The Call Centre

Episode one
‘There’s never a dull day,’ claims the voiceover, ‘when you work at this Swansea call centre.’ On balance, this is probably true. We imagine there are, however, many, many, fist-bitingly excruciating ones. There’s the communal chorus of ‘Mr Brightside’ (‘I’ve sacked people for not singing,’ boasts CEO Nev Wilshire). There are the practical jokes, after which line managers accuse underlings of not being able to take a joke. Or the speed dating night, organised in response to one member of the team being dumped painfully.

At the heart of it all is the remarkable Wilshire; a hyperactive cross between David Brent and Napoleon (‘one thing Napoleon had was passion and belief’). You really, really wouldn’t want to work for him. But it’s easy to imagine him becoming a short-lived watercooler sensation as a result of this series before leaving his job, becoming a motivational speaker, recording a cover version of ‘If You Don’t Know Me by Now’ and being humiliated at a series of provincial nightclub PAs. He’s that kind of guy.