| Never Better | |
|---|---|
 The opening titles to Never Better. | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Fintan Ryan |
| Directed by | Martin Dennis |
| Starring | Stephen Mangan Kate Ashfield Christopher Fairbank Tom Goodman-Hill Michele Austin |
| Theme music composer | Willie Dowling |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Helen Gregory |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | World Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 10 January – 14 February 2008 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Never Better is a British television sitcom which started on BBC Two from 10 January to 14 February 2008. It stars Stephen Mangan as recovering alcoholic Keith Merchant and Kate Ashfield as his suffering wife Anita. The series is written by Fintan Ryan for World Productions.[1]
The series has been described as a dark sitcom, being compared to other recent sitcoms such as Lead Balloon and Curb Your Enthusiasm.[2][3] However, critics have complained that the show is too similar to these sort of programmes,[4] as well as attacking the character of Keith for not being funny.[5][6] The series was received poorly by viewers, with the first series attracting an average audience of less than one million viewers per episode.[7]
- ^ "Never Better". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 18 July 2008.
- ^ McLean, Gareth (10 January 2008). "Watch This". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ Curtis, Nick (7 January 2008). "The King of Black Comedy". The Scotsman. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ Hoggart, Paul (10 January 2008). "Tonight's TV". The Times. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ "Never Better". Daily Mirror. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
- ^ O'Donovan, Gerard (18 January 2008). "Telegraph TV pick: Never Better (BBC2)". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
- ^ "Nothing funny about these TV ratings: Comedy audiences slump". Chortle.co.uk. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.