A Look at Fackham Hall – A Fast-Paced, Funny Parody of Downton Abbey Which Is Delightfully Throwaway.

Maybe the feeling of uncertain days in the air: after years of dormancy, the parody is enjoying a resurgence. The past few months saw the revival of this lighthearted genre, which, when done well, skewers the pretensions of overly serious dramas with a flood of exaggerated stereotypes, visual jokes, and stupid-clever puns.

Unserious eras, so it goes, beget deliberately shallow, gag-packed, welcome light amusement.

The Latest Addition in This Silly Resurgence

The most recent of these silly send-ups comes in the form of Fackham Hall, a parody of Downton Abbey that pokes fun at the easily mockable self-importance of wealthy English costume epics. Co-written by British-Irish comedian Jimmy Carr and helmed by Jim O'Hanlon, the feature finds ample of source material to draw from and uses all of it.

Starting with a absurd opening and culminating in a ludicrous finish, this entertaining upper-class adventure fills every one of its runtime with gags and sketches that vary from the juvenile up to the authentically hilarious.

A Send-Up of The Gentry and Staff

In the vein of Downton, Fackham Hall delivers a pastiche of extremely pompous aristocrats and excessively servile staff. The story focuses on the feckless Lord Davenport (played by an enjoyably affected Damian Lewis) and his anti-reading wife, Lady Davenport (Katherine Waterston). After losing their children in a series of unfortunate mishaps, their aspirations are pinned on marrying off their offspring.

One daughter, Poppy (Emma Laird), has achieved the aristocratic objective of betrothal to the right kinsman, Archibald (an impeccably slimy Tom Felton). Yet when she withdraws, the onus falls upon the single elder sister, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie), who is an old maid already and who harbors radically progressive notions about female autonomy.

Its Comedy Works Best

The spoof achieves greater effect when sending up the stifling social constraints placed on Edwardian-era women – a topic frequently explored for self-serious drama. The trope of idealized womanhood supplies the richest punching bags.

The plot, as is fitting for a purposefully absurd spoof, takes a back seat to the bits. The co-writer delivers them arriving at a pleasantly funny rate. There is a homicide, a bungled inquiry, and a forbidden romance between the charming street urchin Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose.

The Constraints of Lighthearted Fun

Everything is in lighthearted fun, however, this approach imposes restrictions. The dialed-up foolishness of a spoof can wear over time, and the mileage on this particular variety expires in the space between sketch and feature.

After a while, you might wish to return to the world of (at least a modicum of) logic. Nevertheless, it's necessary to respect a wholehearted devotion to the artform. If we're going to entertain ourselves relentlessly, it's preferable to laugh at it.