Back is a British sitcom created by Simon Blackwell and starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. It was broadcast on Channel 4 and ran for two series from 6 September 2017 to 25 February 2021. The programme was filmed and is set in and around Stroud, Gloucestershire.Mitchell and Webb's Back was filmed in Stroud
A second series of six episodes was announced in November 2017; filming was scheduled to begin in October 2019. On 19 September 2020, Webb announced that filming of the second series was complete. The first episode was broadcast on 21 January 2021 on Channel 4.
The first series premiered on Sundance Now in December 2017 before premiering on Sundance TV in the US in September 2018. The second series premiered on 31 March 2021 on sister network IFC in the US a week later after it premiered in full on Sundance Now on March 24.
Plot After the death of his father, Laurie, 42-year-old Stephen Nichols is poised to take over the family business, the John Barleycorn pub, in Stroud, Gloucestershire. His plans are interrupted when Andrew, a former foster child who had spent several months with Stephen's parents during Stephen's youth, unexpectedly arrives to renew his relationship with the family. Andrew, a globe-trotting overachiever of questionable character, charms Stephen's family, who embrace him as a rightful heir. Stephen, a failed lawyer, resents Andrew, and views him as "a glib, dangerous sociopath who's about to steal his family, his business and his life". Andrew fondly recalls the brief time he spent living with the family as the happiest days of his life, whereas Stephen remembers them as miserable and punitive.
Cast
Episodes
Series 1 (2017)
Series 2 (2021)
Reception Back received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first series has a score of 100% rating based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Intriguing, intelligent, and dripping with searing social satire, Back proves a welcome return for collaborators David Mitchell and Robert Webb."
The second series received a score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "After a long hiatus, Back returns as sharp and irreverent as ever."
The review aggregator website Metacritic reported a combined score for both series of 85 out of 100, based on reviews from 12 critics.
References
External links Back at Channel 4