Make the most of your time in lockdown with a daily dose of celebrity news and guides to the best shows. Sign up to the entertainment newsletter.
With production on most new TV shows on hold for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic, we’re all going to have to get used to seeing a lot more repeats on our screens over the coming months.
But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing – in fact, there’s a lot of joy to be had rediscovering old classics, as I’ve learned for myself over the last week.
The complete boxset of legendary BBC sitcom The Vicar Of Dibley returned to Netflix earlier this month, which coincided with a time where I’d hit a real wall with the lockdown, and the nostalgia it evoked could not have been more of a relief.
Yes, watching old BBC comedy boxsets on iPlayer or Netflix is nothing new – I’ve rewatched Gavin & Stacey and Absolutely Fabulous so many times that had they been on VHS, the tapes would be worn out – but until recently, The Vicar Of Dibley had been one of those shows fans would had to actually go out and buy a physical copy of to enjoy again.
For that reason, it’s been years since I’ve roared with laughter at the sight of Geraldine Grainger unwittingly jumping into a very deep puddle, or badly mimicking ballerina Darcey Bussell in the village variety show. Heck, I even guffaw at Alice Tinker’s terrible jokes in every single post-credits scene.
Seeing those moments we all remember so fondly from the 90s heyday of British comedy has been sliding on a pair of comfy old slippers. Yes it’s a cliché to say, but sometimes clichés exist for a reason, and this is genuinely one of them.
I’ve also reached such a point of lockdown delirium that I’m genuinely a bit gutted that I can’t go and self-isolate with Dawn French’s character in the vicarage. As HuffPost’s recent investigation into the most suitable TV homes for the quarantine period concluded: “[Geraldine] would be brilliant company, the place itself is cosy and you know if nothing else there’d be a decent supply of chocolate if you felt like an impromptu treat. And then there’s the surroundings – who wouldn’t love doing their one hour government-approved walk in all of that beautiful nature?”
I’ve also found hilarity in theorising what situations iconic characters like Alice and Owen (played by the late Emma Chambers and Roger Lloyd–Pack) would have gotten themselves into during the lockdown – much like one Gavin & Stacey fan did in this seriously inspired Twitter thread. Just think of all the new hobbies Alice would have found, or what Owen could have been up to on the farm. Actually, maybe it’s best not to dwell on that last one.
So if you’re in need of a pick me up this Bank Holiday weekend, there’s 20 episodes of sheer joy just waiting for you to delve back into. And when you’re finished devouring Dibley, there’s a complete serving of Dinnerladies on Netflix to get your teeth stuck into next.
All episodes of The Vicar Of Dibley are streaming on Netflix now.