The funny side of London 2012

Sometimes life imitates comedy. Earlier this week I was at a showing of the new BBC sitcom "Twenty Twelve" - the first episode of which is about the unveiling of a London 2012 icon.

Then last night I was at St Pancras Station where London's first giant Olympic rings were being unveiled by Boris Johnson and Seb Coe.

One of the gags in the sitcom is about the launch of 2012's countdown clock; and, sure enough, we can expect the real countdown clock to make an appearance soon.

"Twenty Twelve" the show launches on BBC Four on 14 March, and its genesis is in the normal business of BBC Comedy.

It was conceived, written and delivered independently of the BBC 2012 project team - and our role has simply been to liaise on some of the logistics.

One of the things we were able to help on, for instance, was the appearance in episode two of the real Seb Coe who performs a cameo role with some aplomb.

London 2012 Chair Seb Coe make a cameo appearance in the show. Picture: BBC

You can watch a short piece about how the show was made on the BBC London site, including an interview with Lord Coe.

But the key point about any comedy, of course, is whether it's funny - and here I have to proceed with a degree of caution.

I think it is. In fact, I love the show - as do almost all the people who've had sneak previews, including some of our friends from Locog who are on the receiving end of the satire.

The only qualification, of course, is that we do our jobs in a London 2012 world in which the characters seem eerily familiar and there are situations we've experienced.

The challenge is whether that plays as strongly to audiences way beyond this website for whom London 2012 is only just creeping onto their agenda.

I hope and believe it will. Partly that's because it's beautifully played by the cast.

Hugh Bonneville is exceptional as the harrassed leader of Olympic deliverance, but there isn't a weak link in the performances; and you can get a flavour of them in the trailer here.

It's also because it's quite a warm show - written by John Morton who did "People Like Us" - and it's not as much of a shark tank as "The Thick Of It", brilliant though that is.

I haven't yet seen the whole series, but I want to know whether the lovelorn PA ever finds happiness and how the compulsive pizza-eater solves London's traffic problems.

The characters work even if you've zero interest in the 2012 scenarios.

We'll know how many people share that view as the six parts play out each week; and this will be just one of a range of Olympic-related shows that will appear on the BBC between now and the Games.

But I'm pleased Comedy is off the blocks early because it would be a shame if there weren't some humour to be had from the Olympics as well as the sport and the ceremonial.

Locog rightly took the view when they agreed Seb Coe's appearance that it's a good thing if we can be seen to laugh at ourselves; and though most of what they and we do has a serious purpose, a joke or two should make the next 18 months even better.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/rogermosey/2011/03/the_funny_side_of_london_2012.html

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