Swift & Shift Couriers
Let’s face it. You probably already know whether you like to comedy style of Paul Fenech or not. His raucous comic style as seen in Pizza isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it has its fans. As he moves into a new series, Swift and Shift Couriers, he is more empowered to follow the path he has charted –or possibly the road he has a delivery.
Set in a courier delivery company, the characters of this service are as inept as any you have ever encountered. Whether it’s the manager, the call centre staff, the drivers or the bloke in the warehouse, it’s impossible to believe anything is ever achieved. Pushing all reasonable logic, and possible a few genre boundaries, this is a comedy of terrors.
Ian Turpie plays the depot manager Keith, who partakes of a swig of booze whenever anybody isn’t looking. He spends a great deal of time yelling, being abused, and explaining himself to an executive from head office, sent to sort out the hapless, under-performing branch. In this school-marm role is Amanda Keller. Both Turpie and Keller jump into acting roles with a sense of fun.
In the call centre room are any number of caricature roles: they range from midget to obese to flamboyantly camp and everything in between. Melissa Tkautz, rarely seen in a regular role on television these days, sashays as the company vamp. Strutting through the office and causing male heartbeats to flutter, she looks rather fabulous and perfectly cast.
Fenech, who serves as writer / director / producer, is one of several courier drivers who mismanages every delivery they are ever issued. They are boastfully charmless as blue collar staff -as is the comedic terrain for which Fenech has become successful. The warehouse is equally a disaster, run by a trio of lazy Pacific islanders.
As a follow on from Pizza, there is little that surprises in Swift and Shift Couriers, save for some ironic casting and a confidence to fill out the screen with even more over the top characters and visual gags. There are a gazillion roles in the pilot episode, making it impossible to makes sense. But nobody ever said you were supposed to. It’s arguably easier not to fight such an onslaught. Besides, everybody on screen is having such a fun time who am I to argue?
Swift and Shift Couriers airs 8:30pm Monday on SBS.
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Someone said on the site befor it was pizza only this time with couriers?
But David usually your first gut reaction is a good one and usually what you say rings true so I think you will be proved right and this won’t be anythink to different. I’ll give it a go but it smells of pizza but in a courier van!
Sounds ok. Im willing to give it a shot - even though I haven’t seen Pizza.
Hope he takes a different approach to editing, everytime I watched Pizza I thought I was going to have a seizure…
It’s frenetic…
I’ll be watching this just to see Ian Turpie again. Looks good.
I can’t wait for Monday nights.
8:30 Swift and Shift Couriers
9:00 Bogan Pride
This is the first time in a long time that I’m watching a show, wait . . . make that shows, on SBS other than Insight. Not really taken by Top Gear (either versions) so I’m happy that I too now have a reason to watch SBS for entertainment.
I liked Pizza. This was dismal & it can only get better.
If they wanted to give the impression that they’d first read the script 2 minutes before recording, then they succeeded. Not funny just lame.
it was funny but i havvent seen pizza
7/10
It was weak compared to Pizza, & I thought that the this show
signposted its jokes too far ahead… so by the time they got to them
I was underwhelmed. ;
The review was right - there were too many characters to absorb right off,
maybe I was getting a form of shell shock from the rapid fire changeovers.
It seemed less polished than Pizza, but it may have been a necessary evil
so as to intro a new show quickly… dunno… Hoping for better next week.
Wonder how many different cameos there’ll be.
loved the hairy bits !
I have watched the first 2 episodes of swift and shift…outstanding!
Better than Pizza.
Bad timeslot.
The ratings will rise once City Homicide goes away over summer.
Swift will be a cult show without question!
Pizza past it’s expiry date.
Everybody was trashing the final 2007 year of Pizza.
That is why it was replaced in 2008.
Swift And Shift is the best show on tv!
whats the song that has lyrics in it sying “i dont wanna work” ????? please tell me
2nd show better than the 1st, & more like the old Pizza eps;
2 many minor characters so hard to keep track;
Aims for the bonghead/bonehead audience & does it well;
Good fun but not awesome; Amanda Keller’s acting got
tonnes better this time; Worth a go. Peace.
I have watched every episode - I have never laughed so hard in my life. There should be way more of it. I have a sixteen and seventeen year old boys and this comedy is in their blood. We actually sit down as a family and laugh our heads off. That can only be a good thing. And then Bogan Pride is priceless. Well done SBS.
just as good as fat pizza…. excellent .. keep up the fantastic work Mr paul Fenech.. you rock
if any body knows anything at all about the transport indusrty first hand like me then you will see that this is indeed a very very funny show.A true send up of transport - i laughed so much i couldn’t get my breath, do one on long distance freight companies and its exactly the same - i have told every one this is really what happens in the real world
I never really watch SBS much. But now I watch Swift and Shift Couriers when it comes on, it’s really funny and worth watching.
Swift & Shift - is the funniest show I have ever watched, I record each episode, and they get funnier each time I watch them, much better than Pizza !!
where can I find a pic of the indian guy in the epsiode last week?
whats that song during the show thats like i need some alcho-alcho-alcho-hol?
absolutly golden, the way that it portrays all ethic groups, and makes a mocery of them is classic! And that ring tone is classic haha, but seriosly this show uses all the ethinic groups and make a mockery of them so funny. 10/10
anyone know? I need that photo!! haha
I know of three women who hate this series, but all in all, everyone seems to like it or love it…as I do.
The ratings are not so good.
Could it be the everyone is watching on the SBS website or on YouTube?
That is the only answer I can come up with.
I can see these things happen in real life very good comedy
This show is a hoot! I love it!!
Who plays the blonde management-trainer though? She reminds me of Janine from Disney Channel,,, driving me crazy!!
Anyway, top show! Definitely tuning in next week!!
hey wat is paulys ringtone so i can download it
This show is awesome !! Pizza was good but this is the best comedy I have ever seen. My whole family gets into it and now & cant wait for Monday nights.
The only thing that I am worried about is that they will stop making it at some stage and I will have to return to watching “normal” TV which sucks.
All the characters with there unique personalities are brilliant. Seinfield did it with Newman, the black lawyer, the guy that owned the baseball team but you guys have done it with every character ! Keep it up guys
hey that dwarf is the funniest, I tape each episode, and re-watch the dwarf’s agro scenes, my guts is about to explode from laughing so much !
Ahahaha this show is so funny a freakin love it!!!!!!!!
Top show reminds me a lot of where I work. What a laugh.
how can i get the soundtrace, to swift and shift couriers
Great show. can i buy the dvd set anywhere?
hey great seeing Keith go off his rocker & sneeking his booze - in the lastest episode, Keith rocks !
Love it!!! Funniest show I have ever seen! Only watched a couple of times, but fantastic!!
This show is so funny! especially george he’s funny
is it possible to purchase the series on dvd
awsome show
is there going to be a seaon 2
i hope so great show