Kath & Kim: articles


Brits rate Kath and Kim

The verdict is in and it is not too bad. Here is a round-up from the website of The Guardian in London of British press comment on Kath and Kim, which went to air in Britain on BBC2 for the first time last Thursday.

The Guardian, Nancy Banks-Smith. Verdict: Began life as a sketch and still looks like a cartoon.

"Oo, they are awful, but do you like them? Not much, but I'm inclined to think you could love them."

Daily Mail, Christopher Matthew. Verdict: It could become irresistible.

"This cringe-making, wonderfully funny picture of life in the Melbourne suburbs may put you off ever wanting to emigrate to Oz, but a half-hour visit once a week could become irresistible."

The Times, Sarah Vine. Verdict: Very silly indeed - a cross between The Royle Family and Little Britain.

"Trust me, this show is really funny. I got so addicted that I watched the whole of the first series and one episode of series two before having to drag myself away to file this review."

The Daily Telegraph, Gerard O'Donovan. Verdict: Takes crude but often hilarious sideswipes at suburban Australians.

"Prime among its pleasures for a British audience is the wonderful fun Turner and Riley have with the peculiarities of the Melbourne accent - which translates to non-native ears as a magnification of the vowel abuse inflicted on English by so many antipodean accents."

The Independent, Robert Hanks. Verdict: Wouldn't know subtlety if it hit them in the face.

"The nicest dialogue came during the credits. Having spent the episode bickering, Kath and Kim settled down on the patio to talk about the joys of smoking behind their boyfriends' backs. Turner and Riley seemed comfortable and conspiratorial in the way mothers and daughters sometimes do. It was funny because they felt like a family; The Robinsons [another BBC2 sitcom] isn't, because they don't."

May 18, 2005
Sydney Morning Herald