15 Storeys High (2002–2004) User Reviews

Lock and load.

[southdavid · 8/10 · 16 December 2021]

After his sad and untimely passing, the BBC decided to return Sean Lock's cult sitcom to the iPlayer, to allow it to find a new audience. I watched "15 Storeys High" at the time, and my recollection was that I liked it, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to watch it again. After a couple of shaky episodes, the show really finds its feet and has some great comedic ideas.

Two men, the brusque Vince (Sean Lock) and naïve Errol (Benedict Wong) share a flat in a South London complex. Their interactions, with each other and their neighbours, form the basis of the sitcom, but each episode shows us the lives of other people living around the complex and the increasing idiosyncratic way that these people live their lives.

The first couple are, admittedly, a bit shaky. The first episode has a scene recreating "Jim'll Fix It" which has unintentionally become a lot more shocking since the revelations about Saville came out and I'm perhaps a bit surprised that the BBC didn't decide to edit this out of the re-release. Once you reach the third episode though, it settles down into the right rhythm and tone and the last four episode of this run are really good.

There's a lot of actors across this season who would go on to become regular faces in comedy across the next twenty years, Cavan Clerkin, Michael Smiley, Martin Trenaman, Toby Jones, Peter Serafinowicz, and Paul Putner are just some of the names who would appear.

It's a very funny show and makes it even sadder than during Sean's time he didn't write more narrative based comedy.

Just right.

[lawrencelawrence86 · 9/10 · 18 August 2021]

Easily his best work, solid humour mixed into a constantly grim surrounding without being off-putting. Easy to watch again and again.

Sad that he's gone...

[BlueMew · 8/10 · 10 February 2022]

15 Storeys High is the tale of Vince and his slightly ditzy flatmate Errol as they bugger through life.

It's slightly rough for the first few episodes but it defintiely gets better, and I did like some of the more surreal and out-there moments (like Vince's nude loving father). A stand out to me was the Airport episode, if mainly due to how ridiculous it got. It's sad that the main player is dead now, although it hopeully means that more love can be given to this show.

A real hidden gem!

[iainidc · 10/10 · 12 May 2006]

I had never heard of 15 Storeys High until a friend recommended it. I didn't have great expectations but ended up watching all 6 episodes in one go! This is a weird, wonderful, surreal comedy with brilliant characterisation. Locke & Wong are just terrific as the undynamic duo -a morose swimming pool attendant and a hapless fish-factory worker living together in a rather run-down apartment block. Their dull, aimless lives are interspersed with moments of absurdity; the story lines border on the ludicrous, made all the funnier by the deadpan delivery of the actors. 15 Storeys High can rightfully take its place among the very best of BBC Comedies - a real hidden gem that hopefully one day will receive the recognition it deserves. If you haven't seen it and you like slightly off-the-wall comedies like The Office,you shouldn't be disappointed!

Fantastic underrated sitcom of the highest caliber

[cannygeet · 23 August 2004]

Having been a fan of Sean Lock's comedy for many years I looked forward to this series and it did not disappoint. It is hilarious! To anyone who hasn't seen it, buy the BBC DVD right now. To summarise Vince, a swimming pool attendant, and his jobless flatmate, Errol, live in a block of flats. And, as in most sitcoms, hilarious adventures ensue. However, the brilliance comes from Lock's surreal writing. The two characters are flatmates but not friends, the adventures range from the problems of being addicted to a cheap energy drink (Blue Rat), trying to get your flat decorated when you use Readers' Wives for style tips ("You can't have sex in a living room. That's where you have Christmas") or simply the problems that come from killing a swan. Each episode is broken up by short glimpses of what is going on in the other flats. These vary each week and go from the sublime to the ridiculous (the man who wants "dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, spot!" for his spotted dick is fantastic.

If you like comedy- give it a go. If you want a change from canned laughter filled colourful sitcoms - give it a go.

R.I.P You Genius

[leemyers-60171 · 10/10 · 30 August 2021]

I like a lot of people have only just heard about this show because of Sean Locks passing and I have to say it's the funniest thing I have seen in years. I honestly can't praise it enough. Both main characters work really well together and there's no annoying laughter track either so that's a bonus. 10/10.

Razor Sharp Comedy

[ineffectualpoet · 10/10 · 11 February 2007]

I caught an episode of this on BBC Three a while ago and presumed, from it's six month banishment that it will never see the light of day again. Approxiamtly, 2 weeks ago I decided to purchase the DVD. It is amazing. Truly a subtly funny script, amazing acting and Sean Lock, well, although he plays a misanthropic cynical man, he is lovable. Sometimes i wish i lived in the same block amongst him and his surreal tenants. He, alongside the director captures the atmosphere of the goings on inside a dilapidated block of flats excellently. And its not what you'd expect! A man who secretes a horse in his spare room, the husband of a aspiring swimmer who claims to be "crazy", a guy who helps his friend win back his girlfriend by constantly smashing his fist against a wall and various others. No extravagance, if anything, a pretty banal depressive atmosphere with a razor sharp script. That's the true essence of this comedy. I don't understand why shyte comedies get more attention than this? I ponder over whether people tend to love the acclaimed overrated crap rather than a comedy that truly delivers and pleases. Sean Lock & Mark Lamarr are both extremely talented writers. End of.

Beautiful Comedy

[carlsabatzki-655-12166 · 10/10 · 24 July 2019]

A magnificent series with excellent story telling, fantastic characters and most of all brilliantly funny comedy. Sean Lock isn't only a terrific comedian but proves to be a great writer too. 15 Storeys never gets old but it leaves one always wanting more. An A+ for location, location, location.

Back when Sean Lock was funny.....

[eskimosound · 10/10 · 12 March 2020]

It's difficult to imagine Sean Lock as a decent stand up comedian and comedic actor/writer these days because of his endless appearances on QI, Jimmy Carr's Countdown, 5 out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week and that one about lying with that awkward little Welsh man.... But he was, he was an excellent writer. This series as most BBC comedy started on Radio 4 and only got better when filmed. It's very funny, soo dry, brilliantly timed and Benedict Wong is a joy... So I highly recommend this it's brilliant as is the second series. Please don't be put off by Sean Locks endless comedy/panel show appearances he is actually very talented!!! Albeit, we haven't seen him do anything for over 10 years!!!

Quirky sitcom, principal characters; short on money and long on time

[bgsmall · 8/10 · 30 December 2021]

Well, had been on my 'to watch' list for a while now and this viewing has been hastened by Sean Lock's untimely death.

In my opinion this sitcom captures a spirit (for at least some of us) of a period in our lives where we are broadly speaking free of responsibilities and obligations to others (e.g. For me, my mid to late twenties). The aimless abandon of Sean Lock's character who is long on time, but short on money leads to the viewer journeying into his innermost thoughts and idle wanderings. These are most readily manifest in 'imaginings' of what's happening in adjacent flats - brief and bizarre scenes ensue.

Benedict Wong, ably plays the naive flatmate to the Sean Lock's character who places frequent demands on him.

Utter madness

[ccotto-39329 · 10/10 · 20 February 2022]

This is something that passed me by when it was on TV, so glad I came across it now, loved this and series 2 is perhaps the finest British sitcom series ever made. Great cast and genuinely funny.

Off the wall

[BigJobMan · 8 June 2004]

I really like this programme. What I like about it, apart from the situations Vince gets himself into, and the more outrageous ones Errol gets into {"I told him we had the Volvo part - I don't like lying"), is the transient appearances of all sorts of oddball characters. Vince's dad, for instance, never wears clothes so Vince puts a carrier bag wherever he sits down. We see people who live in different flats to Vince going about their different business, they are all hilarious (oh Jesus Christ!). There are the table tennis brothers, the wheezy bloke, the bloke who swears all the time, the guitar tutor and his much put-upon pupil. You've got to see it, words alone cannot do it justice. Cheers, Nick.

Massively underrated comedy gold.

[richw-81295 · 10/10 · 23 January 2024]

This series is massively underrated. A lot of people aren't even aware of it but they should be.

The basic premise is Sean's character Vince living in a high rise flat with his lodger Errol (a pre-Hollywood Benedict Wong) going about his business as are other characters in other flats we flick to occasionally.

The genius of this, as with Sean's comedy, is that it's off the wall and leaves a lot for the viewer to do in being appreciating the humour which means a lot of people will miss the jokes completely because they aren't by any means obvious and spoon-fed to the viewer.

The situations Vince and Errol experience are of course ludicrous but Sean and Benedict are excellent and they have a great supporting cast. This series is well worth a watch if you appreciate subtler comedy.

Is mandy there?

[Mouldyman · 24 November 2004]

Great stuff. Sean locke's character is just a mean bloke who seems not to be able to stand anyone else. Despite this he shares his flat with Errol, who is a simple fellow, perhaps a more less caricatured version of Father Dougal.

The beauty of it is that despite the strange situations they make for themselves, they remain real characters you can believe in. Errol is naive and extremely likable. Vince is the opposite, cynical, and nasty, taking out his vitriol on other people in unprovoked acts of spite (but in a funny way).

The supporting characters inhabiting the rest of the building are the exaggerated, strange beings, and i thought that a great deal of their antics were just slightly too bizarre to exist alongside Vince and Errol's reality.

But this is one of the funniest first series I have seen, and I look forward to seeing the second (hurry up and release it on DVD!!)

Innovative stuff

[jbaccy · 15 May 2003]

I only managed to catch one episode so far but what an episode! It's one of those underrated comedies you hear nothing about, but the script is hillarious, and the straighter-than-straight acting just suits it to a T. Stylistically, it's a cross between league of gentlemen, the office, and something else all of it's own. From what I can tell, it charters the lives of the inhabitants of a block of flats in anytown UK. Watch if you're after something different.

No laugh-track makes this one even better...

[dutchwife · 20 February 2006]

Okay, I just bought the DVD of the first series because the reviews suggested that this was the type of humour that I like best (Black Books!!Yeah!!). After watching the first episode, I was left with mixed feelings. My mistake....

A couple of days later I decided to give the second show a shot. No mixed feelings now-this one's a gem! Lock & the rest of the cast's deadpan delivery is enhanced by the lack of canned laughter, & the bizarre situations are played out almost a la reality TV. Also, as an ex-pat Londoner, while these situations may seem genuinely odd to a few people, I was reminded of a whole slew of people from way back when. Which is probably why I moved as far away as possible.

To summarize, a top-notch show which may need to be given a couple of viewings. I can't wait for the second series to get a DVD release..