Tony Mammoth is now fully thawed and settled into his new home, which has orange-and-brown wallpaper and episodes of Minder playing on a loop. He is either baffled by modern life (automated phone messages, alcohol-free beer) or cheerfully ignores its demands. “Fists only,” he tells two children pushing each other around in the playground. Visiting the GP, he is asked how many units of alcohol he drinks per week. “Thirty,” he replies. “That’s 15 pints,” says the doctor, disapprovingly. “Oh, is it? Well, in that case, 60 then,” shrugs Mammoth.
It’s not quite as good as series one, because the concept is no longer a novelty. But it’s still a lot of fun. There are just three half-hour episodes. In the first, Mammoth comes face-to-face with an old nemesis. In the second, his daughter (Sian Gibson) gets a new boyfriend. In the third, his grandson (Joel Davison) turns 18 and Mammoth presents him with a bottle of whiskey and a packet of fags. It doesn’t get any more serious than that – no angst or introspection here.
I have no idea what younger viewers would make of this. They probably wouldn’t laugh once, partly because they’re so po-faced and partly because you really need to understand the references and enjoy wallowing in the nostalgia. Angel Delight for dessert. Demis Roussos on the record player. A bar in the living room complete with optics. Mammoth waxing lyrical not just about an episode of The Professionals, but a specific episode featuring Keith Barron. It’s like one of those “Do you remember Spangles?” shows you get on Channel 5, but with jokes. A winning combination.
Mammoth is on BBC Two on Monday at 10pm, and all episodes are on BBC iPlayer
