To celebrate the return of charming hit Nobody Wants This, romcom superfans like Russell T Davies and Jack Rooke pick their favourite shows. Prepare to be swept off your feet!
It’s perfect, that’s all. It’s got the perfect meet-cute (boob, crashed car, injured dog); the perfect combination of realism and romance (especially for non-romantics like me); the perfect heroine (neither the hot mess nor the manic pixie dream girl we are so often forced to accept); the perfect hero (laid-back but not lazy, older but not creepy, patient, not a pillock) and perfect writing.
In my review I said it was like real life with all the good lines jammed closer together and I stand by that. It depicts ordinarily messy lives and every moment – funny, sad or any point in between – feels true. And then they did it all again for a second series. Matchless. The fact that the writers and stars, Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, are actually married is the icing on the cake. Imagine such joy being out there in the real world.
Lucy Mangan, Guardian TV critic
Only Sally Wainwright could give us a love story groaning with arthritis and chuckling with glee. It uses the simplest of plot devices – simplicity is hard – a letter that was never delivered 50 years ago. I bet lots of romcom stars on this list are glowing and shiny and young, but step back kids to watch Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi give a masterclass. Most romcoms are short, sharp bursts, as if happiness can’t last and we need to hit the end credits before the arguments start. But Last Tango has already run for five seasons, with incredible invention putting that central love story to the test. It’s even possible to imagine that Anne Reid’s Celia would be voting Reform now, and that’s a season I’d love to see. My favourite scene has to be the end of the very first episode, where the two lovers meet and ignite almost immediately, with both their daughters hot on their heels – two women destined to become endless enemies. Look at the amount of story in that! And who says it’s over? More please, Sally.
