Michael Sleep (Pearce Quigley) is a man living life on pause. His girlfriend Clea went missing on Christmas Eve seven years ago, and never returned. He’s unable to move on and stuck in a literal dead end (a suburban Manchester cul-de-sac). Working in a DIY store, where he cracks wise with his one friend Kasey (Lauren Patel) he’s looking for something -anything- to bring meaning and purpose to his broken life.
This sounds bleak, but it’s penned by the brilliant Mackenzie Crook, with the same gorgeous attention for the mundane and the magickal as his peerless comedy -drama Detectorists. Crook himself plays jobsworth boss Gordon but leaves the heavy lifting to Quigley, assorted local eccentrics and Michael’s genius father Brian (Michael Palin) who whiles away his time in a care home making Heath Robinson style creations.
When Brian suggests Michael creates some jars of homunculi, alchemical artificial beings kept in a jar (and the titular beings) Michael puts it down to his cognitive decline. But suddenly, the idea starts to appeal and the project becomes a reality- enough to give the local curtain twitchers more than an eyeful.
It could have taken a wrong turn into the whimsical but Crook invests enough pathos, creativity and cynicism into the programme’s script to keep it unique, startling and genuinely affecting. Plus, the stop motion is amazing, it’s all played with a straight bat and has moments of hilarity. I think Crook is genuinely a genius, I’m obsessed, and have devoured this wonderful series like the best Merlot and chocolate.
Available on BBC iPlayer.
Hit The North 