Spy! (That show for CHILDREN.)

Spy: one of the most charming, captivating and chucklesome TV shows I've seen in a long time. (Yes, chucklesome isn't actually a word. Yes, I invented it because I wanted three alliterative adjectives.)

Having developed a serious Mat Baynton situation through extensive binge-watching of Horrible Histories, and being a long-time appreciator of Darren Boyd and his tall tallness, the darling Emma and I decided to watch Spy together*. Spy being Sky's newest family comedy/drama offering, in which a single dad (Tim - Darren Boyd, father to Marcus - Jude Wright) going through a custody battle accidentally gets a job as a with MI5.

Darren Boyd (L) and Jude Wright (R). Obviously. They're hardly going to be the other way round, are they?

I know what you're thinking. Holy terrible, overused trope, Batman! I, however, love a good cheesy plot device**, and am - of course - swayed by pretty faces, so we gave it a go. CORRECT DECISION.

Spy is WONDERFUL. I was, am, and continue to be quite preposterously hyperbolic in my turn of phrase; however, I don't think I can overstate how completely and utterly charming this show is. Ridiculous as the premise may be, it hardly matters a jot (and, to be honest, it's more plausible than some plot devices used in TV shows this year. I AM LOOKING AT YOU, JULIAN FELLOWES); the writing is tight, the cast is wonderful, and the whole things treads perfectly that line between 'this show is made for families and is thus lovely and scrumptious' and 'this show is ripe for objectification and will appeal to pervs the world over'. Basically: MY KINDA SHOW.

I'll start with the cast, and Darren Boyd first of all. I'm a huge Green Wing fan, and was thus super excited to see good old Jake Leaf in a leading role. I leave Spy with a stonking great crush on Darren Boyd and his bloody face, and a whole new appreciation for just how damn good he is. Tim is fucking adorable - his parental ineptitude, his romantic ineptitude, his general life ineptitude; he's bumbling and endearing and clumsy and likes PUZZLES and loves his son and tries. He tries so damn hard, and it rarely works out for him, and good god I love him. Darren's fond looks towards Marcus will break your heart, as will his wounded puppy face when he gets hurt or stomped on (which is a LOT). He's utterly lovely.

And SO TALL. There's something very attractive about a tall boy (what up, Rupert Young), and Darren is just so LONG and TALL and one time he got his forearms out and everything was excellent.

FOREARMS.

Moreover, he's a BRILLIANT physical comedian. I don't agree with those who look down on slapstick (when done well, it's tip-top -- see also: Miranda), and Darren is a master. He's so limby and haphazard, which makes Tim all the more endearing. You just want to sit him down before he does any more harm to himself or others.

And then there's Marcus.

The face that launched a thousand Tiny Crime Squads.

I just, I can't even talk about how brilliant Jude Wright is. As episode one states in-dialogue, Marcus is a dick. BUT A GLORIOUS ONE. He's smarmy, patronising and absolutely cutting when he wants to be. He's cruel to Tim, constantly outwitting him and is horribly condescending about 90% of the time. And yet we love him. Jude is a fucking wonder - he's absolutely spot on, delivering extremely complicated dialogue for one so young with flourish. Aside from his beautiful snark, Marcus also has some really touching, broken moments throughout, and Jude nails every single one. He and Darren play off each other BEAUTIFULLY - they're perfectly, perfectly cast.

As for the rest of the cast, I can't think of a weak link. I absolutely love Rebekah Staton, who completely holds her own as Caitlin, Tim's gun-toting love interest; their scenes together, with banter that manages to be both quick and tender, consistently left me mewling 'NOW KISS!' at my screen. Robert Lindsay, looking alarmingly like Alan Sugar, is a delightful douchebag boss, while Rosie Cavaliero puts in a hilarious turn as Paula, the nutjob family planning counsellor with an obsessive crush on Tim.

There are two stand-outs among the supporting cast, however. The first is Tom Goodman-Husbandry, whose homoerotic, red-trouser-clad Philip stole almost every scene. In fact, I'd say the entire series is worth watching for his salsa dancing alone.

Secondly, BAYNTON.

Oh, I am disgustingly attracted to your stupid face.

Yeah, he exists. And, not only does he exist, with his weird chin, child's body and glorious hair, all of these things combine to play the part of a Chris, a cynical, bitter tech geek hipster and I'm sorry I just need a moment to deal with how magnificent that is. There were times when his character was featured in a scene despite being utterly superfluous to the plot, but oh, everything was so much better for his presence. His ridiculous expressions, his flailing limbs (HAVE YOU SEEN HIM RUN, kill me), that bloody hair - everything about Chris is exaggerated and hilarious and beautiful. And he gets all up in Tim's personal space a LOT. Which is excellent.

I could continue to rant about the cast for HOURS (believe me, I could), but a good cast does not a good show make. It needs more. Like WRITING. Which this show has! That's awfy convenient, isn't it?

But really, the writing is whip-smart and properly, face-hurtingly hilarious. And, aside from that, there's some beautiful dramatic threads running through it; when you really think about the custody battle, God, it's heartbreaking. And it's balanced so well, to the extent where I sometimes didn't even know what to DO with all my feelings (in a good way).

Seriously, I fucking loved this show. Six 25-minute pockets of loveliness that I would encourage anybody who likes joy to get on immediately. And - huzzah - it's been renewed for 10 further episodes and a Christmas special! MORE SPY. MORE TALL BUMBLING INEPT DADS. MORE TINY SNARK. MORE FLAILING HIPSTERS. MORE OF EVERYTHING GOOD IN THE WORLD.

*and by 'watch together', I of course mean, watch at separate ends of the country and liveblog via the medium of gchat. These are the things one has to do when one's best friend lives 250 miles away!. 
**My favourite being: a group of scientists have to shrink themselves down and explore the inside of someone's body! Done expertly in Futurama and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, to name but two.