Ellie & Natasia concludes its run with its third episode, which is also its final one, airing on Wednesday evening, according to The Guardian's television preview. The paper's critic, Phil Harrison, describes the sketch show as excellent and notes that it deliberately avoids dragging on past its natural length. He argues that the short run helps the programme land more of its jokes, and that its strongest moments are very funny indeed.
The Guardian's preview also highlights the pair's all-female take on Only Fools and Horses, in which the duo play it entirely straight. In the sketch, the characters object to the repeated use of the word "plonker," saying it struck them as something of a problem. Harrison credits the performers with a sharp eye for the oddities of contemporary behaviour alongside their silliness.
Why it matters
The Guardian's write-up frames the show's brevity as a virtue rather than a limitation. A comedy that stops while audiences are still enjoying it, the paper suggests, leaves a better impression than one that continues until the material thins out. Harrison's assessment is that the condensed format keeps the quality high across the three episodes.
The preview also places the series within a wider evening of television that ranges from science to sport. Taken together, the listings show a Wednesday schedule mixing comedy, documentary, competition and live football.
What else The Guardian recommends
In a separate pick, the mathematician Hannah Fry presents a programme on how technology is assisting researchers who study animal communication. The Guardian reports that the episode covers work with African elephants, sea lions and a dog in California described as "talking." According to the paper, Fry says a remarkably capable application of artificial intelligence could soon allow ordinary people to understand animals in the way the fictional Doctor Dolittle did. Her warning, as quoted in the preview, is that the technology is on its way.
Celebrity Race Across the World continues with its second leg, set in Borneo. The Guardian notes that the start was briefly held up while Peter Andre's children caught up with the rest of the group. The travellers then face a choice between the main road and a route that looks longer on the map. The paper's critic, Jack Seale, observes that the decision hardly matters, since most of the contestants seem more interested in spotting exotic primates than in reaching their destination quickly.
Another entry in the listings sees a fresh batch of famous faces arrive for a portrait sitting as the competition settles into its stride. The Guardian says host Stephen Mangan welcomes Rylan Clark, Alison Balsom and Jamie Lloyd into the studio. Harrison calls the result cheerful and engaging, striking a balance between irreverence and a reasonable amount of seriousness about art.
The paper also flags the second instalment of a documentary following a family's campaign for justice over the killing of Robert McCartney outside a Belfast pub in 2005, a case linked to the IRA. According to The Guardian, his sister Gemma recalls Gerry Adams allegedly telling the family that the public are changeable and would forget them within a week. The preview adds that as the names of those responsible emerged, the campaign reached the White House.
For viewers in the mood for something lighter, there is an episode in which the pair known to audiences as "Robesh" turn their attention to bowling. The Guardian reports that Rom describes the sport as essentially the American version of darts. The duo meet professionals who treat the game with great respect, among them Kyle Troup, whom the paper identifies as "the pro with the fro" and notes is white.
The evening's sport includes Slavia Prague against Arsenal at 7.45pm, with RB Leipzig against Manchester City kicking off at the same time on TNT Sports 2, according to The Guardian.
A short run, by design
The Guardian's preview makes clear that the final episode arrives without any sense of a show running out of ideas. Harrison's view is that the series has been consistently daft in the best sense, and that its compact three-episode arc is part of what makes it work. The paper's readers are directed to the closing instalment as the evening's comedy highlight.
For viewers who have followed the duo's television work, the episode offers a last chance to see the format in its current form. The Guardian does not indicate whether the pair plan further sketch projects.
The final episode of Ellie & Natasia airs on Wednesday evening, with the other programmes in The Guardian's selection scheduled across the same night.
