E4's Misfits

The BAFTA award winning Misfits, a program first aired on Channel 4's teenage-aimed offshoot "e4", is often described as "a cross between Skins and Heroes". It is my personal opinion that this label is only given out by those who, either a., have not watched the show, or b., like to categorise and tick boxes. Misfits is a brilliant creation in its own right, and needs lean on neither famous (or perhaps infamous, depending on your perspective) show for support.

Howard Overman has stumbled upon the best comedy series I have had the joy to watch since the first Series of The Inbetweeners. Extraordinarily well written and directed, this is a dark comedy that no one else would have had the brilliance to conceive. Who else could have imagined what five teenagers with ASBOs could do with superpowers? Who else would have imagined that it would be so effortlessly funny?

Robert Sheehan (or Nathan, as he is in character), provides much of the series' comic relief. The witty and brilliant actor, who you may remember from the film Cherrybomb (co-starring Rupert Grint) or the three-part drama Red Riding, is one of Britain's great young rising stars. His comic timing is impeccable, especially in combination with the frustrations of the character Simon (Welsh actor Iwan Rheon, who previously played Moritz in the London production of Spring Awakening), delivering such spectacularly memorable lines as: "I have two questions for you. 1. Have you ever had sex with a piece of fruit? 2. Was it a melon?"

With Lauren Socha (Kelly), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Curtis) and newcomer Antonia Thomas (Alisha) rounding off a talented cast, which will undoubtedly become household names in the next few years, Howard Overman helps provide brilliant acting for the equally well-written scripts.

However, it isn't all fun and games. Despite the hilarity that unfolds in many of their escapades, the "misfits", do have some struggles to overcome. As if unexpected, and often uncontrolable, abilities such as invisibility, turning back time, hearing the thoughts of others and sex pheromone manipulation (or trying to work out what their power is) were not enough, they have other super-powered people to deal with. Most worrying of all is their probation-worker, apparently driven insane by the storm that gave them their powers.

Despite Misftis' strange, and perhaps laughable, premise, E4 and Overman have struck comedy diamond. The best advice that I can give you is simply to watch it (for British citizens, it is currently being re-broadcast on Channel 4 and is still available online at 4oD), which I can guarantee you will enjoy.