The Comedy Couch - Nighty Night Review

"I am not a malicious woman, and I'll destroy anyone who says that I am," says Jill, a trashy peroxide blonde in tight pink spandex. This is a typical moment in Nighty Night, a British comedy series that delves into the mind of a small-town psychopath as she goes about lying, cheating and torturing those around her. Created by British comedian Julia Davis (barely known from her performances in Love, Actually and Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself), Nighty Night is possibly the most disturbing comedy series ever put to film. A fascinating study of psychotic behavior, it's clear that Davis has done her homework on the subject and her performance is so convincing that at times you forget that this is comedy. Her creation is so believable, in fact, that one cannot help but wonder if Julia Davis even enjoyed portraying such an utterly negative character.

The British have a keener eye for irony and a particular taste for dry understatement. As such, they are more accepting of a little taste of the macabre with their comedy. This Nighty Night delivers in ways that make The League of Gentlemen and Little Britain seem like Thomas the Tank Engine. All deal heavily in dark material, but where Little Britain and The League of Gentlemen keep a safety net of camp, over-the-top performances to remind viewers of the fact it's all just a joke, Nighty Night flies without such a safety net. Julia Davis' Jill is a despicable and terrifying character made all the more horrible by Davis' attention to detail and stark realism. We have all met people like her every day. This is made even more effective by director Tony Dow's (Baldric from Blackadder) use of hand-held cameras and stark, gray lighting. The documentary look is perfectly suited to the subject matter, adding a creepily voyeuristic sheen that lends realism to Jill's machinations.

Throughout all of her horrible behavior, Jill never stops doubting that she is entitled to anything she sets her mind on as she goes about systematically destroying the lives of anyone who stands in her way. Tired of her ugly, dull husband, she is overjoyed to learn that he has cancer and does everything in her power to ensure that he doesn't recover including lying to him about the doctor's report on his status. She announces to the town that he has already died and relishes the attention and sympathy while he lies in her attic unattended. After developing a crush on Don, her next-door neighbour, she sets about destroying his marriage to Cathy, his wheelchair-bound wife. She routinely pops by uninvited and makes shamelessly lewd passes at Don while inflicting untold misery on Cathy through the guise of caretaking. After ruining their marriage, she molests the drunken, vomit-covered Don in lacey lingerie. She owns a tacky beauty shop, Beauty By Jill and power-trips on her long-suffering staff as she unapologetically ruins her clients' appearances. She meets a would-be suitor named Glenn Bulb whom she stands up and insults until she learns that he is extremely rich and then cynically uses him to pay for her husband's funeral. She murders, lies and rapes. Throughout the entire series she carries with herself an air of disturbing self-confidence and fails to exhibit a single sincere emotion.

The supporting cast is superbly suited to their parts. As Don, veteran comedy broadcaster Angus Deayton is all submissive exasperation. Rebecca Front from The Day Today and Smack the Pony layers the wheelchair-bound Cathy with a hint of rage below the surface of her otherwise perky demeanor. The particular cast standout, however, is The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gattiss as the hapless sex-addict Glenn Bulb whom he portrays with great sympathy and affection, including an impossible-to-imitate facial twitch. He could easily have wound up a campy caricature in the hands of a lesser comic actor, but Gattiss lends a deep sadness to Glenn, which fully humanizes the character.

Because of its subject matter Nighty Night will probably remain in the cult end of the spectrum. Its weakness is also its greatest asset: it's extremely disquieting. It is not the sort of program to be watched after a hard day's work to take your mind off the world's problems; it is the world's problems grossly exaggerated. It doesn't try to appease or mindlessly entertain and for that reason it is an acquired taste. Cynics will love it, but most people will prefer the latest Mr. Bean adventure. More Hitchcock than Benny Hill, Nighty Night is an important piece of comedy from a brave comedic talent.

Best bits:

Glenn: "Jill can't bear to see suffering. She says it turns her stomach".

Jill: "I think it was a mercy killing. I think he was trying to pull me towards him and the pillow just got in the way".

Jill: "Do you want us to be equals, Glenn? How can we have a mature, balanced relationship if I've killed and you haven't?"

Glenn: "You're asking me to slay a man of the cloth?"

Jill: "Exactly. He'd be a lot happier up there than he is down here. Deep down it's what he wants. Poor man can't commit suicide".

Dylan Rhymer is a Vancouver-based stand-up comic and actor.
www.dylanrhymer.com