Odo

The Wise Guys is a quirky half‑hour episode from the short‑lived British comedy‑drama series that aired on BBC Two back in ’96. It stars the lanky Bud (played by Jamie Hargreaves), the dead‑pan Louie (Mick O’Connor), and the perpetually baffled Odo (Neil Whitaker). The premise is simple enough: a small town club where the three mates spend their evenings swapping odd hobbies, all set against a backdrop of low‑budget set design that feels like a cross between “The Inbetweeners” and a 1990s nature documentary. In this particular instalment Bud and Louie reveal they’re practically prodigies at leaf spotting – they can identify a maple’s third‑year leaf faster than a botanist at Kew. Odo, ever the under‑dog, decides he wants to be just as good, leading to a series of increasingly absurd field trips and a surprisingly earnest tutorial montage. The episode never quite spills the beans on whether Odo ever masters the skill, keeping the focus on the camaraderie and the gentle ribbing between the trio. Honestly, it’s a mixed bag. The humour is very British – dry, a touch self‑deprecating, and occasionally mental in its dedication to something as niche as leaf spotting. The jokes land better when the cast leans into the absurdity, and the chemistry feels proper genuine. On the downside, the pacing drags in the middle, and the special effects (think grainy close‑ups of foliage) look ropy by today’s standards. Still, if you enjoy off‑beat sitcoms like “The Office” (UK) meets “The Mighty Boosh”, it’s surprisingly good for a one‑off. Rated PG. No real violence, but there’s a fair amount of mild frustration and a few moments of slapstick that could be a bit much for very young viewers. This was the first terrestrial showing of the episode in a decade, and it’s a decent nostalgic dip – just don’t expect a polished modern production.