Carry On Camping, it ain’t

If the sinister, ironic or darn right daft edge to holidaying in our great British outdoors hasn’t surpassed you, or maybe you’ve wondered what Bonnie and Clyde would have been like had they satisfied their murderous tendencies in the realms of Busheygap and Fannyfield (yes they are real places in the UK), then Sightseers may be your cup of Yorkshire tea.

The caravanning chaos of this dark comedy is set in the rolling countryside and follows the mishaps of recently-acquainted couple, Chris and Tina (Steve Oram and Alice Lowe). But it’s far from the amber glow of a Hovis ad and their irresistibility to each other is as tender as a wet Doberman on heat. In a more genuine portrayal of our glorious little island, it’s a muddy squelch through the damp rural areas suffering under the procrastinating weather and as the wooing of our ruddy-faced lovers develops, they soon become more dangerously weird than innocently wonderful.

Sightseers is as witty as it is gruesome…

If the caravan’s a rocking, don’t come knocking

There’s perhaps an underlying theme of the murderous urges some of the typical outdoorsy-types tend to rouse, the pedantic poop picker-upper whose best friend is his Thermos flask. The cackling coop of amorphous ladettes wrapped in pink feathers, pouring biro-coloured cocktails into their wincing guts in hideous hen party tradition. The rigid hypochondriac couple who are about as functional and sexy as a pair of chopsticks and the sack-wearing nomads with unapologetically matted hair and unshaven armpits tunelessly thwacking drums around a fire. If you’ve ever pitched up in a field with any of this lot, you may find yourself smirking at the harrowing havoc they induce.

Sightseers is as witty as it is gruesome. The duo’s courtship is worryingly believable as their complications become more tangled in the series of misfortunate events. As the courting couple embark upon a romantic ramble through some of our finest tourist spots (Keswick Pencil Museum anyone? How about Crich Tram Museum?) they pick up a canine companion in the form of Banjo – sorry, Poppy – played by Smurf the terrier, whose performance won the Palm Dog award for Best Canine at the Cannes Film Festival. But that’s not where the awards end…

It’s another boost for Film4 productions who have had to clear room on the shelf for Best Direction for Ben Wheatley (Kill List) and has been nominated for Best British Independent Film to name but a few of its many other industry nods

Brilliantly cast, superbly acted and deeply dark, this film may have you thinking twice about what that couple in the corner of the cream tea cafe have been up to on their travels. Put it this way, that might not be a raspberry jam stain on his trousers.