Lazy Scripting

One of my favourite programmes at the moment is “Not Going Out”, on BBC1. It’s a very silly sitcom, but well-written, and with a far higher selection of jokes than most of the other comedies on TV. Mainly because at least half the script seems to consist of one-liners, but what the hell, it makes me laugh more than just about anything else on TV.

It’s in its second series now, which is just as good as the first all ways but one, and it’s that one piece that annoys me.

In the first season, a woman appeared as a masseur in one episode. That’s fine. But now, in the second season, the same actress is now playing a cleaner. Same character, different job. And what annoys me is that this change of job has never been mentioned, much less explained. It wouldn’t take much, just a simple nod to having been a masseur, but wanting to do a cleaner job, or somesuch. That’s all it would have taken, but its not been done.

In short, it’s just lazy script-writing. It wouldn’t have taken any real effort to either write a bit more script, or even just to cast a different actress, but no they couldn’t be bothered. And that annoys me. It won’t stop me from liking the programme, but it does annoy me when I watch it.