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Bad Move sees Steve (Jack Dee) and Nicky (Kerry Godliman) making a ‘bad move’ because they sell up their house in the city and relocate to the country in what turns out to be a… yes, you guessed it, a ‘bad move’.
The jokes fail to begin early on as Dee moans that they’ve moved out there for some peace and quiet and get “life-sapping silence” interspersed with the buzzy noise of slacker neighbour Grizzo (Seann Walsh) zooming about on a quad bike.
Before the programme started, they gave their kitchen knives away to a ‘knife sharpener’. Then, since they can’t get on the internet out there – in one of those crap jokes used a zillion times about how they’re told their internet is bad because their house “is in a dip” – hence, they missed an email about avoiding a dodgy bloke pretending to be a knife sharpener… Oh, this comedy writes itself(!)
Later, Nicky almost runs Grizzo over on his bike because they’re the ONLY vehicles on a long country road, and this comes after she struggles to get her gardening business off the ground because she can only get one customer and instead of money, it’s an old dear who’s offering a cake as exchange.
Jack Dee writing this grot was a bad move, too. It’s so tired, it could’ve been on air 30 years ago. Where’s the wit gone which he showed with Lead Balloon?
In the end, he looked fed up as always, while the only one seemingly enjoying this was Walsh. I found nothing to laugh at.
Neither will Freesat. Apparently, “Freesat are proud sponsors of Bad Move”. Well, they clearly didn’t watch it, first.
Buckle in, everyone, there’s five more episodes to go… or just watch Back on Channel 4 at 10pm. It’s brilliant.
Bad Move continues next Wednesday at 8pm on ITV, and then later on the ITV Hub. The series is not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Episode 1: 0/10
Director: Martin Dennis
Producer: Debbie Pisani
Writers: Jack Dee and Pete Sinclair
Cast:
Steve: Jack Dee
Nicky: Kerry Godliman
Denise: Kate Anthony
Silas: Aaryan Basu
Ken: Philip Jackson
Matt: Miles Jupp
Meena: Manjinder Virk
Grizzo: Seann Walsh
Gareth: John Biggins
Pipps: Isvari Ghai
Dean: Vahid Gold
Alice: Thelma Ruby
Shannon: Sue Vincent
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.