New Stephen Merchant comedy The Outlaws gets rave reviews
Tonight (October 25) was the premiere of new BBC One comedy thriller The Outlaws, and it got rave reviews from some viewers in particular: Bristolians.
The six-part series from The Office's Stephen Merchant is about seven strangers serving community payback sentences renovating a building in Bristol.
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The ensemble cast includes Merchant himself, Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson, Killing Eve's Darren Boyd, EastEnders' Clare Perkins and the one and only Christopher Walken.
Gamba Cole (His House, Hanna), Rhianne Barreto (Hanna, Honour), Jessica Gunning (Back, Inside No. 9), Nina Wadia (Strictly Come Dancing, Aladdin) and Richard E Grant (Loki, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) also star.
The highest praise towards the show came from Bristolians, excited to see a new series filmed around their home city.
Literally every single Bristolian currently watching The Outlaws right now pic.twitter.com/6JRiMxZybx
— Pete Griffiths (@Petetheboy80) October 25, 2021
Watching The Outlaws on BBC One simply to see my city in a TV thriller. Opening foot chase scene was shot in The Galleries 😂
— TG✨ - Watch ᑐᑌᑎᕮ🏜 (@TerrelleGraham) October 25, 2021
Can’t believe I’m watching Christopher Walken in… Sea Mills… 🤯😂 #BBCOutlaws
— Jess Siggers (she/her) 🌈 (@porthjess) October 25, 2021
Oh hi there Sea Mills 👋#BBCOutlaws
— Visit Bristol (@VisitBristol) October 25, 2021
Christopher Walken at the community centre I spent half of my youth in! #Outlaws @StephenMerchant
— Sarge 💙 NHS (@sargentcidered) October 25, 2021
Watching Outlaws, doing what I do best - annoying anyone in the vicinity by recognising various obscure areas of Bristol. Ruined several episodes of Teachers and lots of Holby/Casualty with that.
— 👻a conspiracy theory your dad believes in👻 (@notenoughcrows) October 25, 2021
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Of course, those not from Bristol also praised the comedy, calling it "funny" and raving about the casting of Christopher Walken.
#Outlaws Christopher Walken!!! Well that’s got me interested if nothing else.
— Daran Philipson (@dazman007) October 25, 2021
The Outlaws is already good.
— Jason Good (@JasonGood) October 25, 2021
Just realised #Outlaws feels like a UK remake of Community, having become somewhat grittier in translation.
— Jem Roberts the Scare-Bear 🐻 (@JemRoberts) October 25, 2021
#Outlaws with @StephenMerchant on BBC1 is quite funny.
— Costa Blanca Pete (@peterjnixon) October 25, 2021
Already loving Christopher Walken in Bristol...Sensational casting, Plymouth for season 2? @StephenMerchant #bbc1 #outlaws
— Oliver Robert Jenks (@JenksOliver) October 25, 2021
It's been 5 mins but I can already tell I'm going to LOVE The Outlaws!
— Heather Antonia (@Heatherantonia) October 25, 2021
"Outlaws" - BBC1 - only 10 minutes in and Christopher Walken's lines have me in tears of laughter.
— ZÖMBY WOOF #JohnsonOut 🇪🇺💙 (@ZombyWoof4) October 25, 2021
Promising start to #Outlaws. Well written and well acted. Some laugh out loud moments. Enjoying it.
— Glyn Sexton (@glynster61) October 25, 2021
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Some, however, weren't as impressed, with one person calling the show "not really funny" and "full of clichés".
Not sure about "The Outlaws". Seems like neither nowt nor summat. Apparently it's a "comedy drama thriller", but I'm finding it neither funny enough nor thriller-y enough to sustain an enormous amount of interest yet.
— Lord WarGit, a Tom Nook subsidiary (@WarGit) October 25, 2021
#Outlaws A good cast but is definitely another version of the Syndicate which is also on bbc1.
— Daran Philipson (@dazman007) October 25, 2021
Hmm Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken vehicle The Outlaws is surprisingly disappointing. Truly terrible writing.
— Mike Edie (@MrWheeliebin) October 25, 2021
Have given up with The Outlaws after less than 20 mins. Not really funny and full of clichés #BBCOutlaws
— 🅝🅘🅒🅚 🇪🇸 👀 (@cashinol) October 25, 2021
Speaking to Digital Spy about Christopher Walken's casting as "petty thief" Greg, Merchant said: "I like the idea of this man who fell to earth, this kind of almost alien presence in Bristol.
"We're in this provincial world and then in comes this charismatic figure like he's just fallen to earth but ultimately, he's just another petty thief like everybody else."
Merchant also remembered telling Walken about the filming location: "He said to me, 'What's Bristol like?' And I'm not even joking, I said: 'It's kind of like San Francisco. It has a big bridge, and it's really hilly, and kind of arty.'"
"In the end, I liked him and he seemed to like me," he continued. "We got on well, and sure enough, he turned up in Bristol."
The Outlaws airs on BBC One.
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