Comedian Liam Williams’ autobiographical sitcom Ladhood hit BBC Three at the end of last month. Williams stars in the comedy as himself and visits scenarios of his adolescence in a Fleabag-esque style to comment on how formative these experiences were in moulding his adult life. However, most of the series is set in the late ’00s, where we see Liam and his three friends growing up in the relatable setting of a suburb where small-town mentalities taught the most important things in life were girls, appearances, drugs, and alcohol. Many a critic has commented on the series’ familiarity in this sense – a coming-of-age comedy centering on four boys. Before we go any further, let me say it is no competitor for The Inbetweeners and here’s the thing – it’s not trying to be. 

The Inbetweeners’ iconicity makes it difficult for high school sitcoms not to suffer under its comparison. William’s Ladhood is like The Inbetweeners’ older, drier northern counterpart. Not only does the series cover the ridiculous goings-on of high school detailed in The Inbetweeners, but Williams’ technique of breaking the fourth wall allows him to dissect these memories to the audience in his trademark dry wit. By placing the boy’s antics alongside Liam’s adult life, he explains how his formative years growing up have socialised him into the ‘lad’ behaviour he is still trapped in today. To quote Williams himself, he feels as though he is ‘still coated in a residue of laddishness, for better or worse.’

This lad culture of the late 00s is still incredibly familiar in society today. However, Ladhood presents a uniquely Northern experience which has rarely been shown before. It triumphs in its representation of the young men socialised into lad culture, who are given the voice to explain the pressures of adolescence and societal expectations of masculinity. Instead of outright demonising them or being forced to acknowledge their privilege, we are given their explanations in flashbacks which act as the basis of the episodes. British drinking and lad culture are accurately portrayed in a way that makes you feel as if the sitcom is not about pleasing audiences, as American viewers could be alienated by this presentation. Through the nostalgic lens of this post-industrial Northern town, you feel as if you are being invited into William’s childhood. You become completely immersed in the narrative, which does not cater to a majority or minority – but seems to exist solely for Liam’s introspection, which we are given the privilege to witness.

William’s style allows for a lot of darker issues to be covered under his mature and sarcastic comedic lens. The desire for men to fight, drink (to quote Craggy, my greatest dream in life is to get pissed’), the objectification of women and the reluctance for men to discuss their feelings are all covered in relatable memories. However, the dual narrative allows William’s to display how these all-too-familiar scenarios have become concreted habits in his future, which seem hard to shake off.  For example, only telling your friends your feelings when you’re inebriated and having to hide any emotions deemed ‘unmanly.’

Ladhood’s self-awareness is commendable, as William’s narration uncovers the incentives to why people act as they do. Liam narrates almost flippantly that he and his friends are upper-middle-class, whilst their bullies are working class. This hindsight allows Liam’s 30-year-old self reminders of relationship issues he has transferred into the future, as thinks of his current girlfriend: ‘Maybe she doesn’t understand because she’s not a straight white man. And it’s actually very hard to be a straight white man…oh, stupid thought.’

This comedy’s message is completely unobtrusive. It trickles through the screen quietly as you watch it. The familiar British culture sits in our living room with us, as we reminisce on our childhoods alongside Liam’s. Only when we see the consequences of this toxic lad culture do we begin to feel uncomfortable in its presence. 

A comedy with a difference, Ladhood addresses the issues surrounding perceived masculinity and subtly shows us how restrictive they really are, and how necessary a presentation of it is today. 

Rating = 4/5