Alma's Not Normal (2020– ) User Reviews

In which Our Heroine kicks against the pricks...oops,what have I said...

[ianlouisiana · 9/10 · 17 October 2021]

Alma's had a go at being grown - up,decided it wasn't for her and settled for permanent adolescence.

With useless men(natch) and beaten female relatives besieging her she boldly tries to go where no Bolton lass has gone before.

Am - Dram,Macjobs and a spell as a sex worker cannot blunt her ferocious energy,she is as irrepressible as Gracie Fields or George Formby - but a lot smarter. Yes,it's rude,but you know,this is twennytwenny one as the BBC are fond of saying.

This show takes no prisoners - if you don't like it,switch the bugger off - as Alma might say.

Me,I loved it.

Who gives this 1 star?

[CraigNewman1973 · 8/10 · 20 October 2021]

Seriously, are there people out there with no funny bone? It's proper gritty Northern humour, don't like it? Sod off and watch bloody friends. I'm a Northern lad and quite a lot of this resonates with me, similar situations and such (not escorting, but I'm free 😉) Sophie Willan has done a fine job at making me laugh... You go girl.

Brilliant Brilliant

[svader · 9/10 · 18 September 2021]

Absolutely brilliant. Raw, hilarious and well constructed.

I've not laughed so much since the last season of Motherland.

Alma is fantastic but for me Siobhan Finneran steals the show as her psycho mum closely followed by her nymphomaniac gran.

Great watch. More please.

Hilarious Beyond Words

[kq999 · 10/10 · 16 September 2021]

Whether it is comedy, drama or a documentary the British do it the best! They just seem to have a knack for top quality viewing...it's almost guaranteed.

I read the description for this show and thought...this sounds like a hoot. And of course it is. A hilarious singling out of people's quirks and situations but in no way that is demeaning to any group involved in the story. No predictable Hollywood outcomes in this comedy.

A full series please!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 2 May 2020]

Sophie Willan was great in the title role of Alma. I have to admit I really enjoyed this, it was funny, great humour, and some terrific I one liners.

It was uplifting, bouncy, positive comedy, quite cutting humour for the BBC in recent times. It's hard to believe it was only on for half an hour, they crammed so much into it. Lorraine Ashbourne and Siobhan Finneran were hilarious.

I only hope that a full series follows, it deserves to, this was a terrific pilot. 9/10.

Fabulous!

[bettiegarrett · 10/10 · 25 October 2021]

I loved this sitcom beyond words, it cleverly portrayed complicated and relevant ideas while remaining totally hilarious. Uplifting and relatable for the underrepresented. Love love love!!

The ads didn't do it justice.

[mamy-50369 · 8/10 · 8 November 2021]

When I seen the trailer for it I thought it was just another dime a dozen slapstick comedy that would have me rolling my eyes. But I gave it a go because of the ratings iI got, and I'm glad I did.

Alma's hilarious and very relatable in a lot of ways. As funny as it is it has some very touching moments, the final episode had my eyes teary.

"How do you grieve the living dead?"

Straight Outta Bolton

[owen-watts · 7/10 · 31 January 2022]

I was a fan of the unconventional pilot episode from early 2020 and of Willan's stand-up generally so this getting the green light is one of the rare bright spots of the last few years. Loosely built around her own experiences, this sees Willan's Alma struggling with self esteem, poverty and a mum tangled in the criminally underfunded care system. It doesn't always narratively cling together but there are moments of breathtakingly brutal honesty which modern British TV rarely goes near. Not to mention a winning multi-generational trio of performances from Willan, Finneran and Ashbourne and the great Jayde Adams. Do watch this, and I hope we see much more of this sort of thing.

A skilfully crafted comedy

[imdb-37917 · 9/10 · 10 April 2020]

This has to be one of the best and most skilfully written comedies I've seen in recent years. Perfectly cast and set and filmed in Bolton, this draws on the typical humour of Northern England. The pilot episode had us crying with laughter, having to pause it several times to recover. Even the throw-away lines are absolutely perfect. My only disappointment is that at the time of writing there aren't any more episodes available.

Absolutely Fantastic!

[kellydawson-61470 · 10/10 · 19 September 2021]

Funny, down to earth, sassy with a gritty and very real under current which I feel many people can relate to.

What a supporting cast! Northern comedy and drama has always been a hit with me and if it's set in Bolton I'm on the front row as that's where I live. Fortunately my life's been easier than Alma's but I think it's safe to say we all need a best friend like Leanne. Also I really need to know where they got Alma's clothes from!

unbelievably awful

[gilleliath · 1/10 · 14 September 2021]

What's that? Another sitcom written by and starring a stand-up comedian (not necessarily a very successful one)? And based on their real life? Raising lots of important social issues? Can't *wait*!!

Actually, that is a little unfair because this makes some of those other shows, tiresome as they are, look like works of genius. The Bolton accents are good, though - very authentic.

What was the last sitcom that people really loved, as opposed to tolerating or feeling they ought to watch? That really became part of the culture? You could make a case for Miranda, possibly; but I think you have to go back to The Office, 20 years ago. It's a lost art, and the BBC look more unlikely than anyone to revive it.

Best British comedy for what 20 years?

[markturbo-68052 · 10/10 · 25 October 2021]

Definitely 10* brilliant support cast plenty of laughs and just too damn short hopefully a 2nd series will come out soon and those who have this 1 star need locking up.

Pure class!

[leethomas74 · 10/10 · 28 September 2021]

What a show, expertly written and acted and hilarious, with some very poignant moments and touches on subjects that comedy shows usually shy away from. The cast is magnificent and I laugh out loud during each episode. This is tv comedy/drama at its best.

Brilliant!!

[benhargaden · 10/10 · 24 September 2021]

Heart renching but funny, even though I cried best thing iv watched in a long time.

Brilliant

[lulubobs30 · 10/10 · 23 September 2021]

Loved every minute of this series. Hilarious and heartwarming. The characters are so well written and you root for every one of them. Really hope we get a season 2 soon.

Very funny

[jackieedwards-20270 · 8/10 · 9 April 2020]

Was searching for more episodes and realised a pilot Hopefully more to come -

lovely, funny, clever, interesting

[olivrrrbeee · 10/10 · 17 February 2021]

Was just getting into it when I realised there's no more episodes! if anyone from the BBC is reading this, please give us more!

It really isn't hilarious beyond words!

[Janet1612 · 1/10 · 7 October 2021]

Neither is it 'a hoot'. There are some funny moments, not laugh out loud, but funny. Lots of naughty bad language, lots of mentions of men's body parts (tee hee), lots of graphic sex scenes (tee hee), a brain damage ex druggie (tee hee), prostitution (giggle giggle).

It's pretty juvenile and it's a shame as without the sex scenes and much foul language (even the C word) this could have been a clever comedy aimed at a wider audience instead of the few who titter at sex scenes and naughty language.

Hope this gets a series!

[jnh-123-746786 · 10/10 · 8 April 2020]

I certainly hope this pilot will beget a series. Good fun, great characters and well acted. I want to know just what Alma and her family will get up to next.

unbelievable

[kluismans · 10/10 · 24 September 2021]

This is just such a wonderful show. Its heartbreaking, honest and funny. Utterly astonishing that what could be depressing subject matter could be both honest but also laugh until you fall to floor funny! Please, please Sophie Willan write more and more and more. You will always give us something that makes us think whilst making us laugh! You are a genius!

More please!

[harmonyjb-99997 · 8/10 · 27 April 2020]

I loved this pilot Funny, refreshing, uplifting. Siobhan Finneran is absolutely brilliant in it. I really hope they show more.

Very funny.

[chumley1948 · 10/10 · 12 April 2020]

Thoroughly enjoyed this.Look forward to a series.Each character is brilliant.Such a pick me up at a time like this.

Bittersweet, but very funny

[russellgriffiths · 10/10 · 8 October 2021]

This appears to be the sort of tragi-comedy people will either love or hate. I found the characters all too believable and Sophie Wilan's style of writing just brilliant and captivating. I can't wait for Season 2.

Dark, disturbing, brave and incredibly funny

[jillhahessy · 10/10 · 21 September 2021]

It's seldom I laugh at UK sitcoms so it was refreshing to find something as different and well written as Alma's Not Normal. It's not an easy watch with many uncomfortable moments but that's it's strength. Drawing on the semi autobiographical life experiences of Alma we're taken into her dysfunctional life and struggles. At first the brash comedy may appear slapstick but once the viewer is drawn in, the emotionally demanding dark social satire kicks in. Almost a tragidrama yet with hilarious, explicit, brave and honest depictions which only someone who has gone through such experiences could rightfully portray in such an observant and rollicking manner. The acting is superb especially from Sophie WIllan the main protagonist, Siobhan Finnerhan and Lorraine Ashbourne who portray the heroin addicted arsonist mum "whose had more social workers than crack pipes" and the lascivious, animal print clad grandmother respectively. It raises arguments about the social welfare system in the UK and asks questions, without being polemic, about the empowerment of women through their choices. In Alma's case, her decision to become a sex worker to enable her to fulfill her ambitions. Interesting Willan has observed that she has only encountered 'comfortably off' middle class feminists who criticise her choice. You could question what those critical feminists may have done in her place to survive the crap hand she was dealt with. Her success today is a testament to her decisions.

Alma's not funny

[gurumaggie · 1/10 · 20 September 2021]

Dreadful, utterly dreadful, the funny bits aren't funny and bad bits are horrifying. Why anyone would laugh at this I don't know, horrific.