Sketch shows on television these days, and that may have something to do with the fact that they can often be very hit and miss. However with Cardinal Burns, it's a lot more hit than miss.
So 'hit' in fact that it won a British Comedy Award in 2012 for 'Best Sketch Show', won both Best Multichannel Programme and Best Comedy Programme at the 2013 Broadcast Awards and last year was nominated for a 'Best Comedy' BAFTA.
So it's no surprise really, that the show is moving to Channel 4 from E4 for its second series in a perfect slot straight after Ricky Gervais' Derek. Proof Channel 4 have a lot of faith in the award-winning show, and quite rightly so.
Cardinal Burns is created by Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns and features a range of bizarre yet hilarious characters, including a couple of office workers who schedule in time to flirt with female co-workers, cue the famous line "Fancy a flirt?".
There are two things that I think go hand in hand when making a sketch show and that's to make sure it's funny, and make sure it has variety. Cardinal Burns certainly ticks both of these boxes.Whilst you may not like one sketch, the next is bound to have you in stitches, and that's why Cardinal Burns is a sketch show rather than a sitcom.
A sitcom may only appeal to one section of society, where as I really do feel that Cardinal Burns is a show that can appeal to young and old, which is why I think moving the show to Channel 4 is a very smart idea as it'll reach more people than it did on E4 without having to compromise
There are a host of new characters introduced in the second series, including, perhaps my favourite additions, two Turkish minicab drivers - Hashtag and Bukake, who star in their very own Dalston-set Erotic thriller and turn into action heroes.
In the first episode the pair demonstrate heroic attempts to rescue a damsel in distress. And then in the second episode, Hashtag and Bukake, they're caught up in bar brawl with a pair of hipsters over a beautiful fare.
Then there's the scene where a guy walks into a sorting office to pick up a parcel and when the worker goes out the back to fetch the customer's parcel he finds himself in a game of The Crystal Maze and has two minutes to retrieve the parcel. Cue a very funny and a very accurate game of The Crystal Maze. As new characters and new ideas go, this is definitely my favourite so far, the one I laughted at the most, so for those reasons I really hope this isn't the last we've seen of that idea.
It's not all about the new characters though, some of the old favourites are back too. As I mentioned earlier, the office flirts are back and it's just as well, because if you've seen the first series, I'm sure you'll agree that "Fancy a flirt?" is perhaps the most well-known phrase from the series. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say there might be trouble in paradise and things may all be about to change for the office flirting duo. Not forgetting the pretty extravagant new flirting tricks New Guy has, taking flirting as we know and love it to the next level.
Also back for more, and reminiscent of shows such as The Hills and Made In Chelsea, are Yumi, Rachel and Olivia who star in their own reality series about their lives called Young Dreams, complete with very addictive theme tune. In the first episode Yumi kills Rachel's chances with a dreamy yoga instructor, situated in-between Jack Wills and Monsoon on the Kings Road. Playing the part of the yoga instructor is the brilliant Tom Stourton (Siblings).
And Cardinal Burns wouldn't be complete without their portrayal of Banksy as a rather dull suburban dad with comedy glasses and a comedy nose by way of a disguise. Then there's his stepson who is back for series two, and in the first episode Banksy tries more than ever to bond with his him so decides to take him away on a camping trip, which as you probably have guessed, ends in catastrophe.
So there you have it, as I've said I think Cardinal Burns is a very strong sketch show, if not the strongest on telly at the moment, so it's great to see it move to Channel 4 for what I can safely say is a 'just as good' if not 'better' second series, which is bound to go on and win more awards. Luckily the pair haven't had to compromise anything for the move to a more mainstream channel as the tone remains the same, the characters are just as 'out there' and many of them return from the first series.
All that's left for me to say is that if you haven't yet seen the first series yet, I'd recommend catching up and I guarantee that before long you'd have caught up and will be ready to witness the mad mix of characters in series two of Cardinal Burns.