Marion And Geoff - Series 1 [2000]

Through his monologues, we learn that Keith has a room in a student house where banging techno is played day and night; that in order to make the journey to see his two boys, he must make an overnight journey from London to Cardiff by car; that his only friend is a tollbooth operator (though the operator doesn't seem to know it) and that, although he's been driving a minicab for a while, he's yet to pick up a fare.

Keith's attempts to buy presents for his children generally backfire ("I've kept the receipts. I learned that from my old dad. He always used to say keep the receipts"), no more heartrendingly so than in an evidently disastrous attempt to pay a surprise visit to the newly attached Marion and the kids in Disneyland. As he hugs the tiny Winnie the Pooh puppets he's tried to give to his children, his uniformly chipper tone wavers momentarily and the comedy threatens to darken into something like tragedy. However, Keith's indomitable if inappropriate optimism eventually enables him to bumble through. Masterly in its veracity and Pooteresque banality, Marion & Geoff is as near-flawless as The Office.

On the DVD: Marion & Geoff on disc comes with an informative if somewhat giggly commentary, featuring Brydon and director and cowriter Hugo Blick. There's the Comic Relief special, in which Keith's cheque to the charity bounces with typically pitiful consequences and outtakes from the series, all of which would have merited inclusion in the final edit. --David Stubbs

Full of hope that he can see his 'little smashers' following divorce; Keiths story is both beautiful scripted and immaculately delivered. It delves from occasional comedy to bleak introspection and surprises with some genuinely moving moments. The limited set of Keiths car is surprisingly not as restrictive as you might think with different locations creating an appropriate mood for each segment of the story.

If you are looking for a slightly unusual and intelligent comedy then this is an excellent choice. If you come expecting straight gags then it is not.


disappointing   October 16, 2005
 1 out of 28 found this review helpful

I hadn't heard of this series before I bought it and frankly I can see why. While trying hard to imitate the popular comedy doc it falls short. I found the whole thing boring and not funny. The main character just doesn't have the comedy timing needed to pull of this tragi/comic one man show. Falls short of expectations. You feel more sorry for the actor than the character he's playing.


I don't know why I like it I just do   August 15, 2005
 0 out of 1 found this review helpful

It took me about a year to realise that the title of this programme was the name of Keith's ex wife and new husband, for ages I thought it was his name with his ex wife.

If you haven't seen this, then when you first watch it, you will think..... What! Stick with it, Keith's banal, bizarre, odd comments are brilliant. It will have you in stitches, and then scratching your head. It is "Smashing"


"I like him. You can't help it if you like someone"   April 30, 2004
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

And you can't help but like Keith Barret, a minicab driver originally fromCardiff. A minicab driver who is a failure in every way. He has lost hiswife Marion and "little smashers" Rhys and Alun to Marion's coworkerGeoff, now lives in a student flat and has never picked up a fare in hiscab in London.
The performance from Rob Brydon is what should attract you to this darkcomedy series. The comic timing is not matched by any TV sitcom star,exemplified in gags like "These sleeping policemen . . . I'm not againstthem, I would never say that, I mean if they only save one life . . .probably not very cost effective." Plenty more lines like that, and someastute observations on everyday life which all great comedies include. "Icould browse in Smiths - half an hour" I haven't told you all the bestbits so don't worry - buy it and you'll see.