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Jennifer Saunders and Michael Sheen hit it off as they drove through his childhood hometown. Unfortunately, the format lets both of them down
We may not get an Alan Partridge special this Christmas, but his spirit was alive and well in Jennifer Saunders’ Memory Lane (ITV). This new interview show may have been commissioned by the desperate North Norfolk DJ at his infamous Monkey Tennis lunch with a bigwig.
The rather coincidental premise was that Jennifer Saunders got behind the wheel of a classic red Jaguar E-Type and picked up a prominent passenger. She then chatted through her life story as she drove her to important places from her past.
From the tricky title to Saunders’ driving gloves, from fetishistic shots of dashboards to the forced format, much of it was Partridge. His ill-fated celebratory chat show Knowing Me Knowing Yule had been unwittingly put on wheels. Aha!
For this pilot episode, Saunders was accompanied by actor Michael Sheen in the passenger seat. For some reason he wore an oilskin cloak and hat. Along with its untamed lockdown hair and bushy beard, it gave Sheen the air of a slightly awkward fisherman.
The couple trudged the streets of Port Talbot, where Sheen grew up, and stopped at key locations to share personal stories. We saw his parents’ house, the playing fields where he dreamed of becoming a professional footballer, and the scenes of his early forays onto the stage.
Port Talbot is famous for its steel industry and impressive skyline, which often looked breathtaking. Remarkably, however, it has also spawned the greatest Welsh actors of all time: Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins and Sheen. There must be something in the Afan River. Native boy Rob Brydon must be annoyed that he was not mentioned in this illustrious company.
They drove over the Brecon Beacons to Hay-on-Wye, the magical city of books that young Sheen saw as an escape. With face masks on, they rummaged in the famous Booth’s bookshop. Along the way, they took a teasing phone call from Sheen’s close friend David Tennant, his sparring partner on Good Omens and Staged.
Visibly emotional, Sheen recalled his extraordinary performance in 2011 in The Passion of Port Talbot – a 72-hour production on the streets of the city that was followed by word of mouth by thousands of locals. They went back the steps of his procession and visited the place by the sea of his crucifixion.
« While I was on the cross I was so tempted to go, » I can see my house from here, « » Sheen joked, but he was noticeably proud of the epic piece. « I will never do anything as useful again, » he said. “This will be the best I’ve ever done. ”
This unusual chat show was the seed of a good idea. There’s an intimacy with two people in a car, a forced closeness, and the feeling of being in a bubble – a feeling that is exploited by the likes of James Cordens Carpool Karaoke and Peter Kay’s Car Share.
Despite the combined star power of Saunders and Sheen, it kind of felt like a TV show washed up on the day in prime time. Numerous reviews and quotes on the screen reinforced this impression. I half expected the duo to suddenly tour some properties or stop at an antique auction.
After an hour of running it felt too long. Reunions with characters from Sheen’s past had no emotional power. Little aided by the need to stand two meters apart and wear masks. In listening mode, Saunder’s ironic joke had to step back instead of speaking himself.
Another downside was that if you’ve lived long enough to have an interesting bio, the chances are that important locations no longer exist. As a result, Wales’ first drive-thru burger bar was now a parking lot, Sheen’s school had been converted into apartments, and his favorite cinema was being bulldozed. This gave a touch of wistful melancholy. I remember when everything was fields here.
Sheen was full of pride and infectious passion for his hometown. He and Saunders seemed to understand each other. Unfortunately, that interview vehicle – essentially who do you think you’re in a car – never really got out of second gear?.
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Jennifer Saunders, Michael Sheen, Absolutely Fabulous, Port Talbot, Ade Edmondson, The Comic, Wales
World News – UK – Jennifer Saunders’ Memory Lane, Review: This Interview- On- Wheels can’t get out of second gear
Ref: https://www.telegraph.co.uk
