5 reasons you need Fleabag in your life immediately

If you’ve been spending hours skimming through Netflix or Amazon Prime and never managing to find anything you really want to watch, then look no further. The sit-com you are looking for is actually available now on BBC 3 and iPlayer. Fleabag is a filthy 2016 sitcom that has to be seen to be believed.

From the incredibly talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag is one of the most brilliantly written pieces of comedy drama currently available and you need to watch it right now. Why?

1. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s talent

Creator, writer and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a sensation. Fleabag is based on her own one-woman play and gives the actress a chance to show an incredible emotional range. Her writing drip feeds details about Fleabag’s past, making her a tough character to completely like, but an easy one to sympathise with. Waller-Bridge is fearless throughout. So explosive is her talent that she has been cast in the next Star Wars anthology film. Yes, Waller-Bridge is going from BBC 3 to a galaxy far , far away to meet a young Han Solo in the 2018 film from the directors of The Lego Movie.

2. Fleabag never holds back

Whether she’s pleasuring herself over Barack Obama speeches or having uncomfortable sexual encounters with a new lover, Fleabag is never afraid to go to some distasteful places. The main character is the kind of girl who can shock a viewer almost every time she opens her mouth. It’s all part of the show’s mission to create a deeply flawed character who is clearly damaged, but for reasons that are only fully revealed in the final episode. Grit your teeth and prepare for some awkward comedy gold.

3. It’s got an emotional gut punch

Fleabag is funny first and foremost. This is a sitcom about a London girl dealing with her difficult family and failing cafe after all. But my goodness does it go to some dark places and when it gets there, it punches you right in the feels. Waller-Bridge’s performance is beautifully balanced and the writing gets us right under Fleabag’s skin even as we begin to realise just why she is filled with so much self-loathing. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster.

4. The supporting cast are tremendous

Waller-Bridge is incredibly watchable and dominates the screen with her snappy asides straight to camera, but she has surrounded herself with great British talent. Olivia Colman is a delicious delight as Fleabag’s deeply annoying godmother turned step-mother and Hugh Dennis steals scenes as a bank manager with hidden depths. Also worth a mention is Sian Clifford as Fleabag’s sister Claire, yet another character who may not be completely likeable but is thoroughly convincing and ultimately surprisingly sympathetic.

5. Cheers to series 1. Now, can we talk series 2?

The first series of Fleabag is over before you know it, and there are plenty of threads that need further exploring. Waller-Bridge might be off to hang out with Han and Chewie, but she must return to Fleabag. The more people who watch it, the more likely they are to make a second series. So what are you waiting for? Go find out what all the fuss is about and thank me later.