Other Doctor Lives: Staged: Series 1, Episode 3 – “Who the F#!k is Michael Sheen?” (2020)

Probably my favorite episode so far. Even though I enjoy the first two, this one has a clearer plot, which give it a little more focus. It also ups the ante in terms of celebrities playing themselves.

Zoom rehearsals for the play are still slow-going, and what’s more, they’ve encountered a sticky obstacle. Michael’s role initially belonged to another, more famous actor who had to back out due to a film role, but with the pandemic halting his shooting schedule, he wants back in. With Simon unable to say “no” to this celebrity, David takes it upon himself to smooth things over.

I won’t say who this famous actor is, so as not to spoil the reveal, but the cameo is both well-chosen and well-executed. I really enjoy the fictionalized-but-only-kind-of vibe that the show creates with David and Michael’s personal and professional relationship, and the addition of this guest star gives more of an Extras air to his scenes, seeing a big name get in on the action of poking gentle fun at himself and commiserating over COVID.

Like I said, this conundrum gives the “characters” a clear problem that needs solving, which provides focus to the episode. I certainly understand why the first two episodes are so meandering, as life in quarantine can feel like that, and the show captures that feeling very well. But since this is a TV show and not just an aimless web series of Michael Sheen and David Tennant shooting the breeze, plot is nice, and this story provides something to drive the episode. Plus, it’s just funny.

One bit of recurring humor I want to shout out is the show’s opening credits, which change slightly depending on what David and Michael talk about during the end tag of the previous episode. For instance, at the end of episode 2, David muses on the idea of becoming a writer his using real last name, McDonald, and so this episode starts with him credited as “David McDonald.” It’s a little thing, but it makes me smile.

Tennant gets the biggest scenes with the guest star this week, so he has plenty of fun stuff to work with. By now, the character version of himself on the show is well-established, and the laughs in his scenes with the guest star feel earned, not manufactured for comedy. I like that, even though David feels a little wrong-footed next to the more well-read Simon, the more pretentious Michael, and the more famous guest star, he functions as the glue of the show, explaining Simon and Michael to one another when they clash and appointing himself the person to broach the bad news to the guest star.

There’s also a great scene of David and Michael comparing Shakespearean roles, ones they both have and haven’t played and ones that would be most apt to channel in a particular situation. It’s such fun theatre-nerd humor that makes me so happy to watch.