The Cleaner, Seasons 1 & 2 (2021-2023)

 

 

Paul "Wicky" Wickstead is a cleaner.  A crime scene cleaner, a distinction he frequently feels the need to make to those he meets.  He is a government-certified cleaning technician, responsible for the removal of any signs of death, injury or other biohazard debris from crime scenes.

Leaving aside that this sniffy response rather dismisses the hard work that being a "regular" cleaner actually entails, Wicky's job is one tailor-made for bringing him into contact with people at a stressful time in their lives.  They may have lost a loved one.  They may witnessed the death occur.  They may actually be the murderer!

Only two things are more or less certain: first, that Wicky will squabble with whoever he meets.  He's rather an irascible and irritable fellow, after all.  And second, he will leave the place without any trace of the tragedy that befell it.  He's The Cleaner, after all.

Written by and starring comedian Greg Davies, who is perhaps best known for his title role in Taskmaster, this show is based on the German sitcom Der Tatortreiniger (literally, "Crime Scene Cleaner").  Almost every episode follows the same basic standard pattern; Wicky arrives at a scene, where he meets someone related to the case and immediately either irritates them or gets irritated by them.  Shenanigans ensue, in the course of which the odd couple pairing will generally learn to come to some understanding of each other ... or at least, some form of détente.

That kind of very specific structure could easily outstay its welcome, so this is one of those cases where the short seasons of UK TV shows is a positive.  With only six half-hour episodes per series (plus a Christmas special in between the two), the show doesn't overstay its welcome, either on an individual episode basis - each scenario remains funny throughout and builds to a satisfying conclusion - or across a season.

It is also a structure that allows for a lot of guest stars.  Other than Wicky himself, The Cleaner has only one recurring character, with everyone else appearing for only a single entry.  This is a formula that the show has turned to its advantage, with an excellent array of British actors and comedians turning up across the show's run.  The first two episodes, for instance, feature Helena Bonham Carter and David Mitchell respectively, both of whom make great foils for Davies to interact with.

Speaking of Davies, he does a good job as Wicky.  He's got the irascible, prickly demeanour down to an art, as seen on Taskmaster, but he proves he can do more than just that, here.  Wicky is less pompous and arrogant than the Taskmaster, and underneath his gruff exterior he does at heart actually want to do the right thing ... albeit preferably with as little effort as possible.  

In terms of specific episodes, I think the highlights include the opening episode - Helena Bonham Carter seems to be having a great time - and the Christmas Special.  That episode does a great job of balancing humour and sentimentality without becoming overly twee.

The finale of season two is also fun - though the final act relies a lot on implausible character decisions - and it offers a feel good last moment, that, if the show did not return, makes a satisfying finale to Wicky's story.

Worth a look if it sounds at all up your alley.