Declan Lowney

In Ted Lasso (2020), the cast can be more engaging than the joke it has been given. Jason Sudeikis and a responsive ensemble make the warmth convincing, even when a cultural clash feels laboured. We enjoyed their company because they keep responding to one another when the writing has stopped providing much to laugh at. Lowney directed multiple episodes, and the programme suits his established strength for ensemble comedy.

His comedy reputation was established with Father Ted (1995), whose surreal ensemble gave that skill a different use. He went on to direct the pilot and early episodes of Cold Feet (1997), and the third series of Little Britain (2003). Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) put him behind the camera for Steve Coogan’s feature outing. Writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews are recurring collaborators, and Lowney’s preference is to work closely with writers and performers who have a strong comic vision.

Before comedy, Lowney directed music events, bringing some of their energy into his television work. His later American work on Ted Lasso also draws on his ability to handle complicated football sequences, which require a different sort of control from an exchange between comic actors. Keeping that action organised is valuable, though Sudeikis and the ensemble remain our main reason to watch. Lowney’s habit of refining scripts with writers and performers on set gives him a practical way to help the comedy beyond arranging where people stand.

That approach has its limits when the material needs cutting back. Our reservation about Ted Lasso is straightforward: the cultural clashes sometimes take more effort than the laughs justify, and affection for the cast does not fix that. The director cannot carry all the blame for an uneven supply of jokes, but we would welcome more impatience with those that have already made their point. Try Ted Lasso for the ensemble, provided a few laboured stretches will not spoil the evening.