Series: Will Tracey lose it?
Life can be complicated, especially if you're the 20-something virginal daughter of a religious immigrant living in London. This is the basic premise of Chewing Gum, a British comedy series about the perils of sex and dating when your mother is the type of person who stands in a courtyard calling people heathens while tolling a bell.The show kicks off by introducing us to Tracey (Michaela Coel) a godfearing young adult trying to lure her zealot of a boyfriend into bed. It sounds easy enough but there are a couple of stumbling blocks in her way. For one, said boyfriend believes fornication to be the devil's work and views bumping uglies with her (when they're married of course) as a kind of Jesuit atonement ritual. Then there's the fact that, being a virgin in a cloistered household, she knows next to nothing about making the beast with two backs. What follows is a zany, self-deprecating journey of self discovery.The bulk of Chewing Gum's immense charm comes from how easy it is to relate to the show. The cast look like people you'd bump into at your local mall and their situations, while caricatured, are the kinds of stories one hears often in everyday life.Coel is brilliant playing the awkward, sheltered girl thrown headlong into the deep end of the ways of the world and floundering.The key to a good comedy series is extracting humour from the commonplace . US and British writers approach this differently. In the land of the hamburger, it's done with clever quips, whereas our old colonial masters prefer to make real-life personalities ludicrous. I enjoy the latter approach and Chewing Gum proves why in hilarious fashion.Chewing Gum is available on NetflixBOX POPSTHE CROWNA drama that navigates the political rivalries and romances of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Available on NetflixBORN THIS WAYA charming reality show that follows the lives of young adults living with Down Syndrome. Starts on November 14 at 8pm on DStv channel 131.COLD FEETAn award-winning drama about how life has contempt for the best laid plans of mice and men. Airs on Thursdays at 8pm on DStv channel 123..
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