I have to agree with folks here unhappy with J&J (called Clatterford here in North America). I rented the DVD to watch with my wife as a treat on her birthday. We watched the first two episodes and didn't laugh once! (Fortunately I'd also rented a Midsomer Murders DVD as well, so we watched that.) Some here have said "it's a dramedy." Huh? Nearly a dozen top comedians assembled for this show, and it's not a comedy? What a mistake. And for those who've said I have to watch all the episodes, rewind scenes I found slightly funny and watch them again, then let the whole thing sink in as I meditate on its comic subtlety -- huh? Those F&S shows are hit-and-miss, but it's not long before another sketch comes on. The J&J DVD was over two hours long... I think this is another instance of a higher standard of living (Saunders') making for a lower standard of writing (J&J).

I love this program. No, it isn't hilarious. It's touching, gently amusing and interesting. I've watched the entire series many times and every time I see it I'm more impressed with Jennifer Saunders' writing than the time before. I live in a very small US town and I have to say that small town/village life seems to fit a pattern no matter where you live. I recognized some of these women and the way of life.Some have complained that there are too many characters but I disagree. Each character develops at a nice leisurely pace as the series progresses so that by the end of the Christmas Panto we feel that we know these women quite well--and like them. I hope that this is the first of as many series as the characters can sustain and can hardly wait until Series 2.

You have to give this time and (as almost everyone else here has noted) be prepared that it's nothing at all like AbFab.I'm a big F&S fan, but even I was disappointed by the first episode of J&J. Nonetheless I kept watching, and I wound up being entranced. Jen Saunders is a wonderful writer, the characters really grow on you and the more you see the more you'll want to see. It may be especially difficult for American viewers to comprehend English country life, but the series is totally charming and is very very funny in a quiet kind of way. The cast is excellent, especially Dawn French and Sue Johnston. It's very well worth the investment -- enjoy!!

Yea, blah, blah, blah - Bleat. Not going to mention the AF words here. Jennifer Saunders has created a credible, well constructed drama/comedy or perhaps black comedy. The cast is superb and special mention must go to Pauline McLynne and Sue Johnson. It's more like high quality soap than a comedy series. The drama is high and the laughs are low, subtle and of quality. To begin with, at first Dawn French is redundant and out of place, thankfully her character comes into her own in time throughout the series and becomes something more detailed and complex. Jennifer herself takes a backseat (thankfully) as her inclusion as a character is nothing more than Jen getting in on the act with the odd (very out of place quip)her character is most definitely based on a character from the 6th and last series of French & Saunders where she plays Chris Martin's mum. The character doesn't work and is redundant to the series, still she does manage to provide the odd laugh (Kasabian having broken her dishwasher is a real howler!) The point is that the series has a lot to offer and is of great quality. All of the characters have their own unique identity and the viewer is drawn in to the the actions and lives of the people. Hopefully in series two, Jennifer won't appear and do herself and the series a favour. Sadly the writer is brilliant but her character is superfluous and distracting to an otherwise worthy piece of work.