British TV series Fleabag came highly recommended by a number of friends with diverse tastes, who described it variously as emotional, raw, funny, uncomfortable, insightful, honest, touching, revolting and poignant.
I was intrigued and found that the two series of this award-winning production embraces all of those descriptions and so much more. Simply put, Fleabag is unique.
Fleabag, the titular character – we never know her name – is a young woman, prone to ruminating. She is complicated, self-depreciating and often crude and smutty.
She chats, speculates and reflects her way through each episode as she includes and invites the audience into her scatterbrained, dysfunctional life. We get to know her as she peels back her layered character, revealed through each experience and her interaction with the other characters.
Brilliantly written and acted by the hugely talented, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the series was expanded from her 2013 one woman show, which won a First Fringe award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The first episode sees her have a one-night stand, pick up a man on the bus, meet and argue with her high-achieving sister, Claire. We are introduced to both her father and godmother, who is picky and manipulative, and find out that her best friend killed herself.
Needless to say, Waller-Bridge packs a lot into each episode and often breaks the ‘fourth wall’.
Her character talks to the audience, sharing fleeting thoughts and flitting between topics as is her nature.
Asides to the audience and stealthy glances to camera all go some way to creating a refreshingly unique series which found fame in both the UK and the USA, by no means an easy achievement.
There is nothing quite like Fleabag.
Every now and then, something new and exciting comes along, pushing the boundaries of TV, and cramming so much into a maximum of 28 minutes. This series does just that.
Premiering in the UK in July 2016, the second and final series in April 2019.
Waller-Bridge won a British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for the first series, while the second scooped 11 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning an astonishing six.
Waller-Bridge won Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.The series also received a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series and Best Actress for Waller-Bridge.
Fleabag is addictive and moreish, like a favourite chocolate bar that you savour but can’t scoff quickly enough, all the time aware that you will be left feeling in need of more when it’s all over.
