Toast of London – Netflix/All 4
The first of a Matt Berry double whammy. Written by Berry and Father Ted co-writer Arthur Mathews, Toast of London is a magnificently bizarre series that focuses on the titular Steven Toast: a washed-up would-be thespian who is desperately clinging onto what remains of his dwindling acting career with very little help from his incredibly incompetent agent, Jane Plough.
To anyone familiar with Matt Berry’s past work (Snuff Box, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, The Mighty Boosh etc.), Toast probably won’t be too strange. But a newcomer will likely be sufficiently confused and baffled by a lot of the show’s humour – have no fear, it’ll grow on you quickly. Toast features original music by Berry (who, unbeknownst to some, is an exceptional musician) and a variety of “wow, I didn’t expect that”-calibre guest stars. There are three series available via Netflix and All 4 and a new series titled Toast in Tinseltown coming to the BBC at some point in the near future. Get on it!
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