The Independent, 20 February 2002, by Robert Hanks.
"Television review."
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Once upon a time, there was mid-life crisis (defined by 
Chambers Dictionary as "the feeling of panic, pointlessness, 
etc., experienced at midle age by those who are concerned 
that they are no longer young" - you get the impression that 
Chambers Dictionary knows what this feeling is like). These 
days, though, 50 is the new 40, and instead of mid-life 
crisis we have "middle youth" - essentially, a mid-life 
crisis with a higher disposable income.

At any rate, that seems to be the thinking behind *Manchild* 
(BBC2), a new comedy drama about four men on the cusp of 50 
trying to recapture their youth. Terry, James and Patrick 
(played by Nigel Havers, Anthony Head and Don Warrington, 
respectively) are all attractive, wealthy, single, and out 
to indulge themselves. By contrast, their friend Gary (Ray 
Burdis) is dumpy, nouveau-riche and saddled with a shrew of 
a wife, who serves him dinner from a packet and tells him 
that if he wants to know what it is, the box is in the bin.

It's clear that Gary is envious of the others' freedom; but 
also that their freedom isn't all they crack it up to be. 
The central incident of last night's episode was James's 
seduction of a bimbette half his age - this flopped, 
literally, sending him off to a private clinic to get his 
erectile dysfunction sorted out. Meanwhile, Terry, who 
perpetually delivers knowing comments to camera about the 
joys of divorce, seemed to be suffering some pangs for his 
ex-wife, and having trouble establishing communication with 
their drop-out son. Patrick remains something of an enigma. 

On this showing, *Manchild* is emminently smooth-running and 
watchable. But the smoothness has been, so far, at the 
expense of originality or close observation. In common with 
other recent dramas about groups of men (*Men Only*, *Baby 
Father*), it reduces men to a stereotyped set of urges and 
insecurities. And the men's relationships with each other 
aren't at all convincing - in particular, you wonder how on 
earth dim, common Gary comes to be hanging around with these 
sleek, sophisticated, self-confident friends; you might also 
wonder why the drama seems to package dimnes and commonness 
with marital fidelity.

Still, Nick Fisher's script has its moments, such as when 
Terry went in search of a new motor-bike, only to discover 
that the brands he associates with youthful rebellion (a 
Triumph, like the one Marlon Brando rode in *The Wild One*; 
a Harley, with its echoes of *Easy Rider*) are associated by 
the genuinely youthful with accountancy and mid-life crisis.

[.....]



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