Happiness - Series 2 DVD

The second series of Happiness, Paul Whitehouse's rueful midlife crisis sitcom, sees the same cast of characters caught in the same rut but, in the great tradition of sitcom, never really going anywhere. Whitehouse's widower Danny Spencer is still making a tidy living doing the voiceover for a kiddie's animated Kung Fu Nurse Bear, still frustrated that while everyone loves the bear, no one either knows or cares who he is. There are some changes, though: Danny is less sympathetic, more bitter and prattish in this series; Clive Russell's ageing Lothario is still raving... and squiring like a twentysomething, but gets a wake-up call; Fiona Allen's Rachel and pathetically, wonderfully whiney husband Mark Heap's marriage suffers a severe blip when the latter lapses hopelessly into an affair with Rachel's best friend Neela. Meanwhile, it's Johnny Vegas and Pearce Quigley as Sid and Charlie, who, having started off their own removals business ("We'll Do Anything!"), provide many of the series' biggest belly laughs, especially in their disposal of a cat they unfortunately run over. A match for the first series, the second year of Happiness is the same mix of ageing baby boomers grumbling over modern pop culture, convincingly inconsequential conversational banter and celebrity guest appearances, including Kathy Burke sportingly playing herself as an obnoxious old trout treating non-celebrities like underlings. On the DVD: Happiness, Series 2 has no extras on the DVD. --David Stubbs [show more]

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