Twenty Twelve - Series 1 and 2 [DVD]

I saw - and enjoyed - a couple of episodes of 'Twenty Twelve' on TV, then read several very enthusiastic reviews, so I bought this set. It absolutely lives up to expectations. The idea of a reality TV documentary following the fortunes of a well-meaning but incompetent (and frequently unlucky) Olympic organising committee was a clever one, and the sharp script, excellent acting and production generally do it proud. Ian Fletcher, Head of the Committee, played by Hugh Bonneville, is a man constantly on the verge of panic and constantly having to hide the fact, and his team do almost nothing to reduce his blood pressure and a lot to increase it - that is with the exception of Sally, his P.A., who is his unassuming saving grace on many occasions. The growing chemistry between Fletcher and Sally adds a welcome connecting strand throughout the series. All the players are excellent, but in addition to Bonneville, whose every facial expression tells us almost as much as the script he delivers, there has to be a special word for Jessica Hynes as Siobhan, Head of Brand, whose stream of management-marketing-babble is a tour de force from both the writers and the actress. The whole thing is bound together by a pitch-perfect voice-over from David Tennant. There are so many funny situations - I'll mention only the planting of the tree beside the Thames, bedevilled by planning restrictions and finally the realisation that no-one has brought the seed, so a chocolate has to be used instead. handed solemnly as the media watch and record from a puzzled Tanni Grey-Thompson to a female footballer, Corrie Taylor, who duly plants it, equally bewildered. It's bizarre, surreal and very, very amusing. I enjoyed the real Games thoroughly and am very glad that they were the success that this unfortunate group could never have brought about, but this affectionate parody has its small place as one of the highlights of Olympic year - cleverly conceived, beautifully executed and very, very enjoyable.

Organising the Olympics is not an easy job and Ian Fletcher has his hands full trying to solve one hopeless situation after another. Fortunately for him he is an ideal leader in a crisis. Cool headed and cautiously optimistic. The problems usually get solved either by accident, luck or by simply accepting the fact its to late to do anything about it and its best, by unofficial mutual agreement, not to say or do anything more about it. His staff are, with the exception of his assistant, not really helpful though they try to be in their own more or less useless fashion. Graham, head of infrastructure, couldn't run a toy train if his life depended on it, Kay, head of sustainability is well meaning but can't really make herself heard or get respect. Nick, head of contracts, is a down to earth Yorkshire man. He won't have any of it and though he is the common sense man nobody really listens to him. And last but not by any means least : Siobhan, head of brand. She's in charge of all PR work relating to the olympics. Never short of ideas,buzz words, slang or new projects to launch. Unfortunately she can't really finish anything or contribute other than chaos to an often bad situation.
The stories are well written, humerous and typical not just of the Olympics but of any major event anywhere. We have all been in one of these situations or worked with one of the characters at one time or another. The actors are well cast and have their characters down to perfection. Hugh bonneville is perfect as Ian Fletcher and Jessica Hynes is brilliant as Sioban Sharpe. Her performance is outstanding and is equal to that of Nigel Hawthornes portrayal of sir Humphrey Appleby in Yes minister. The only sad thing about this series is that only two series have been made. The BBC should have made a lot more episodes since both the writers and actors do such a great job.

One of the best mockumentary comedies I've ever seen.

Well written and whilst a tad cruel to the Olympic Delivery Committee - hilariously funny.

Worth buying as a souvenir of this summer (2012) and all the London fun!