Review: W1A

W1A is a British comedy from the BBC that makes fun of the BBC. I watched it because I knew Nina Sosanya was in it, and seeing her was worth it.

I don’t want to imply that the series isn’t worth watching, but I initially watched it because of her. After a couple of episodes, I was there for the duration.

The comedy has an excellent cast including Hugh Bonneville, Monica Dolan, Jessica Hynes, Sarah Parish, Hugh Skinner, Jason Watkins, Jonathan Bailey, and Ophelia Lovibond in addition to Nina Sosanya. David Tennant is the narrator, and often has the funniest and most inane lines.

The humor, and the irritation, come from the fact that only Hugh Bonneville, Nina Sosanya and Ophelia Lovibond ever have any sensible lines. The rest of the cast were given something to say and they simply say it over and over again for 8 episodes. One person says, “Yeah, no, yeah, cool,” over and over. One person says, “Brilliant,” over and over. Another  says, “I’m not trying to be funny or anything, but  . . . , ” over and over. Etc., etc., etc. And they say these lines all at the same time, one atop another.

Amid this cacophony of meaninglessness, the three sane members of the cast say the few intelligent things that ever get said. In spite of that, a story gets told and characters are revealed.

Like a Dilbert cartoon, W1A takes sharp aim and hits the target with every shot.I was amazed at the end that 1) a BBC comedy made such incompetent asses out of everyone at the BBC, and 2) a story emerged out of the frantic babble of W1A. Like a Dilbert cartoon, W1A takes sharp aim and hits the target with every shot.

Both seasons of W1A are currently available on Netflix.