There was a time where only the gloomiest of us would have imagined we would be sat here now, watching another season of David Tennant and Michael Sheen\u2019s comedy Staged<\/a>.<\/p>\n When it first arrived the series was a brilliant bolt of joy in amongst the misery of 2020, but it felt so inextricably linked with the pandemic and lockdowns that one would have had to believe we\u2019d still be confined to our houses for another season to be on the way.<\/p>\n As it turns out, this has not been an issue. In spite of the world moving on from COVID-enforced isolation, plenty of us still conduct a number of our relationships almost entirely over video calls. Staged season 3<\/a> does have some fun with the idea of Tennant being trapped in a room once more, but in truth there was no need for such a narrative device to be used. It\u2019s not difficult to imagine these two preferring to enjoy each other\u2019s company from a distance.<\/p>\n This season finds David and Michael<\/a> in the present day, going about their everyday lives and having cut off all contact from their former director Simon. However, as his career remains stagnant, Simon plots to rope the pair back together to record a new radio play just in time for Christmas.<\/p>\n Much like how the idea of regeneration expanded the lifespan of Doctor Who<\/a> indefinitely, the key to unlocking Staged\u2019s long-term future arrived unexpectedly at the start of season 2, when it was revealed that the first season was now a show within a show \u2013 Staged season 2 revolved around the actors reflecting on having made the series\u2019 first outing.<\/p>\n This review won\u2019t spoil the new season (and in fact wouldn\u2019t be able to \u2013 only two episodes have been made available for review ahead of their release on BritBox), but it\u2019s fair to say there are some more fantastic experimentations with form, keeping the audience on their toes and the narrative hilariously, purposefully convoluted.<\/p>\n As you might expect, there are also some more incredibly game guest star appearances, but the focus remains as always on the central pairing of David and Michael, and rightfully so.<\/p>\n The two them are clearly still having so much fun as their bickering alter egos, riffing on improvisational games, owed favours and hair dye.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Simon Evans, Staged\u2019s creator both inside and outside of the show, continues to provide a great foil for the pair, and their partners Georgia Tennant and Anna Lundberg also continue to do sterling work. A particular sequence surrounding Georgia\u2019s birthday in the second episode is a particular highlight, and an example of how great actors can still turn old-fashioned farcical miscommunication storylines into gold.<\/p>\n The first episode may not be the show\u2019s best ever \u2013 the aforementioned reason for David\u2019s isolation adds a layer of (initially) distracting unreality to the proceedings, and the instalment feels like more of an easing back in when put in comparison with season 2\u2019s blisteringly funny and experimental opener.<\/p>\n Regardless, it\u2019s still frequently, reliably amusing, and the show\u2019s new Christmastime setting gives the whole endeavour a slight festive feel \u2013 something which will surely be to this season\u2019s benefit when it comes time for potential yearly re-watches.<\/p> With only two episodes to go on, it\u2019s hard to say whether season 3 is as great a success as the first two. It certainly hasn\u2019t dipped off in quality in any considerable way so far, and one wouldn\u2019t expect it to. What Evans has created is a brilliantly and surprisingly malleable formula, which retains the show\u2019s initial charm while still managing to move things on in new and unexpected ways.<\/p>\n All this said, fans of the series know that the real reason they tune in is to watch Tennant and Sheen\u2019s inimitable chemistry and farcical squabbling \u2013 and the joy of watching that in any form certainly doesn\u2019t seem to be at risk of diminishing any time soon.<\/p>\n Staged season 3 will stream on BritBox UK from Thursday 24th November 2022 \u2013 you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>Check out more of our\u00a0Comedy<\/a>\u00a0coverage or visit our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0to see what\u2019s on tonight.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the\u00a0Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div> <\/body><\/html>\n By James Hibbs Published: Thursday, 24 November 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating There was a time where only the gloomiest of us would have imagined we would be sat here now, watching another season of David Tennant and Michael Sheen\u2019s comedy Staged. When it first arrived the series was a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25976,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/staged-season-3-review-tennant-and-sheen-comedy-keeps-things-fresh.jpg",1080,719,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/staged-season-3-review-tennant-and-sheen-comedy-keeps-things-fresh-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/staged-season-3-review-tennant-and-sheen-comedy-keeps-things-fresh-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/staged-season-3-review-tennant-and-sheen-comedy-keeps-things-fresh-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/staged-season-3-review-tennant-and-sheen-comedy-keeps-things-fresh-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/staged-season-3-review-tennant-and-sheen-comedy-keeps-things-fresh.jpg",1080,719,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/staged-season-3-review-tennant-and-sheen-comedy-keeps-things-fresh.jpg",1080,719,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By James Hibbs Published: Thursday, 24 November 2022 at 12:00 am 4.0 out of 5 star rating There was a time where only the gloomiest of us would have imagined we would be sat here now, watching another season of David Tennant and Michael Sheen\u2019s comedy Staged. When it first arrived the series was a…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/25975"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/11\/britboxstagedsr302-4f9fb62.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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