My First Planet

Firstly, I know it's probably a bit pointless to write about a radio show in the week after it falls off the iplayer but, what can I say, I've been busy.

Secondly...

I should start by saying that I really wanted to enjoy My First Planet. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, only that I probably had some unrealistic expectations. If you missed it, My First Planet was a comedy set on Earth's first colony on another planet. It focused on six of the thirty-ish people in an ill-conceived community including an inept commander, a amoral scientist and a pair who'd lied about being a couple so they could get onto the mission. Yes, it is quite like The Spaceship. Any sci-fi comedy might get that comparison but there are some real similarities.

I'm not sure why My First Planet was only four episodes long but it felt rather squashed, there was an awful lot of stuff going on in a short space of time. The first two episodes didn't make much of an impression on me except for the fact that they were very busy. I enjoyed the third episode a lot more, it took some shots at the media through the publishing of the colony's newsletter. The title of the fourth - Inglorious Barters - made me giggle and I enjoyed the main plot and felt like I was beginning to get to know the characters. The sub-plots, however, didn't do much except distract from the colony's descent into an unsustainable economy of favours.

On the whole though, it was hard to get a grip on the six man characters. I wanted to know more about why they were even in space before I could find it funny that they were. I was hoping that Mason might become more of an evil scientist; that Brian might do more to assert his (ineffective) authority; and that Archer might be... something else entirely. Lillian, Doctor Pointer, Doctor Lillian Pointer and her constant attempts to relieve Brian of his command was by far the best of the group.

On the whole, I enjoyed My First Planet but it did feel like there were two characters too many and two episodes too few. Hopefully it'll return for a second, longer series and calm down a little so that we can warm to the hopelessly doomed colony a little more.