Dreamland, like the Margate amusement park it’s named after, wears its brashness on its sleeve. Three minutes into the Sky Atlantic comedy, which is based on Sharon Horgan’s award-winning 2017 short, viewers have already been exposed to inflatable penises, a cannibalistic bunny, and, erm, “perineum oil”. But beneath the slapstick and cotton-candy hues, dark family secrets are lurking. There’s also commentary on class and race dynamics in British seaside towns. All of these elements play out to varying levels of success, but you can’t fault Dreamland for trying. Everything it does, it does with gusto.
It’s Trish’s (former Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman) baby shower and the entire house, from the crystals to the TikTok-inspired chicken drumsticks, is pink. Wide-eyed and manic, Trish is desperate for a baby girl – hence the “manifestival” – and her partner Spence (the ever-excellent Kiell Smith-Bynoe) is happy to go along with it. But then her sister Mel (Lily Allen, in her first major TV role) shows up. Dressed in black, she sticks out like a sore thumb – and that’s before she’s knocked on the door clutching a can of Stella. Trish seethes: “Being a hot mess is very 2019.” “Yeah, well being a b**** is timeless, so lucky for you, eh?” Mel replies.
