Psychoville was a brilliant reinvention of the surreal comedy of the League of Gentlemen, and if anything the second series is even better than the first. The bizarre set of characters come together in the twisting storyline with even more presence than before and the plot has become just that bit more sophisticated.
Inevitably there’s also the same self mocking childish humour involved, but where Psychoville Series 2 really stands out is when it is at its darkest and most surreal. It has hit onto a way of making the scary, creepy and perverse funny in a way that no other comedy has ever done (apart from The League of Gentlemen) and it is this unique sense of humour that makes it so watchable.
Most of the characters from series 1 are back again, including Mr Jelly, Tea Leaf, David Sowerbutts and his mum Maureen, Oscar Lomax and dwarf actor Robert Greenspan, but there are also a number of new additions, including psychopathic police inspector Detective Finney, make-up artist Hattie (Steve Pemberton pulls out a class impression of Matthew Kelly) and Jeremy Goode (Reece Shearsmith) whose imaginary friend, Silent Singer, is one of the funniest and most sinister characters seen on TV.
Series 2 picks up after the explosion at the end of the first series with everyone still hunting for the locket, and Mr Jolly dead in the grave thanks to his pyrotechnics. From here the story flicks from one mental tangent to another, but all frighteningly interlinked, piecing together the mystery of the locket and bumping off characters at a furious pace.
Psychoville Series 2 is one of the best shows of the year so far and will further entrench Pemberton and Shearsmith into cult-like comedy genius status. It’s surreal and imaginative storyline and characterisation combine with dark humour to create something genuinely unique.
Psychoville Series 2 review – 4.6/5
