Review of the new BBC Three comedy with Allan ‘Seapa’ Mustafa and Steve Stamp

Andy Peacock is a thirtysomething personal trainer coming to realise the emptiness of his no-strings-attached lifestyle. As his friends settle down with wives and children, his lack of ambition beyond having a drunken lads’ night down the pub is starting to look so sad that even he, reluctantly, realises it. Though it takes an accidental mushroom trip to reach this epiphany.

It also takes a full sitcom episode to outline his midlife crisis, as Peacock, the show, strikes a relaxed, naturalistic pace that seems sluggishly slow. The underplayed style also feels dated: when the unselfaware Peacock induces cringes when he tries too hard to be one of the lads on ‘Mandem Mondays’ it’s not so far from David Brent on the office night out.

The main difference is that Peacock, as played by People Just Do Nothing’s Allan ‘Seapa’ Mustafa might once have been at least a version of cool – although his cheesy playboy pad in his mum’s house and his naivety about drug use suggest even that tentative claim is behind him.

Mustafa’s Kurupt FM co-star Steve Stamp – who plays gym  customer Jonathan here – wrote the script with long-term collaborator Ben Murray. They’ve come up with a couple of funny scenes – not least when Peacock’s mate Spooner (Thomas Gray) exploits his fear of microdosing to wind him up something rotten

But much of the script is the low-key comedy of embarrassment, whether it’s Peacock pathetically trying to compete with a work rival or awkwardly flirting with his customer, Carly, when the ‘have I been naughty?’ come-on is derailed by his lack of imagination.

It pootles along amiably, but never once threatens to feel like essential TV. Channel 4’s The Curse – which previously reunited Mustafa and Stamp –  was a much stronger prospect, thanks to its compelling crime-thriller plotlines that knock this meandering effort for six. It’s not just Peacock’s gym customers that need toning up…

• Peacock has just aired on BBC Three  and all episodes are available now on iPlayer.

Review date: 25 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett