With so many newcomers in this project, it would be reasonable to assume that this might be disproportionate, but it really isn’t. The writing is surprisingly light and really good. The acting is absolutely beautiful, and the bittersweet scene with his father in the final episode genuinely moved me to tears, everyone has wished they could say more, but know it wouldn’t change a thing.
It always amazes me how playwrights can get so much emotion and plot, out of so little dialogue or screen time. Everything seems perfectly positioned, and the balance between darkness and comedy is perfect, making this show a bigger emotional experience than its fellows. The show has all the attributes that make a miniseries perfect, and leaves the viewer wanting more. It’s a real gold nugget, a little marble of brilliance, shrouded in the skin of typical BBC dark comedy.
The commissioner clearly needed some bigger cojones.
However, there is one massive, swollen, problem. There isn’t enough of it. That’s not false praise, I mean it, someone at BBC Three has made a massive balls-up. They have had this script land on their desk, and have not seen the potential it clearly has, yet haven’t commissioned it for a full series, or invested any money or effort in headlining it. There is so much more potential here, so much room to grow in this series, but I don’t think we’ll ever see that potential. Admittedly, it’s a risky bid on a project with so many newcomers, but taking risks is really important, and I think in this case would have paid off. The commissioner clearly needed some bigger cojones.
I wish I could see a full series of My Left Nut, with the option to see even more in the future. The fact that we won’t is a significant loss.
Rating: 9/10
Immature ball gags: 8/10