When the BBC Three comedy, Pramface, first screened in 2012, there were two things I had to get past to give the show a go. The first was the title. Pramface? That just sounded so mean. (British slang terms aren’t necessarily genteel.) The second was the theme. Teen pregnancy? How on earth could that be funny? But touchy topics have made for plenty of laughs in British television (Nazi-occupied France, anyone?), so I let it go and checked out the show. And whaddya know? I liked it, along with plenty of other viewers on both sides of the pond.
Over the past two series of Pramface,
In Series 3, their struggles to cope continue, and not just with being parents to the adorable Emily. Living with their respective parents has become unbearable, and Jaime thinks he, Laura, and Emily should get a flat of their own. How they’ll pay the rent, well, that’s what a job is for. But Laura’s just not into Jaime. Despite prodding from her self-absorbed BFF Danielle (Emer Kenny, EastEnders) to tell him and break things off (so she and Laura can get back to having fun), she doesn’t. And there are consequences.
The young couple aren’t the only ones with issues, either.
Laura’s parents — Alan (Angus Deayton, Waterloo Road) and Janet (Anna Chancellor, The Hour, who really should do more comedy because she is brilliant) — have split up. She’s now in New York for a work assignment, and stuff really hits the fan when he and Laura discover (via Skype, no less) that she’s having an affair with her PA. It’s a bit of the pot calling the kettle black for Alan, who doesn’t see it this way and approaches his new (yet still unofficial) single status with abandon.
Meanwhile, Keith (Ben Crompton, Game of Thrones) and Sandra (Bronagh Gallagher, The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby), Jaime’s parents, have to deal with the impact of Keith’s unemployment, namely moving to a campsite. And when he takes on being an entrepreneur… let’s just say the results are less than stellar.
And things between Jaime’s mates Mike (Dylan Edwards, Death in Paradise) and Beth (Yasmin Paige, The Sarah Jane Adventures) have been tense since they hooked up, made more so when they get themselves into spots of bother and need each other’s help.
Relationships can be complicated and parenthood can be messy, with or without nappies. And Pramface
Series 1 and 2 of Pramface are currently free to view for everyone in the US at Hulu, and Series 3 episodes are being posted daily. If you’re a Hulu Plus subscriber, you can watch all six of the new episodes now.
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