The Cuntches

Crikey. That was a bloody awful episode on Tuesday. It didn’t even have the saving grace of Don Warrington (or, indeed, Danny John-Jules); but at least Rudolph Walker got more to do, and was great as usual. I just wish the jokes weren’t so fucking piss poor. I raised the odd smile, but that’s all; it really is worryingly bad for primetime BBC ONE. Is this the best they can do?

It’s only fair to stick up for the show from one repeated criticism, however. Here is a letter from next week’s Radio Times:

What were the producers of The Crouches (Tuesdays BBC1) thinking when they made this programme? This was the first opportunity for the BBC to bring an all-black sitcom to our screens, and they give us a programme filled with all the stereotypes so beloved of bigots and racists.

Roly was weak and corruptible, the boyfriend was a criminal and Grandpa (Rudolph Walker should have learnt from his part in Love Thy Neighbour) takes pride in how he mentally abused Roly as a child! Even Roly’s workmates are involved in theft. The black community must be fuming at this caricature of family life.

Keith Evans
Via email

My God! A caricature of family life! IN A SITCOM?!?!?!? Fucking hell! And here was me tuning into it for GRITTY SOCIAL REALISM! This is the kind of letter that is actually racist itself; I doubt most black people would want to be treated differently to whites, or to anyone else. It’s often the bad side of people that is shown in sitcoms, because it’s funny. (Or supposed to be, at any rate.) That’s true of whites, blacks, or whatever. Just look at Rab C Nesbitt. Or, indeed, Red Dwarf.

None of that helps the fact the show just isn’t funny, though. Next ep is on at the usual time: 10:35pm, BBC ONE, on Tuesday 30th September. Called Heat, the RT description is: “Natalie forces Grandma out into the cold”. I’m dripping with anticipation. Unless it suddenly turns good, or something else important happens, don’t expect another Crouches article from me until the final episode; it’s simply not good enough to bother, sadly.

In the meantime, why not read this utterly ludicrous article? Anyone who actually uses the phrase “Political correctness has got completely out of hand” deserves to be shot.