godliman
- I'll Kill Again
- Julie T Wallace
- Judge
- Trevor Martin
- Kid
- Matthew Fenton
Crew
- Director
- Steve Bendelack
- Executive Producer
- Jo Sargent
- Producer
- Caroline Norris
- Writer
- Sharon Horgan
- Writer
- Holly Walsh
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