People Just Do Nothing Series 1-3

15¦ DVD

What is universally loved by everyone on the planet? The answer is probably food, especially a takeaway from the Chicken Cottage. A close second would be, of course, music. If you turn your dial on your radio on FM (which stands for Fab Music), you are bound to land on the number one station for UK Garage and Drum 'n' Bass - Kurupt FM. You can listen to it anywhere in the world, as long as you're in or around the Brentford area.

This underground radio station is run by lyrical gangsta MC Grindah (Allan Mustafa) and DJ Beats (Hugo Chegwin), along with their faithful posse.

People Just Do Nothing, which first aired on BBC Three before it had the plugged pulled and they made it sit on the naughty step of the internet, is in the mockumentary mould, as a camera team follow the station's crew, as well as their family and friends: there's Michelle (Lily Brazier), Grindah's long suffering girlfriend; Roche (Ruth Bratt), who often has to act more like a mum to Beats than a partner; and the one and only Chabuddy G (Asim Chaudhry) who is Hounslow's very own Alan Sugar, but without the successful business acumen.

boom reviews People Just Do Nothing
That was Celine Dionne. Next up, the latest from that little scamp Justin Bieber.

The series may focus on a group of urban slackers, and although many of the characters are entertainingly vacuous - none more so than Steves (Steve Stamp) - it has surprising depth. The relationship between Mich and Grindah is at times heartbreaking, as she clings onto being a couple with blind optimism. There's the affable Beats, who is often torn between his loyalty to Grindah and his love for Roche. And then there's Chabuddy G; he may have far more fingers than he has pies, but it doesn't stop him from striving for success, both in business and in love. Sure, he inevitably fails at both, but he has a big heart to match his often inappropriate approach to better himself.

boom reviews People Just Do Nothing
What's that you say? You want five cases of Peanut Dust? No Problem!

If The Office had an illegitimate child, that had to fend for itself like some tracksuit-adorned street urchin on the wild streets of Hounslow, it would be People Just Do Nothing. Its humour is as dry as Chabuddy G's spell with the opposite sex and just as cringe worthy. And although Kurupt FM is all about urban themes, you don't have to be a fan of the underground garage scene (as it were) to appreciate it. Don't be surprised though if their own 'Lyrical Blow to the Jaw' anthem becomes your latest ear worm to infect your musical sensibilities. You have been warned.

This box set features all three series to date, as well as some nice little extras, and showcases all those concerned with Kurupt FM in a perfect, dreary, West London light. It may not be smart nor clever, but it spins some genuine laughs with characters you can't help but have respect and love for. So don't touch that dial, Kurupt FM is definitely where it's at.

we give this four out of five