Mr Don & Mr George

Mr Don & Mr George is a milestone show in British comedy that made its debut on Channel 4 in 1993. The dark and surrealist comedy establishes its own unique persona from the beginning, utilising offbeat humor, oddball characters, and occasional quirky animation.

Developed in Scotland, the series uses the age-old comedy trope of two cohabitating bachelors, updated with its own idiosyncratic spin. The titular characters are Mr Donald Don and Mr George George. The duo is played by Jack Docherty and Moray Hunter, prominent Scottish comedians who were previous members of sketch comedy group Absolutely. They bring their extensive comedy experience and diverse talents to their performances, imbuing the characters with a skewed yet oddly relatable worldview.

Mr Don & Mr George introduces the impressions of two incompetent men trapped in a world of their creation that is largely tinged with absurdity, bizarre circumstances, and Kafkaesque unluckiness. The duo struggles with the everyday hearsay, uneasiness, unstable employment, and dating woes that morph into the crux of comedy. Parse through their lives, the audience encounter an amusing hodgepodge where reality and ridiculousness often blur.

Docherty's Mr Don is portrayed as a confrontational and argumentative man who is perpetually at loggerheads with life. His general lack of people skills serves a stark contrast to his aspirations of making something of himself and meeting 'nice' women. On the other hand, Mr George, played by Hunter, is more subdued but equally dysfunctional. He has resigned to his lacklustre existence, often displaying an uncanny willingness to accept their reality, ironically only feeding into their unending cycle of trouble.

Together, they navigate supremely unlucky and amusingly bizarre scenarios, whether it be dealing with their devious landlord, testing their luck at local speed dating events or facing an absurdly high household repair bill. Throughout the series, the duo embarks on journeys embedded with disturbing causality, delivering gags that cleverly twist the mundane into the macabre. The comic pair’s efforts to change their lives frequently crisscross distressing, absurd, and hilarious tracks leading to situations doomed to failure creating contagious laughter.

The show also delivered an eclectic mix of secondary characters, each more eccentric than the last. From the malevolently capitalistic landlord and overbearing local policeman to a host of disconcerting neighbours and women of their dreams living closely, the array of personages all contribute to the show's rogues' gallery that further deepens the comedic chaos.

Animation plays an essential role in the series, as these sections give insight into the psyche of the characters. The duo's fantasies, nightmares and daydreams take form in animated sequences, serving as juxtapositions to the live-action segments and often delivering a further layer of unsettling humour. Picking up on stylistic cues from Victorian fairy tales, Gothic cinema, and classic surrealism, the animation is a distinctive trait for 'Mr Don & Mr George' pushing the boundaries of traditional comedy.

With its distinctive blend of comedy, surrealism, and animation, Mr Don & Mr George was not just a sitcom, but a piece of comedic art that pushed the boundaries of television during its era. The show delighted in taking risks that many other comedies would back away from, resulting in a series that remains unique and creatively awe-inspiring even after nearly three decades.

In essence, 'Mr Don & Mr George' is a unique blend of absurdity and realism, combined to create an endless pit of unpredictable comedy. It's framed on the foibles of two struggling characters living together, but it goes beyond that basic premise, stretching the boundaries of what a sitcom can be. Its idiosyncrasies and wit make it a stand-out British comedy gem from the 90s that still holds its comedic charm. The show is not just worth watching for its comedic value but for its wielding of the animation medium and offbeat writing that dared to be different.