2. A Touch Of Cloth
Ridiculous. Ridiculous that no-one had already done an update of Police Squad/Naked Gun. Ridiculous levels of jokes and puns - I counted as many as 20 in one minute of the first episode - that's a gag every three seconds. Ridiculous that John Hannah can be this funny (have you seen The Mummy Returns?). Brooker's police procedural mickey take is as good as the title suggests. From surreally beautiful wordplay "You hacked him to bits like a marmalade bus!", twisted detective cliches "She's never been found dead before, so this is out of character for her," to sight gags like the lead female character drinking "Modern Lesbian Milk" and having a poster advertising "fruits other than oranges." I'll admit now, it's one show I actually had to take a break from watching. Firstly for fear of missing something, but secondly - and most bizarrely - it's actually quite hard to keep up with the relentless torrent of gags. The great writing is complemented by John Hannah, as good as he's ever been, as Jack Cloth (J Cloth - that took me a while to get) with Surranne Jones as partner Anne Oldman (that gag never gets tired). Stealing the show is Julian Rhind-Tutt as Cloth's Boss, Tom Boss (of course) whose cloth pun lines - "The bodies keep washing-up, Cloth" - are a delight. Silly, gruesome, and so perfect a parody of a cop show you may have difficulty watching a real police procedural with a straight face.
Genius Moment: Cloth seeks out local gang member Crossbow at Datdere Yute Centre. Puns, sight gags, a great ear for fake street talk and a
wonderfully OTT chase scene with obvious body doubles.