Article first published as Twenty Twelve lives on at TheTVKing. In the lead up to London's hosting of the 2012 Olympics, there was a British-made sitcom entitled Twenty Twelve. The two series filmed take us behind the scenes of the fictional committee tasked with planning and implementing the event, and the foibles and pitfalls they encounter in their less-than-competent work. It's a goofy, but not too slapstick, comedy that just happens to tie in to a real event. It's now available as a two disc DVD set.
My first impression of Twenty Twelve is that it's a lot like The Office. It's made in the mockumentary style, and features a number of employees who keep screwing up their jobs. A lot of what they do is have endless meetings, and the tasks are mundane, like programming traffic lights. Even the exciting stuff, like figuring out what to do with the buildings after the Olympics are over, are trivialized and made to seem unimportant based on the level of care taken to implement them.
The big difference between Twenty Twelve and The Office is that the latter featured a couple of decent workers putting up with an inane boss and some zany peers, while this series has a relatively well-put-together leader dealing with employees who don't measure up. It's a small reversal, but an important one, meaning that the issues are coming from all directions, and are plentiful. Also, the humor here is often at the expense of outsiders, the tone is a little more serious, and the scale is larger.
The cast is lead by Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), who plays Ian Fletcher. Ian is in charge, but while he is good at his job, and at putting out the various fires started, he does have a messy personal life, and that is what draws him into the muck. Luckily, he has a very good personal assistant, Sally (Olivia Colman, Peep Show). Unluckily, she's in love with him.
Bonneville plays the part with such sympathy, viewers will find themselves rooting for him to succeed, and will grow as frustrated as he does with the others who work in his department. This role really gives him a chance to stretch away from the drama, and while he is the "straight" man for many of the jokes, he definitely is the main pulse of the show, too, and the reason it works.
The rest of the ensemble is talented enough to make their characters seem completely real, and audiences should have little trouble relating these dolts to people that they have encountered in the world. There's the insecure Kay Hope (Amelia Bullmore, Scott & Bailey), who tries to keep drawing attention to her goal of sustainability; ditzy Siobhan Sharpe (Jessica Hynes, Spaced) is the stereotype of a PR rep, pretty and clueless, thinking she can ride on her looks and personality alone; Graham Hitchens (Karl Theobald, Green Wing) has the job, but not the skills, of a tech and stats nerd; there's also Nick Jellet (Vincent Franklin, The Thick Of It).
In the thirteen episodes, problems that are faced include a lost bus, a shooting, how to design a religious center that will make everyone happy, a bizarre art installation, Roman remains found in the construction zone, and a sexual health campaign. It's bureaucracy taken to the extreme, and with satisfyingly humorous results. With the witty narration provided by David Tennant (Doctor Who), most should find these episodes at least somewhat amusing, even if it fails to break new comedy ground.
My only real complaint is that the ending doesn't tie things up. No third series has been ordered, but the lack of resolution leaves me wanting a bit more, especially in regards to Ian's romantic choices. Should future episodes be added, it would resolve this.
The only extra is cast and crew interviews. These are interesting, but a little disappointing as the sole bonus.
Twenty Twelve is available now.
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