I remember back in late 2009 when the pilot for PhoneShop was aired as part of Channel 4's Comedy Showcase.
I remember instantly liking the situation and found each of the characters as funny and entertaining as the next. I remember thinking how this had not been done before, it was another case of how simple ideas can often be over looked or dismissed.
PhoneShop is currently halfway through its second series after it was picked up for a full series following 2009's pilot. It seems as if the second series is getting good ratings and positive reviews as it is constantly in the Top 10 trends in the UK on Twitter whenever it's on, and tonight it was the number 1 trend.
Whilst the first series focussed more on the shop, the second series seems to be a lot more focussed on the characters and taking the first episode as an example, the shop is seldom seen.
At first, I was slightly disappointed that this was the case as the shop is essentially what the sitcom was built upon. Imagine if for the second series of Fawlty Towers the hotel wasn't shown as much, the viewer will feel slightly short changed.
However the more the series went on, the less I missed the shop and enjoyed getting to know the characters more. Major credit has to be given to the Phil Bowker, who writes the series, as he has been able to create characters that are as funny and entertaining outside of their working environment. A testament to the well known notion that characterisation is a major element that has to be strong whilst constructing a sitcom and this second series of PhoneShop is proving that.
The characters are easily recognisable as the types we have all encountered in many of the phone shops we have entered in our lives, but exagerrated for comic effect but executed in a way that seems 100% plausible.
PhoneShop continues to be an amusingly fresh and current sitcom that sits very well in E4's programming schedule and works well to target E4's audience.