Colin is no Heathcliff – the windows are closed to Cathy
Sometimes when a character leaves a sitcom it rings the death knoll but not in the case of Cathy, the overbearing alcoholic neighbour, superbly played by Doon Mackichan, in Two Doors Down. She has gone off to pastures new and in so doing has opened up a rich new seam of comedy for writers Simon Carlyle and Gregor Sharp.
Series 6 opens with the aftermath of the desertion by Cathy and the effect on the life of her cuckolded husband, Colin. In this situation the socially intrusive neighbour, Christine (Elaine C Smith), the epicentre of the humour in the show, comes into her own with her blunt inquisition into Colin’s new found circumstances.
Put upon neighbours, Beth (Arabella Weir) and Eric (Alex Norton) deal with Colin’s loss with empathy and care whilst Christine oblivious to his feelings starts the ball rolling as the friends, now joined by son Ian (Jamie Quinn and his boyfriend Gordon (Kieran Hodgson) begin their character assassination of the departed Cathy.
The cast is excellent, the script is sharp with just the odd expletive for effect but equally effective are the facial expressions and knowing looks of the gathering.
To go into detail would deprive you of discovering those elements for yourselves. This series is every bit as good, if not better, than the previous 5 (review)which are all available on BBC iPlayer.
With so much comedy output now relying on comedians in too many tired game/panel shows, good sitcoms are few and far between. Two Doors Down is good. Very good.
