Here at Must TV we’re always intrigued to see a British show getting a passport and being remade in the US – coals to Newcastle and all that – and it has beensannounced that cult comedy This Country has packed its bags and is off to America.
We all need a good belly laugh to cheer us up, and This Country is full of ‘em. Brother and sister Daisy May and Charlie Cooper created and starred in this The Office-style mockumentary, which follows Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe, cousins and best mates, who are doing their worst to make the best of life in their sleepy Cotswold village. The series follows the pair as they essentially do nothing – there’s a whole episode about them waiting for a train at Kingham station – but this is absolutely the joy of the show. The trackie-wearing duo gob off like politicians running for PM, whilst hardly leaving the house.
It is a bit of a marmite show – If you grew up in rural England you’ve most likely met a Kerry and Kurtan or two, but if your life has been passed in urbanscapes you’re probably going to be slightly baffled by the show’s popularity. Clearly these green and pleasant lands are filled with country bumpkins, as during its three seasons it established a small but powerful fan club of people going about their lives dropping lines from this utterly quotable gem – “you nosey old c*ckwomble.” But the cat eventually got out of the Lonsdale gym bag and made its way to the BAFTAs to take home an impressive four golden masks.
The reviewers gave it their stamp of approval, too. Anita Singh in The Telegraph called it a “comedy gem,” and “the best PR the Church of England has had in years,” due to the “Kerry and Kurtan’s touching relationship with the vicar.” The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan gave the final season five stars, saying: “All of human life is here, in this bleak, hugely funny, intimate, seemingly slight yet ridiculously potent series of six perfectly formed half-hours.” And funnily enough it’s not just the Brits that love it. David Segal in the The New York Times calls it “Reliably hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking”.
With the news that the show is headed stateside, we can’t quite imagine a gun-wielding redneck Kerry and Kurtan… after all their country isn’t quite the same as This Country.
First shown February 2017. You can watch the trailer by pressing play on the show image, or by clicking here:
