My favourite unexpected delight of 2021 was by far The Cleaner. With Greg Davies starring, maybe my expectations should have been higher than they were, but when I had no knowledge of the show beyond it being a comedy about a crime scene cleaner, I couldn’t help but think “how good can this really be?”
Upon getting past my prejudices, I found myself pleasantly surprised by series one, and so was delighted to hear that a second series was commissioned by the BBC. Especially when the wonderfully funny The Witchfinder was unceremoniously cancelled. Recently, I was able to watch the entire series on BBC iPlayer and it’s safe to say that series two is, once again, a triumph.
The first episode was delightfully sentimental, just like the series one first episode. Discussions about the trials and tribulations of love are the hallmark of this episode, and it is truly lovely to watch. In fact, I would note that fundamental to The Cleaner is a certain sense of sentimentality, which I suppose makes sense when a death is the catalyst to the narrative of each episode. What I picked up on the most is the theme of pursuing happiness, even when life hasn’t worked out exactly as planned. Of course, the diversion of expectations is essentially what comedy is, but this show is unique in how it doesn’t shy away from wider discussions about philosophical issues. At its core, The Cleaner is an exploration of how strange and funny people are, especially in times of crisis but also in their day-to-day lives. Each episode manages to strike a balance between the funny and the sentimental, for which I have to commend it.
In my previous review of series one, I don’t believe I gave quite enough time to the performance of Greg Davies. The majority of Davies’ acting roles have been almost wholly comedic in nature, and I feel that the character of Wicky really shows what he can accomplish as an actor. Certainly, he plays the humour amazingly well and his comic timing is, as always, utterly delicious. However, I feel that Davies has also been able to communicate a depth to the character, showing how Wicky has a life outside of work even though we never see him outside of work. Greg Davies has range and we should talk about it more.
While The Cleaner is, first and foremost, a comedy, it is also emblematic of how tragedy and comedy intertwine. Series two maintains thoughtful writing paired with some very good jokes, and it’s overall an engaging and fun programme to watch. There’s a fun little nod to the original German series in one of the episodes, and I can only hope that the UK series goes on the match or exceed the original’s seven season run.
– Caelum
Caelum Reviews 