Lab Rats
Encyclopedia
Lab Rats is a 2008 BBC 2 situation comedy set in a university
science laboratory. It stars Chris Addison
, who has co-written the series with Carl Cooper. The series is produced by regular collaborator Simon Nicholls
, directed by Adam Tandy
and exec produced by Armando Iannucci
with whom Addison worked in The Thick of It
.
Iannucci stated that the programme would be a traditional-style sitcom recorded in front of a live audience. He hinted that it will be a "very cartoony" show featuring "lots of giant snails".
A pilot was announced as part of a series called "Behind Closed Doors" in Autumn 2006, but was never aired. A series of six episodes was broadcast in 2008, although the show was not recommissioned for further series.
at 9.30pm on 10 July 2008.
Guide found the programme "mundane and dated", Lucy Mangan also of The Guardian said "the kind of stuff that would barely have passed muster in the 70s [...] all the jokes are spatchcocked into a wafer-thin plot that veers uncertainly between reality and surreality, this particular experiment can only be deemed a failure.". Tim Teeman writing in The Times
said "Lab Rats is a truly appalling new sit-com [...] Bad puns, redundant characters, lame jokes [...] Not even the best surgeon in the land could save this." (0/5 stars)
However Robert Hanks in The Independent
said "remarkable for its combination of very silly jokes and rather well-researched evolutionary theory. The cast is good. The plot of last night's episode was pleasantly absurdist, the jokes were commendably odd and wide-ranging [...] Somehow, though, it didn't quite gel, largely because of the studio audience, whose laughter, as so often, slowed things down and underlined jokes that needed to be thrown away [...] Worth giving it a week or two, though." Robert Collins of The Daily Telegraph
gave it his critic's choice, calling it "likeable, madcap comedy [...] a catalytic reaction of Red Dwarf
and The IT Crowd
, in a solution of Are You Being Served?
And it's not a bad formula."
Visitors to the British Comedy Guide
website voted Lab Rats as the "Worst New British TV Sitcom" of 2008 in its annual awards, with the website saying that: "The idea behind the show may have been good (to bring back silly studio-based sitcom to the BBC), but the execution was anything but good. An awful, awful comedy."
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
science laboratory. It stars Chris Addison
Chris Addison
Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
, who has co-written the series with Carl Cooper. The series is produced by regular collaborator Simon Nicholls
Simon Nicholls
Simon Nicholls is a radio and TV comedy producer at the BBC.When Ed Reardon approached Nicholls about an idea for a new radio show, "he was delighted...
, directed by Adam Tandy
Adam Tandy
Adam Tandy is a British television producer and director, perhaps best known for his collaborations with Armando Iannucci. As such, he has worked on The Saturday Night Armistice, The Armando Iannucci Shows, Time Trumpet and most recently The Thick of It. He recently moved into film producing with...
and exec produced by Armando Iannucci
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
with whom Addison worked in The Thick of It
The Thick of It
The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...
.
Iannucci stated that the programme would be a traditional-style sitcom recorded in front of a live audience. He hinted that it will be a "very cartoony" show featuring "lots of giant snails".
A pilot was announced as part of a series called "Behind Closed Doors" in Autumn 2006, but was never aired. A series of six episodes was broadcast in 2008, although the show was not recommissioned for further series.
Setting
Lab Rats is set in the Arnolfini, a research lab (and staff) for hire in St. Dunstan's University, designed to make some money for the university by carrying out research on behalf of other people.Characters
The main characters are:- Doctor Alex Beenyman (Chris AddisonChris AddisonChris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...
): The unofficial head of the lab, Dr. Beenyman does his best to keep the others in control. He is the only sane member of the team but often ends up responsible for their actions. - Professor John Mycroft (Geoffrey McGivernGeoffrey McGivernGeoffrey McGivern is an English actor in film, radio, stage and television. He was born in Balham, South London and grew up in York. There he attended Archbishop Holgate's School, where he was made Head Boy...
): Officially in charge, Prof. Mycroft once won a Nobel Prize and has been living off it ever since. Spends a lot of his time drinking. - Cara McIlvenny (Jo EnrightJo EnrightJo Enright is an English stand-up comedian and actress who has appeared in a number of television and radio comedy programmes.-Biography:...
): A 4'11" (150 cm) lab assistant who's not always altogether 'there'. Although she has a talent for building machines, she does not appear to have much actual understanding of science, or of anything else. She is probably Alex's best friend within the lab. - Brian Lalumaca (Dan TetsellDan TetsellDan Tetsell is a comedian and writer for radio, television and stage. He has worked on a number of projects, including The Museum of Everything, That Was Then, This Is Now and Parsons and Naylor's Pull-Out Sections....
): A rather unpleasant lab assistant, who enjoys weapons, traps, and anything else violent. He often finds himself involved in Prof. Mycroft's mad schemes. He harbours something of a crush on the Dean, but is constantly frustrated by her inability to remember his name or role. - Minty Clapper (Helen Moon): Secretary to Prof. Mycroft and Dr. Beenyman.
- Dean Mieke Miedema (Selina CadellSelina CadellSelina Cadell is an English actress. She is the sister of the late actor Simon Cadell and granddaughter of the actress Jean Cadell.....
): The Dean of St Dunstan's College. Dutch. - The Secretary (Margaret Cabourn-SmithMargaret Cabourn-SmithMargaret Cabourn-Smith is a British comedy actress. She is known for her roles in shows such as the IT Crowd, Miranda, Bigipedia, Katy Brand's Big Ass Show, Peep Show, Lab Rats and The Maltby Collection.-External links:...
) who is constantly being given onerous tasks by the Dean. She has very few spoken lines but is involved in various visual gags throughout the series.
Episodes
The series of six episodes began airing on BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
at 9.30pm on 10 July 2008.
| # | Title | Director | Original airdate |
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Reception
Reception to the first episode "A Snail" was mixed in the British press. The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
Guide found the programme "mundane and dated", Lucy Mangan also of The Guardian said "the kind of stuff that would barely have passed muster in the 70s [...] all the jokes are spatchcocked into a wafer-thin plot that veers uncertainly between reality and surreality, this particular experiment can only be deemed a failure.". Tim Teeman writing in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said "Lab Rats is a truly appalling new sit-com [...] Bad puns, redundant characters, lame jokes [...] Not even the best surgeon in the land could save this." (0/5 stars)
However Robert Hanks in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
said "remarkable for its combination of very silly jokes and rather well-researched evolutionary theory. The cast is good. The plot of last night's episode was pleasantly absurdist, the jokes were commendably odd and wide-ranging [...] Somehow, though, it didn't quite gel, largely because of the studio audience, whose laughter, as so often, slowed things down and underlined jokes that needed to be thrown away [...] Worth giving it a week or two, though." Robert Collins of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
gave it his critic's choice, calling it "likeable, madcap comedy [...] a catalytic reaction of Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
and The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd
The IT Crowd is a British sitcom by Channel 4, written by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson and Matt Berry...
, in a solution of Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
And it's not a bad formula."
Visitors to the British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
The British Comedy Guide or BCG is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media. At the time of writing, the BCG has published guides to more than 1,200 individual British comedies - primarily TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, variety...
website voted Lab Rats as the "Worst New British TV Sitcom" of 2008 in its annual awards, with the website saying that: "The idea behind the show may have been good (to bring back silly studio-based sitcom to the BBC), but the execution was anything but good. An awful, awful comedy."
External links
- Chris Addison's Website
- Lab Rats at British TV Comedy