TV review

Would The Horne Section TV Show exist if its frontman weren’t also responsible for Channel 4’s most successful comedy format? The question might be moot, but whatever the reasoning, this is one of telly’s few unabashedly silly shows in a landscape full of heavyweight comedy-dramas.

It’s also rare in effectively being a sketch show, albeit one based in one locale: Alex Horne’s house, where he and his band continue to tape a TV programme. Were it a sitcom, the ‘world’s strongest musician’ premise that drives episode one would certainly struggle to hold up a narrative – especially as, ironically, these scenes are not always that strong themselves.

But it’s OK as glue between better scenes – and especially the songs, which  remain the big draw. The visual image of saxophonist Mark Brown as a baby is creepily strange, and the production number on the catchy showstopper Shit Show is impressive. This is surely the stuff of viral videos

The chaos can be hard to get a handle on, but the show just about holds together by embracing its own likeable amateurness, an ethos that also defines Horne’s endearing comic persona. And in the spontaneous scenes in the rehearsal room, the camaraderie and friendship between band and frontman is palpable. 

The show full of running gags about what a beta-male Horne is – unable to play an instrument, barely capable of singing, confined to living in a tent in his own back garden. Recurring guest star Reggie Watts is the polar opposite, musically talented and effortlessly cool a constant counter to prey on the fictional Horne’s insecurities.

The second series is full of familiar comedy faces – from returning acts like Desiree Burch as Horne’s voice-of-reason agent and John Oliver Zooming in his desperation to be part of the show, to new turns like Stevie Martin as a disconcerting  psychic investigator in a later episode. 

• The Horne Section TV Show retuns to Channel 4 at 10pm tonight, after Taskmaster, with a double bill.

Review date: 22 May 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett