Mackenzie Crook's Small Prophets: A Surreal Suburban Comedy Masterpiece
Trust Mackenzie Crook to deliver another television gem. Following the cult success of his BBC series Detectorists, which concluded in 2017 with a Christmas special in 2022, Crook returns with Small Prophets, a superb follow-up that brings surrealism to the suburbs. This strange and wonderful comedy develops what might be called a new genre: magical social realism, blending the ordinary with the extraordinary in captivating fashion.
From Metal Detectors to Magical Prophecies
Detectorists achieved remarkable status by excavating profound meaning from prosaic settings, transforming muddy fields and failed treasure hunts into meditations on male friendship, thwarted dreams, and the quiet devastations of middle age. Small Prophets continues this tradition but shifts the landscape from rural Suffolk to retail parks and overgrown suburban gardens. The series maintains that same mournful melancholy, punctuated by moments of brilliant, absurdist humour that will resonate deeply with viewers.
The haunting, ethereal musical score similarly twangs its way into your soul, creating an atmospheric backdrop for the unfolding narrative. Expectations were high for Crook's return to television, and Small Prophets does not disappoint in any regard.
A Cast of Eccentric Characters
Pearce Quigley stars as Michael Sleep, whose life has been an inconvenience since his partner Clea vanished seven years ago. His house remains a shrine to her absence, while his front garden has become a wilderness that appals his neighbour Clive, played by Big Boys' Jon Pointing. Clive considers sparrows and bees a pestilence, creating immediate tension in their suburban relationship.
By day, Michael works at a DIY superstore, where he delights in dispensing wrong advice to customers while conspiring with young colleague Kacey, portrayed by Lauren Patel, to torment his jobsworth manager Gordon, played by Crook himself. Initially, this sets up as a lo-fi workplace sadcom, but then Crook pulls the rug from under viewers' expectations.
The Magical Realism Twist
The narrative takes a dramatic turn when Michael's father Brian, portrayed by comedy legend Michael Palin, enters the story. Residing in a care home where dementia eats away at him, Brian claims to know the secret of making homunculi – tiny prophetic beings who live in glass jars and can tell the future, including what happened to Clea. Suddenly, the show shifts from kitchen-sink comedy into folklore and the supernatural, creating a unique blend of genres that defines the series.
For this ambitious concept to work, the performances are absolutely crucial. Patel brings genuine spark and energy as Kacey, while Palin delivers a wonderful performance as Brian, an eccentric whose grip on reality may be slipping but whose belief in alchemy and mischief remains absolute. Grounding the entire production is Quigley's masterful portrayal of oddball Michael, shuffling between mordant humour and moving vulnerability, his face expressing hangdog expressions and shaggy sorrow throughout.
Emotional Depth and Accessibility
The scenes between Quigley and Palin are particularly poignant without ever becoming cloying or sentimental. Their relationship forms the emotional core of the series, exploring themes of memory, loss, and the bonds between fathers and sons. If the show's magical realism elements give you pause, do not be put off: viewers will be rewarded with something genuinely funny, wonderfully strange, and surprisingly accessible.
Like Detectorists before it, Small Prophets is a series that wrings deep emotion from the commonplace and everyday aspects of British life. Only this time, the treasure that Crook has buried in his narrative is altogether more peculiar and supernatural in nature. The series represents a bold creative step forward while maintaining the qualities that made his previous work so beloved.
Small Prophets brings large returns for both the BBC and viewers seeking intelligent, emotionally resonant comedy. Crook has crafted another masterpiece that deserves to achieve the same cult status as his previous work, offering a fresh perspective on suburban life through the lens of magical realism and exceptional character development.
