04-04-2025
Austin, review: Ben Miller's cancel-culture comedy's real crime is its lack of originality
What would you do if a stranger contacted you to say they were the child you never knew you had, the product of a long-forgotten fling? This fictional device is given a new twist in Austin (BBC One), a British-Australian sitcom starring Ben Miller as the father who learns that he has a 20-something son.
This son, named Austin, is on the autism spectrum. He is played by Michael Theo, who has been diagnosed with Asperger's and found fame on Netflix dating show Love On the Spectrum. He is open-hearted and says things as he sees them. He also loves the English language and takes things very literally. 'Bob's your uncle,' someone tells him. 'My uncle is called Jim,' says Austin.
His newfound father is Julian Hartswood (Miller) who, with his illustrator wife Ingrid (Sally Phillips), has created a bestselling children's book character called Big Bear. Disaster strikes when they are on the Australian leg of a promotional tour and Julian retweets a message about free speech by someone who also happens to be a neo-Nazi. Of course, he's instantly cancelled. When Austin turns up, Julian sniffs the possibility of public redemption: a documentary about him connecting with his autistic son will surely win sympathy.
The first half of the series takes place in Australia and the second in the UK when Austin accompanies the Hartswoods back to London. Phillips gets the best material including some funny scenes in which, stung by the realisation that Julian cheated on her all those years ago, she tries to engineer an affair. Mortifyingly, the young, hot barman reciprocates her interest because he has a thing for post-menopausal women.
Aside from Austin's fish-out-of-water adventures, we've seen it all before: the mannered comedy, the husband being self-centred and bungling while the smart and capable wife holds things together. The cancel-culture element is light touch, Austin nailing it when he says there is nothing wrong with retweeting a non-racist comment made by a racist. Lest anyone think that sentiment leans towards the right, however, there is also a gag suggesting that The Telegraph is a bit racist. A perfect example of BBC balance.
