Metro, September 2018
Like a easy-going mix of The Royle Family, Coronation Street and Cheers, Craig Cash and Phil Mealey’s gentle BBC sitcom set in a Stockport pub probably deserved more than two series back in the early 2000s. But Early Doors quickly passed into legend, and when the stage show sequel sold out massive arenas and theatres around the country this autumn, it proved that put-upon landlord Ken (John Henshaw) and catchphrases such as “crime doesn’t crack itself” are still much loved.
In fact, so well loved, that the audience participation sometimes verges into pantomime. But it’s difficult not to feel some involvement and ownership when the locals – however much they might play to fond Northern stereotypes – are so affectionately drawn. Henshaw really does imbue Ken with enough battered charm to make his proposal to barmaid Tanya a fitting central plot device, while there are enough one liners and punchlines to keep the laughs coming at a pleasing pace from characters of all ages.
It’s not a show that says anything in particular about Britain in 2018 – other than the odd concession to dating apps and vaping it’s a gentle meander through relationships, family, and how, as the final few moments underline, we all deserve one more chance to get things right. Early Doors makes this point through uproarious song – it’s an ending straight out of Bollywood which serves to highlight just how warm, open-hearted and eager to please this show is. By then, whether you ever watched Early Doors back in the day is irrelevant – its winning combination of comedy, nostalgia and pathos has won everyone over.
At The Lowry, Salford Quays, Greater Manchester until Sep 22, then touring
