Campus (2009–2011) User Reviews (8)

A great show.

[DeepAndMeaningful · 8/10 · 1 May 2011]

I tuned into this show simply on the off chance I might enjoy it. I left all expectations of it being 'the sequel to Green Wing' at the door and instead judged it based entirely on it's own merit, because I think that's the fairest thing to do... Thankfully I loved it.

Sure it's not to everyone's taste, for some it's too silly, too surreal, too nonsensical and risky. But it still does appeal to many people, especially young adults, probably because it is a likable and fun show for today. The writing is consistently good, the acting is great, and I can safely say I have laughed every episode. I happily recommend anyone to give it a go.

University Challenged - mediocre sitcom

[ninjaalexs · 6/10 · 29 June 2021]

Campus is the spiritual successor to the much loved surreal sitcom, "Green Wing". It stars Andy Nyman as the tyrannical head of a fictional "new build" university.

This is really forgettable, so much so that I didn't think I had seen it until I realised I had already rated it on IMDb. I like Andy Nyman and I think the role of a crazy, scheming professor is a good fit. There's some familiar supporting cast from Green Wing and some stand ups who have gone on to bigger things like Sara Pascoe and Katherine Ryan.

It has the surreal slapstick of green wing, unatutal dialogue in the same vein as writers like Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker albeit not as slick and a fair dose of vulgarity. I liked Green Wing at the time and it felt fresh, but this is just tedious to sit through. The episodes are nearly an hour and where as Green Wing was tightly scripted this just feels underwritten. I know it is semi-improvised, but so is Curb Your Enthusiasm and that has a consistently higher hit rate in 30 minutes.

Unfortunately Campus only lasted one series and a pilot. It may have built a bigger audience and improved had it ran for another series. The other tragedy is the late 00s weren't prolific for sitcoms and by 2011 there was a drought.

It grows on you...

[rachel_b9 · 15 May 2011]

The first few episodes were not exactly enticing, I didn't find it that funny and thought it was rather bland, however I was sort of addicted at the same time. And as the programme went on it became funnier, I am a university student myself and thought it would be funny to watch, especially since I found Green Wing a pretty awesome programme. The only thing that put me off at the start mainly was the overuse of swearing and it didn't suit. Jonty has to be the best character, he's rather unhinged and that therefore makes him one of the funniest. The characters themselves all have basis as well. So giving it a chance worked out just fine, I watched it with my parents who were the ones to recommend it to me in the first place, so it may be quite silly in parts and not to everyone's amusement, but to me it is worth watching... especially towards the end where it gets much funnier. But I have to say, it is not as good as Green Wing. But it is still a pretty decent comedy.

Should be a case study for writing

[timfranks · 10/10 · 3 May 2022]

I've watch through this series numerus times and, upon each viewing, I'm never disappointment.

The comedy is on point and unexpected, the plot of constantly moving forward but not rushed, and the exchanges are fast and witty.

A must watch for anyone looking for an amazing piece of writing and British comedy.

Reboot fail

[bigdave-25 · 1/10 · 1 June 2018]

It is almost as if someone set out to remake A Very Peculiar Practice but for some reason took the quirky University academics and oddballs interactions setup and manage to make every part of it utterly charmless , desperately trying to be vile but doing so every line for whole scenes with no humour pay-off or character in there. Comes over more like a child wanting to provoke being given attention kicking the back of someone's seat on a bus for an entire journey Tiresome. Disappointing. A blot on many good peoples careers frankly.

Surreal comedy - hit and miss

[bgsmall · 5/10 · 18 January 2019]

Although I think I get where the writers were coming from when they put 'Campus' together. I'm not altogether sure it translated as well to screen from script. This is a shame, as 'Green Wing' had an impeccable pedigree and worked.

A surreal set of characters inhabit the 'other-worldly' premises of a University campus. The Chancellor is a raving lunatic, the English Professor a womaniser and the Maths and Engineering Professors introverted and likely psychotic respectively. The plot lines weave across these characters with their varying involvement

I liked the exaggerated characterisations, and there are laughs, but these were a little inconsistent. Has taken me a while to circle the square of the one and only season.

Post "Green Wing"propter "Campus"?No,it's terrible..........

[ianlouisiana · 9 April 2011]

Trailed on the night of it's transmission as the "Sequel to "Green Wing","Campus"is the nadir of British TV screen writing. Before the first commercial we had the requisite number of "f****s",numerous "sh**s" and one use of the not terribly well - regarded C word as icing on the cake as we discovered how bereft of imagination,originality and humour the script actually was. How could anyone think that presenting the main character as a Ricky Gervais lookalike was going to bring anything other than invidious comparisons? Most of the actors look rather embarrassed but bravely - the poor dears - carried on in the best Showbiz tradition. As the great Stephane Grapelli once said "'ooevair said ze show must go on was a cont". And that's the only word I'll be quoting from the script. In the early eighties "A very peculiar practice" was set in the medical dept of a modern university.It was funny and accurate and believable. None of those words could possibly be applied to "Campus".

I like penis and vagina jokes, but seriously...

[thomasshahbaz · 1/10 · 27 November 2016]

Just an endless series of cock and fanny gags. Oh, and jokes about bums and poo as well of course. Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of toilet humour, but when that's all there is it wears very thin, very quickly. Talents such as Sarah Pascoe are wasted here; she seems to have been cast as a bimbo purely because she's blond. The un-pc quips of the VC quickly cease to seem ironic, instead becoming, while maybe not actually offensive, definitely tiresome. The problem with (apparently) sending up such humour is that, when it's a relentless stream without intelligent premise of construction, it requires you to take it at face value. All in all, a bunch of thirteen-year-olds could write something far more witty and engaging than this dross.