ara Pascoe announces right at the start of her new sitcom what her intentions are: “I’m going to destroy your faith in love.” The six-part comedy, which started on Tuesday on BBC Two, might be playfully light-hearted – but it’s also seething with resentment.
With a best friend who is pregnant and a sister who’s getting married, the needy, single Sara (Pascoe plays a deranged version of herself) actively tries to ruin any chance of happiness they might have. In one scene, her mum suggests she throws a baby shower for her pregnant friend (played by Cariad Lloyd, Pascoe’s real-life best friend). “The only throwing I’ll be doing is up,” says Sara, as she makes a vomiting noise. I can’t say I laughed much – and I watched all six episodes.
It’s not that I don’t understand her character’s struggles. I remember what it felt like to have friends announcing they were pregnant when I wasn’t – it was like a stab in my heart – or when they got hitched and I found myself pushed out. I also have a dysfunctional family and I’m now single – like Sara – but Pascoe’s sitcom is too over the top. Call me sentimental, but why does she feel the need to convince everybody else that love isn’t real?
