I know that the writer, David Nobbs, was earlier in his career a prolific creator of jokes and sketches for some of the most popular comedy shows on British tv. Yet his brand of situation comedy - I'm thinking of his Reginald Perrin series - and dark comedy, like A Bit of a Do, are off the beaten track of traditional comic fare. Not necessarily the worse for that, of course.
Although the nominal stars are David Jason and his inamorata Nicola Pagett, neither of them shines in their role. Jason struggles with a convincing Yorkshire accent, and loses the battle. His range of both speech and facial gesture are sorely limited. I realize that he won a major award but can't understand how. Pagett, meanwhile, lacks comedic talent. She's a good dramatic actress but isn't funny and can't deliver a comic line. Her laugh is excruciatingly amateurish.
The show is sustained by its supporting cast, which (the annoyingly whiny Gwen Taylor as Jason's wife aside) is almost uniformly excellent. Paul Chapman is brilliant as the rejected husband. David Thewlis brought a certain star quality to a role that didn't give him much to work with. But for me the absolute standout was Stephanie Cole as family friend Betty. Almost invariably teetering on the brink of inebriation she brings acute forensic skills to what she observes and isn't reluctant to let everyone know. Her equally susceptible husband played by Tim Wylton, chicken producer extraordinaire, is almost as terrific.
I have to admit that I didn't much care for Reggie Perrin despite the genius of Leonard Rossiter. But 'Do' has a better script, is more imaginative and boasts fine performances from many participants. Eight out of ten.