Comedian Mawaan Rizwan is wacky, witty and weird in this surreally entertaining series, which also stars Russell Tovey. Fans of The Mighty Boosh will want to check it out
There are few comedy tropes more compelling than that of the adult baby: Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character in Fleabag is one, constantly breaking things just to get a reaction out of those around her; Kendall Roy in Succession is one, throwing temper tantrums when something doesn’t go his way. Juice, a new BBC Three comedy created by Mawaan Rizwan, is a worthy addition to the adult baby canon. It delves into the mind of a cartoonish millennial named Jamma, played with (intentionally) excruciating hamminess by Rizwan. It’s a show about what it means to be a grownup when you’re incapable of doing anything for yourself. Jamma dances and gesticulates through life blithely, often trying to do the right thing but rarely doing anything other than making whatever situation he happens to be in worse. He gets his kit off at a house inspection to make his butt-cheeks dance, calls a time-out on the kids’ football game he’s coaching to seek their advice on his love life and is unable to speak to his boss without insulting her. Juice is a parade of humiliating little moments like these, to the point that I wouldn’t be surprised if many viewers watch the show through their fingers.
Rizwan began his career as a YouTuber, and rose to fame hosting How Gay Is Pakistan?, a documentary about gay rights in his country of birth. Juice is based on a show Rizwan mounted at the Edinburgh festival fringe in 2018, and, unlike so many other queer comedies, it is not about a quest for acceptance in any traditional sense. Jamma’s parents and siblings are totally accepting of his being gay – his mother, Farida, and brother, Isaac, are played by his real-life mum Shahnaz and brother Nabhaan (who has appeared in Industry) – but are decidedly less onboard with his being a total weirdo. In fact, nobody in Jamma’s life is: his older therapist boyfriend Guy (Russell Tovey, a fan of Rizwan’s original fringe show), while well-meaning, can’t wrap his head around the fact that his partner is pathologically and unrelentingly avoidant.
