Andy Nyman stamps his authority on Campus
Campus, a new TV series produced by Channel 4, is sure to be a hit. Hilarious and fast paced, the comedy is set at Kirke University featuring characters that range from severely neurotic to the mildly stupid.
Andy Nyman stars as Jonty de Wolfe, the Vice-Chancellor and a total nutcase. At a preview screening, Beehive City was treated to a viewing of the series’ second episode, The Culling Fields, which sees de Wolfe attempting to slash 25% of staff from the University. His main tactics range from making professors run between different coloured circles whilst picking them off using his megaphone from the balcony to instructing his accountant that he must chose two of the three Graces working there, as surely to have three is greedy?
Co-stars include Joseph Millson who plays Matthew Beer, a very attractive English professor who appears to do little work but attempting to seduce women. His teaching assistant and post-grad student ‘flapjack’, played by Jonathan Bailey, spends most of his time doing some form of physical exercise, demonstrating the fact that he has more brawn than brains. Lisa Jackson plays a mousy mathematics professor who occasionally fires up just enough to punch someone whilst Will Adamsdale is Jason Armitage, the Chief Accountant who believes that de Wolfe has the power to shrink him and when caught sniffling says he is only “dry-crying”.
The cast is excellent together and you can see the fun they would have had in making this. The comedy travels from the slightly ridiculous to all out crazy but that is most of the fun. The show is snappy, sharp and incredibly fastpaced, keeping the laughter rolling as one skit follows another. Director Victoria Pile, known best for her work Green Wing, has timed Campus impeccably; universities up and down the UK are facing cuts and redundancies, although hopefully not tackling the problem with the same gusto as de Wolfe.
Channel 4′s new comedy will almost certainly capture a large audience with its bizarre humour and bold spirit Campus is unafraid to make the jokes others wouldn’t, from hot Indian MILFs to the rumour that de Wolfe would be sacking all the Jews. Big thumbs up.
The first episode of Campus will air on Channel 4 on 5th April at 10pm.
