Psychoville - Series 2 [DVD]

A beautiful, tragic, hilarious, moving, creepy and almost magical piece of work. Absolutely stunning. I doubt we'll ever see a series like it again; incredibly unique and creative, beautifully written, acted, directed and scored. I don't think I could find a single fault.
Wasn't sure this could top series 1, but it has. It is far more tense and sinister than the first outing, and it's grown tremendously since the first series. A wonderful set of new character's alongside the older ones keeps it fresh, and the story telling and plot development are superb. A real inspirational piece of work.

I am holding out hope that the Beeb realise what an absolute gem they've got with this show and give the go ahead for a third.

I don't think 5 stars quite cover the genius that is Psychoville. In fact the BBC really should be ashamed of themselves as this show deserves far more credit and coverage than it's had. Psychoville is one of those brilliant shows that it doesn't matter how often you watch it, you'll notice something different each time. Even now, after watching series 1 again last night, I noticed little clues early on that I hadn't noticed before. Also with respect to Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's writing, watch out for the brilliantly subtle homages to films that they take their inspiration from.

Joining the cast for Series 2 is Imelda Staunton who, despite my initial reservations (I'd only seen her as the straight-laced Prof Umbridge in Harry Potter), has been a fantastic casting. She has authority, she has her minions to do her bidding (Kelvin and Finney) and she has her technology. Some of my favourite scenes/lines have come from her character Grace Andrews in this series. Grace wants to be all Minority Report with her technology, but in her words her technology is more akin to that of "a village post office". Grace's attempts to make the most of her expensive technology is one of my favourite long running jokes in this series.

I feel a special mention should also be said for Vilma Holingberry/Mrs Wren/Mrs Ladybird Face. Vilma completely steals the show as Mr Jelly's adopted assistant in this series. Her lines are fantastic (credit again to Mr Shearsmith and Mr Pemberton), but the comic timing of Vilma Holingberry is sheer brilliance. The interactions between Shearsmith's Mr Jelly and Mrs Ladybird Face is absolutely one of my favourite double acts on TV at the moment. They seem to have a fantastic charisma and bounce off each other in every scene they appear in. It's also quite heart warming that Mr Jelly's just taken this old woman under his wing after the first series!

The plot isn't quite the same structure as the first series and a few episodes in I started to wonder how they were going to build a story out of what they had created (trying desperately not to give any spoilers away...!) but as expected the lads come up trumps and provide us with an absolutely stunning final episode which ranks up there with one of the funniest, most grotesque and totally odd things I think I've ever seen on TV. It's tied up in such a way that the show can end there, or there are paths open for the story to continue.

All in all, Psychoville is one of the best things to come out of the BBC for a while and perhaps the Beeb should take note. I'm disappointed at the lack of coverage this show has received and if viewing figures are poor, it's absolutely not a reflection on the quality of the show. This DVD contains everything from laughs, murder, genuinely heart warming/wrenching scenes, completely odd scenarios and more. 5 stars isn't enough to review this show and my only bright spot on TV has gone out....until the BBC give the green light to series 3....and they'd be fools not to. IN WITH THE PLUMS!!!!

Oh, and a quick edit to say those who have watched Series 1, but not 2, get this DVD anyway as it containes the Hallowe'en special that links the two series together. The special seems to be an edited version though, I seem to recall the one shown on TV as being a bit longer. The commentary is also fantastic with some interesting insights on where the Silent Singer comes from...

What can I say that hasn't already been said in the previous reviews on here?! Pyschoville 2 is by far much more superior to the first series, although I still love the first series and was slightly disturbed, but higly amused by it when it was on the TV. Series 2 is cleverer, funnier and darker, with one or two of the original characters getting much more well deserved screen time, and some new characters appearing in the mix to either liven up the storyline (Hattie and Sharouz) or to add to the existing plot (Jeremey the obsessive librarian and his 'Silent Singer' hallucinations!).

I totally loved The League of Gentlemen, and was worried that the first series of Psychoville would just be a parade of characters that may not have made the cut for LoG, but how wrong I was! Both Psychoville series 1&2 have shown that, although the humour/genre is in the same vein as LoG, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have unbelievable talent and great writing skills that have continued to evolve into far funnier, more complex heights and they can hopefully be guaranteed another series with the BBC.

And I challenge you not to love Mrs. Ladybirdface!!