SUPERNOVA - Series One

"Rob Brydon continues to shine as Paul Hamilton in this offbeat Outback number... The script cleverly deflates stereotypes, so you can't see (most of) the gags coming, making a very refreshing change.****"
(TV Times)

"The joy of Harry Cripps' inventive and funny script is that it was continually surprising us... Charmingly played by Rob Brydon, this disaster-prone innocent abroad was first seen on the couch in the office of the sexy Dr Rachel Mann... Arriving at [the Australian National Observatory], he found a gallery of characters in the outback who would be caricatures if they too were not full of unexpected details... Dr Hamilton's dream was just a nightmare waiting to happen. All those laughs and a serious point too."
(Daily Telegraph)

"***** This galaxy-gazing offering stars the mighty Rob Brydon...[who], as always, adds that tiny touch of comic sparkle."
(Nuts)

"**** The great Rob Brydon stars in this new sitcom... Huge fun, and refreshingly lacking in smugness."
(Heat)

"A terrific effort from Brydon... just watching [his] deft comic touch is a joy."
(Radio Times)

"Rob Brydon lends his hilarious talents to a brand-new sitcom set in the Australian Outback, playing a brilliant - but socially hopeless - astronomer."
(Radio Times)

"This is a bizarre premise, but it's worth sticking with - especially if you're a fan of the affable Rob Brydon... Rob has got the 'hapless, nice guy' routine down to a fine art. Most important, however, is the show's originality - and, goodness knows, TV comedy needs a little more of that."
(TV Times)

"Finally here's a comedy set in the world (or is it universe?) of astronomy. The marvellous Rob Brydon plays a boffin sent Down Under to spy on the heavens."
(TV Easy)

"Rob Brydon is one of our deftest comic actors. His speciality is the klutz. He gets to flourish his hapless schtick in a different vehicle this week."
(The Independent)

"Most enjoyable new comedy... Good-natured comedy set in an observatory in the Australian Outback... Clumsy, repressed and endearing, this is one of those roles that Hugh Grant usually plays in the cinema. The fun is in watching the character trying to come to terms with an alien environment, surrounded by brilliant colleagues who are either highly attractive or terminally odd... a pleasant way to spend half an hour."
(The Times)

"Another hit comedy from the Beeb, and a must-see for Rob's growing army of fans."
(Daily Mirror)
"The superb Rob Brydon stars in this new comedy drama about a hapless British astronomer sent to the Australian outback to analyse a black hole."
(Daily Mail)

"****unusual new sitcom... If there's one accusation you can't level at BBC2's latest sitcom Supernova, it's that it's treading well-worn turf."
(Daily Express)
"Pick of the Week. You do not see many comedies about astronomers, but then nor do you see many in which real stars appear... space can be a funny place among these likeable stargazers... The flies were very pleased to see the actors; they were such a menace the cast had to wear beekeeper-style hats, whipping them off only long enough to say their lines. The suffering was worth it, for this comedy looks surprisingly good. Not only is there all that space and light but there are also excellent special effects. As [Beryl] Vertue says, it is not often a comedy series looks so filmic. With real supernovas there is a big explosion that fizzles out. However, though one should be careful not to confuse astronomy with astrology, it is probably safe to predict this Supernova will be back for a second series."
(The Sunday Times)

"Rob Brydon's most noted work - as Keith Barret in the Marion & Geoff monologues - was built on his understanding of sad, ordinary blokes, and his acute observations about love and pent-up misery have at times been brilliant, jabbing a finger right at the male heart. Which makes him perfect for the lead role in this half-Aussie comedy drama... there are some great/awful, cringemaking, Fawlty Towers moments."
(The Observer)

"Fans of Red Dwarf and The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy will love this... [Brydon] plays the quiet, unassuming hero better than anyone... Cripps's mostly inventive, slow-burning script lends the show a quirky feel, and there's also a brilliant Doctor Who sight gag, which is worth watching out for. A real space oddity."
(Mail on Sunday)

"Rob Brydon perfects his lighter brand of deadpan humour in this enjoyable new comedy."
(New!)

"Rob Brydon showed that he is a genius at playing a hapless, hopeless but endearing loser with his great comic creation Keith Barret - aka Wales's most famous divorcee. So in this new comedy, about an astronomer moving to an observatory in the middle of the Australian desert, it's good to see him take on the role of... well, a hapless, hopeless but endearing loser, actually. Still, if you're good at something, why not stick with it?... As you would expect Brydon plays the role of the hapless, hopeless Hamilton expertly." (The Evening Standard)

"Paul is a nice guy but prone to embarrassing gaffes and, in Brydon's hands, he becomes a lovable comic hero."
(Daily Express)

"There doesn't seem to have ever been a sitcom about a Welsh astrophysicist before. And if there was, it wasn't set in the Australian outback. That's why, for novelty alone, Supernova was worth a first glance. It also had casting on its side, featuring the brilliant Rob Brydon (Marion and Geoff, The Keith Barrett Show) as the geeky, disaster-prone Paul... the fish-out-of-water situation provided fuel for plenty of gags... There were some great lines."
(Daily Express and Daily Star)
"The outback itself allows for more ravishing cinematography than we generally see in comedy shows."
(Daily Telegraph)

"Supernova is a star vehicle for the always watchable Rob Brydon, a gauche British astrologist whose comedic DNA can be traced from Jerry Lewis to Mr Bean."
(The Times)

"A third of the way through this second episode of this astronomy-based sitcom, nervy British stargazer Dr Paul Hamilton (Rob Brydon) has already subjected two nuns to a heated debate on science versus religion, and been reduced to a vomiting wreck by a black swamp toad. What can the outback throw up next? A celestial wormhole in which Paul sees the face of God... Slightly impenetrable, but quite chucklesome."
(The Guardian)

"**** [Supernova] scores heavily on originality and its ever-faultless star, Rob Brydon... leaves a smile on your face throughout."
(Mail on Sunday)

"Supernova has found itself an appropriate and winning theme tune (The Who's I Can See For Miles)... watching this series on a dark wintry evening in England you can warm your hands on those vivid blues and ochres of the Australian landscape; Brydon is, as ever, engaging company."
(The Times)

"[Rob Brydon is] marvellous... The set-up is excellent... The jokes surrounding life in the back of beyond are excellent... the funniest moments are traditional sight gags, drinking jokes and pratfalls."
(Daily Mail)

"****Supernova might not be the most sophisticated of comedies, but it is great fun."
(Heat magazine)

"***** [five stars] When You Wish Upon A Star is the third episode in this new sitcom series, and still every scene raises a chuckle."
(Mail on Sunday)

"There are elements of Red Dwarf here (a group of social misfits thrown together in inhospitable surroundings), but who would have thought a sitcom about astrophysics (a sit-comet?) could be so daftly warm and engaging?"
(Sunday Telegraph)

"Brydon's obviously enjoying himself hugely."
(Time Out)

"Great fun."
(TV Times)

"What fun we've had with the scientists from the Royal Australian Observatory over the last few weeks... the run has been a cut above, with excellent performances from a well-cast ensemble, especially Kris McQuade as randy Professor Pip, and Kat Stewart as Paul's unrequited love interest, Rachel. Here's to the second series - as inevitable, we think, as night follows day."
(TV Times)

"I love Rob Brydon's BBC2 sitcom Supernova - a worthy successor to Marion & Geoff. Rob is wonderful as the disaster-prone astronomer. He reminds me of a cross between Frank Spencer and Mr Bean! Like a fish out of water, he is hilarious as he flounders in the job, but wins his colleagues over with his warm humour. It's a very funny and original series that has the potential to run and run."
(TV Choice)