Funland Review

Originally intending a long-running format, writers Simon Ashdown and Jeremy Dyson had little idea who is falling from Blackpool’s tower in their opening, flash-forward sequence. The fact that Funland ended up a 13-part series creates a minor stumbling block, as it continually struggles between taking delight in riffing on sleazy subplots and holding its story together. Dyson’s trademark surrealist streak brings out the show’s best (Mark Gatiss’ oddball taxidermist is particularly memorable), but when the humour dries up we’re left with melodramatic chaos. Not always a bad thing, but certainly a gamble.