Sky One's Dramedy 'Brassic,' Seriously Bonkers, Is a Real Hoot

What, if you saw a young person sitting on the edge of a bridge, would you think he was doing there? “It’s too low. Tower block. Or fast-moving train,” Ralf Roberts said. “That’s what you need.”

Brassic, co-created by Daniel Brocklehurst and series star Joseph Gilgun, revolves around Vinnie and his four mates as they live their unconventional lives in the northern town of Hawley. Vinnie (Gilgun), Ash (Aaron Heffernan), Dylan (Damien Molony), Cardy (Tom Hanson) and Tommo (Ryan Sampson) are working class peeps with a low regard for the law and possibly other people’s property. Each of them have their own issues.

Vinnie lives in a shack in the woods and has bipolar disorder. Because it’s the best way he has found of trying to bring a bit of peace to his life and mind, his living arrangement doesn’t seem to bother him half as much as the people in his life.

Ash, an Irish Traveller, can go from being the calmest person you’ve ever seen to a seriously nasty piece of work that likes to throw his fists in any direction. Dylan, possibly the most sane of the group, is relatively sensible. Cardy, short for cardiac arrest, likes red meat for pretty much every meal he eats. And then there is Tommo. Tommo, with an overly active sex drive which makes the word libidinous seem tame, has an unusual entrepreneurial streak.

The first episode in the six-episode series, televised in the British Isles on 22 August, 2019, opens with Vinne sitting on the edge of a low bridge. After Roberts suggests he go find a high vantage point to take his nose-dive, the scene transitions to a car chase through country roads. This is where we meet most of Vinnie crew. They are trying to evade the police car that’s chasing them.

Only in a northern set comedy would you hear a monologue telling viewers “f*** the middle class, f*** the Guardian, f*** three holidays a year and drinking red wine… f*** moisturiser.” If you are familiar with the television series Shameless, the original British version, you’ll know the feel of the show. Considering Brocklehurst worked on Shameless as a writer, it shouldn’t surprise anyone Brassic has the feel it does.

When the group successfully foils the police and escapes with the stolen car, they find their next challenge is to steal a Shetland pony for Jim. Jim is the farmer that lets the group hide their stolen cars on his property. He also lets them grow pot and do various other socially unacceptable things.

Jim needs the pony because he has a vendetta against his Polish neighbour. The Polish farmer is apparently doing much better than Jim. This is something Jim can’t abide.

Much of the comedic vale of Brassic mirrors Shameless exactly. The group is every bit as much prone to misadventures as that which we saw with the Gallagher family.

When the Shetland pony takes a dump in the back of the van and Cardy’s pet pigeon escapes, he accidentally chloroforms Ash and himself. Consequently, they crash the van.

Slater (John Weaver), a local police officer with a hard-on for putting criminals behind bars, knows Vinne is stealing cars but has no evidence proving it.

The first episode closes perfectly with a scene that draws audience members deeper into the group’s working-class lives. By fleshing out the characters significantly, Brocklehurst has shown us that these are people that we can relate to on a personal level. Of course, even though these people have criminal tendencies, they are still human beings with real tangible relationships.

Even though the first episode draws us deeper into their world, it opens the door to main unaddressed questions. What does Vinnie owe his alcoholic dad? What does Dylan owe his best friend? What does Dylan owe Erin (Michelle Keegan)? As the series unfolds, we discover the answers to those questions aren’t as straightforward as we might have first envisioned.