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Last week I rewatched series 1 and 2 of Green Wing. One of the reasons I did that was so that I could listen to this. After 17 years, the series has made a comeback on Audible as a podcast. I was thrilled by the news and couldn’t wait to catch up with it. I was slightly disappointed that Audible hadn’t made more of it but I guess Green Wing doesn’t necessarily have the mass appeal that they usually crave. What it does have is Oscar winner Olivia Colman reprising her role as Harriet Schulenburg. Colman along with a large proportion of the original cast are back in the new podcast. I had to see if the show would still be as funny after such a long break. I was also intrigued as to whether it would work as an audio only experience.

After all, Green Wing was such a visual show. Not only was it full of sensational visual gags and physical but the editing added to the surreal nature of the show. The use of slowed-down and sped up footage between scenes really made the show standout from the crowd. The audio version recreates this thanks to some fancy sound design. Slowed-down audio is repeated at the end of certain scenes to replicate the stylistic weirdness of the tell version. It’s a really clever way of keeping the spirit of the original show alive.

In terms of story, a lot has changed since we last saw these characters. At the end of the television series, Mac had just married Caroline after admitting he was dying of a terminal illness. Although, she was flying off holding a load of balloons. Alan and Joanna were ready to end it all after going on the run from the police. Fast forward 17 years and things are different. Mac has gone through a dramatic and unexpected recovery, which prompted him to go travelling. Caroline has made a name for herself in America and Guy has found his place as a television doctor. Alan escaped prison but had to throw Joanna under the bus to do it. He is now faced with working under Boyce as the Head of Radiology. Harriet is now head of HR, Martin is still not a doctor, and Sue White is as mad as ever.

It sounds like a lot to take it but it won’t take fans long to get back into the swing of it. These are the same characters we know and love but just a bit older. The relationship between Mac and Guy is still the standout of the series. The show opens with Guy pretending that Mac is a ghost following his miraculous recovery. It’s a shame this wasn’t televised because you can imagine how great some of these scenes would have looked on screen. That doesn’t mean the podcast isn’t funny because it is. Fans of the original show will be delighted with the reboot. Well, except for the fact that it only contains 6 episodes. It’s just not enough.

I also won’t pretend that there aren’t annoying things about the reboot. For one thing, I thought that the characterisation of Harriet was completely different. She used to be forgettable and messy mother who wasn’t ever sure what was going on. Now she’s the Head of HR and messing with crypto. She’s gone through the biggest change in the intervening years but maybe they just figured Olivia Colman deserved more following her Oscar win. And, honestly, I just love whatever Olivia Colman does. There were also a couple of plot lines that felt unexplored or rushed. For example, Boyce didn’t get a lot to do until an absurd plot development near the end of the series. However, most of the characters are exactly how you want them to be.

Mark Heap is, as ever, a scene stealer and it’s great to have Michelle Gomez back as Sue White. These two were the great comedic stars of the original series and the audio only version allows their characters to go even further. Without the visual constraints, the show can have the characters do even weirder things and it’s fantastic. Ultimately, I was so happy to get back into these characters that none of the negatives mattered. This isn’t the best way for new fans to get into the show but it will be perfect for old fans. It’s a joy to listen to and I can’t wait for Audible to bring out the next series.