The Reluctant Vampire is basically what CBBC would be showing, but in the age of cuts to the BBC, I’m not sure anything new is even made for that channel, these days.
The BBC still seem intent on making vehicles for Lenny Rush – including Doctor Who, though, hence we have this, and they’ve gone back over 40 years for the source, as – yes, that comedian from back in the day – Eric Morecambe wrote this with his son, Gary.
Victor (Tom Davis – Wonka) wants his son, Val (Rush), to take over from him as Head Vampire before long, even though he’s only 15. And that’s the plot. Or thereabouts. It hasn’t really got a plot, since it just lurches from one random scene to the next with little in the way of comedy:
- Girl: “What’s Val short for?”
Val: “Because I stopped growing when I was four”.
Add in stone gargoyles spouting water, which is apparently meant to be funny. Joe Wilkinson being Joe Wilkinson is also meant to be funny.
Yes, the laughs never start, and there’s an early C-word ‘joke’ about mis-referring to him as a ‘count’. An odd thing to throw in for a kids show.
Apparently, Lenny Rush likens this to The Naked Gun. He must mean the 2025 film, because I didn’t laugh once during this. Tom Davis just plays himself, and the rest fit in along the way. Not a single bit of it sticks in the memory.
The Reluctant Vampire begins tomorrow on BBC1 at 6.40pm, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, once announced, it will appear on the New DVD Blu-ray 3D and 4K releases UK list.
From day one, all episodes will be on the BBC iPlayer.
Director: Emily McDonald
Producer: Ali Marlow
Book: Eric Morecambe, Gary Morecambe
Screenplay: Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons
Cast:
Victor: Tom Davis
Val: Lenny Rush
Sleeping Sarah: Angela Curran
Valeeta: Sian Clifford
Vernon: Gabriel Nagy
Igon: Asim Chaudhry
Viv the Invisible Woman: Ada Player
Rob the Tailor: James Gault
Shane the Muck Raker: Fergus Craig
Guy the Gargoyle: Bill Bailey
Gary the Gargoyle: Ross Noble
Trish the Maid: Lorna Rose Treen
Wilf: Joe Wilkinson
B&B Ben: Funmbi Omotayo
John: Charlie Cooper
Susan: Esther Smith
Gertie: Ellie-May Sheridan
Vanya: David Hargreaves
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.