Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Excellent, a Must See

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

On seeing the names of the main characters in this series I had high hopes of an excellent, witty sitcom. Instead I got a low class, stereo-typing piece of trash. When you have watched the first episode you have watched the entire series. What plot line there is is not credible. The huge talents of McKellan, Jacobi and De La Tour are wasted on inane drivel and drag-queen bitchiness. As a gay man I had hoped that we were past this sort of drivel but clearly not. Sir Ian McKellan has been at the forefront of gay rights for many years, and it shocks me that he then chooses to take part in something that would have been thought funny in the 1970's. McKellan and Jacobi should hang their heads in shame.

I watched the first episode and originally couldn't really get into it, but the I saw it was coming back for a second series, so I gave the first another chance, and I did end up watching the lot, directed by Ed Bye (Kevin & Perry Go Large, My Family, Fat Slags). Basically the show revolves around the lives of openly gay elderly couple Freddie Thornhill (Sir Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (Sir Derek Jacobi) who have been together for forty-eight years. They live together in their Covent Garden home and have a love/hate relationship, Freddie is a budding actor and Stuart used to work in a bar, both of their careers are almost over and they spend most of their time entertaining guests. Most of the episodes consist of them hurling sarcastic and bitter (or "vicious") insults to each other, and they have an aged dog named Balthazar that is unseen but they always check is still breathing. The most frequent guests visiting Freddie and Stuart are their handsome young neighbour Ash Weston (Iwan Rheon) who lives in the flat upstairs and sees them as father figures for advice about girls and jobs, and their close friend Violet Crosby (Frances de la Tour) who openly admits to having a sexual appetite for Ash, but later gets married to a scoundrel named Jasper. Their other visitors are old friends dotty Penelope (Marcia Warren) who gets confused over simple things, and Freddie's often sharp-tongued brother Mason (Philip Voss). Most episodes of all the series and the Christmas special consist of the banter between Freddie and Stuart, giving either useful advice to or mentoring Ash, Stuart talking to his mother who is remarkably still alive, Freddie finding rubbish acting or performing parts, listening to Violet's problems, and getting into some awkward, odd or sometimes outrageous situations. McKellen being posh and Jacobi being camp are gay in real life, they are convincing as the aging couple, de la Tour is amusing as the older woman lusting for the younger man, and Rheon is alright as the awkward but reasonably charming young man. I have to say that I do have a small soft spot for this programme, it is very predictable with its writing, performances and overall feel, but the homosexual relationship is original and there were some moments that made me laugh, so it's not a bad sitcom. Worth watching!

I, for one, can't wait for a second series of "Vicious". The cast is delightful including Stewart's mother who looks like she walked over from a production of Macbeth, and I love the set of Freddie and Stewart's apartment. I wish I had a place like that to which I could just drop by and have a cup of tea with the likes of Violet, Penelope, Mason and Ash. Am I pronouncing that right? Do let me know if ever I'm not. I came upon "Vicious" quite by chance and have now watched all the episodes a number of times without getting tired of them. As others have mentioned it's too bad there are only seven episodes but each one is a gem, and it certainly leaves me wanting more. To some of the reviewers here who seem to have so much trouble with the humour of this program I can only say, "lighten up".

About as funny as a dose of genital warts.The scripts are dire; the only positive feature - and I'm pushing it in saying that - is the two well-known principals, about whom you have to wonder what on earth induced them to stoop this low. Over the course of 30 long minutes the men bicker with each other, lust over a young, good-looking man by the name of Ash in his tight-fitting t-shirt, and generally mince around, all limp-wristed, calling each other things like "You stinking pile of turd" or 'You cheating slut". Classic one liners, I'm sure you'll agree.These gay characters are nothing more than camp stereotypes, but the main issue is that this just isn't funny.Vicious was panned by a number of critics, with the Telegraph saying that the script "fell disastrously flat", and calling it "the least funny new comedy in recent memory"; the Guardian said it was "frankly, a bit lame" and a "Greggs doughnut of a show" (that is, for US readers, 'cheap').Hard to believe a second series is planned.Utter rubbish.