Review of ITV2's new wrestling comedy from Max & Ivan

They had comedians taking swings at each other on stage long before the Oscars made it mainstream. Now Max & Ivan have returned to the world of wrestling, which they made such a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, for their first TV comedy, Deep Heat.

Though expectations are high, the first episode is, unfortunately, unlikely to pin you into submission, as it gets bogged down in the admin of establishing the plot and far too many characters. The storyline’s predictable payoff doesn’t help, either. Yet there are a smattering of good lines, and some promising creations – not least Ivan Gonzalez’s  pathetically eager-to-please dogsbody Woodhouse.

The sitcom is set in the world of British wrestling, where the high-octane performances and apparent glamour of the show contrast with the drudgery of the itinerant touring lifestyle. How on earth could two comedians have been so inspired?

The plot is that Pam (Pippa Haywood) runs the family company, Boss Pro, with her son Nick Nitro (Coronation Street’s Richard Fleeshman) as the star attraction. But when he decides to go it alone, with the roster’s other big hitters, it looks like the company is out for the count.

Step in Holly (Jahannah James), who’s always wanted to wrestle but never been allowed by a stubborn mum who puts all the focus on her son. She eagerly tries to rebuild the show from those who are left: the drunk, the highly strung and the useless. And none more useless than Jack, played by Max Olesker, who  in real life was Britain’s youngest pro wrestler before turning to comedy.

With so many people to introduce we spend precious little time with any of them. I can’t decide whether My Mad Fat Diary’s Sharon Rooney is overused or underused: she’s a great presence we don’t see enough of, but what little we do get comprises almost exclusively crude, one-note lines about the state of her fanny.

The show’s template is as established as it comes: bunch of misfits come together to achieve success despite all the odds, and who knows, maybe learn a little about themselves on the way. It’s the sort of Hollywood cliché premise Max & Ivan might parody in their excellent live shows, but here fully embrace.

Deep Heat finds a stronger groove in episode two, once a lot of the supplementary characters have departed and can concentrate on its unlikely cohort of core players. The story remains fairly straightforward   – but is told with a lights sense of fun, and with a generous smattering of throwaway lines funnier than you might expect from the formulaic premise.

• Deep Heat starts on ITV2 at 10pm tonight and all six episodes are already available to stream in full on ITV Hub. Here’s a guide to all the characters.

• Max & Ivan are reprising all their live shows at the Pleasance in Islington, North London, starting next week.

Review date: 28 Mar 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett