In a sentenceRob Beckett has the mild discourtesy to show flashes of grace when we had settled in for the embarrassment
Presenters Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan take on challenges, with both men attempting the activities themselves. Their timing and willingness to try are put to work in a challenge involving physical skill as well as comedy. Those appearing as themselves across the programme include Usain Bolt, Anthony Joshua and Shania Twain, alongside David Gandy and Gok Wan. The presenters have an activity to attempt while keeping the programme funny, and their own efforts supply the material. Episodes run for 45 minutes.
Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan make good company in a challenge comedy that allows room for unexpected competence. Their efforts are funny, though 45 minutes sometimes asks more of the idea than it can supply.
Rob & Romesh Vs is good company, provided we do not ask its challenge format to do much beyond keeping two funny people occupied. Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett are willing participants. The appeal is straightforward: they have to try, and trying may expose more than a prepared joke would. It makes for an agreeable comedy programme, although the premise does not offer much beyond that.
We laughed when Rob Beckett showed flashes of grace. The pleasure comes from having to adjust our expectations: there is suddenly something to enjoy besides the possibility of embarrassment. His timing matters, but so does the pair’s willingness to attempt something that can make an unpractised body look unforgivingly awkward. Romesh Ranganathan’s participation helps keep the challenge from becoming merely an excuse for one man to stand aside and pass judgement.
Director Graham Proud keeps the tone friendly enough for this to work. The occasional competence is important because it gives the comedy somewhere else to go. A steady succession of failures would soon make the exercise feel more mean-spirited than either presenter needs it to be, and the flashes of grace help prevent that.
Cinematographers Toby Wilkinson and Ben Joiner have the practical business of making the physical effort legible, and the straightforward pictures suit that purpose. Editors Sam Turner and Alex Weeks, among others, keep the jokes moving, though the pacing across an entire episode is less sure. There is less pleasure in waiting for the next joke once that task has made its point.
That is the main reservation: 45 minutes can be a long appointment with an idea this slight. We would happily lose some company for a sharper sense of what makes the activity difficult, or why somebody might devote a life to it. The presenters’ efforts provide amusement, but our interest in the skill itself is less well rewarded. The format depends heavily on how much pleasure we take in spending time with these particular men.
As celebrity challenge comedy, it passes the important test of making participation seem worth the trouble. A cast list containing Usain Bolt, Anthony Joshua and Shania Twain could easily encourage a programme to rely on the pleasure of recognising famous people. There is a better reason to watch: the comedians have something to attempt, and a measure of success beyond whether they have delivered a funny remark. They earn their place by joining in.
We would choose this for an undemanding evening, especially if the presenters are already welcome company. There is enough good humour in their willingness to try to make the thinness forgivable, though anyone hoping to learn much about the disciplines should temper that expectation. One episode is a sensible helping.
The critic finds the episode a funny, entertaining showcase for the comedians. They single out Rob’s surprising flashes of grace and timing, alongside the pair’s bravery in tackling ballet.
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Sink or Swim · not reviewed yetFrench amateur synchronised swimmers find camaraderie through an equally unpromising physical challenge.
The Full MontyAnother group risks public embarrassment, with more at stake than a bruised ego.
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