The Last Chancers (E4): THE audience was paying little attention to the band on stage. "If you're not going to listen, I'm not going to play," the lead singer told them petulantly.

He didn't get the reaction he wanted. "Good, let's have some decent music," shouted someone from the floor.

Life for aspiring musicians is hard, especially if they're in a Brighton-based group called Detox and the leader is someone like Johnny. Adam Buxton (late of The Adam And Joe Show) plays him as a David Brent of the music business, who's totally oblivious to how ridiculous he looks and sounds.

After the new female lead guitarist Liv has a run-in with a racist taxi driver, he warns her about her behaviour. "The world is full of horrible people. You can't go around standing up to them or they might get you," he tells her.

In fact, he began to regret recruiting Liv to the line-up after her action forced them out of the cab and made them have to walk to the Battle of the Bands competition. "Why didn't we get the filthy female guitarist who sleeps with the whole band, instead of one with principles?," he wondered.

He's a lot of fun and so is this sit-com, premiering on E4 before moving to C4 next week. You might think that a mockumentary like This Is Spinal Tap has said all there is to say comically about aspiring musicians but The Last Chancers, while hardly being original, has a nice line in dry humour and is neatly staged.

Much fun was had at the expense of elderly drummer Brian. Accusations that his presence is just a gimmick were rejected. "There's more to it than that - he's got a van," his fellow musicians pointed out.

Indeed, the vehicle appears to be valued more than his drumming. "Who's going to drive the van?," ask Johnny's fellow band members after he sacks Brian for being too old.

The decision is reversed after Brian is caught out the back with the mother of the leader of his new band Grave Cradle. His advanced years don't stop him doing considerably better on stage than Johnny, who has a drag on a spliff before the Battle of the Bands appearance and promptly passes out at the microphone.

The other acts are so awful that Detox wins anyway. The prize of a photo shoot with Alan of the Argus while wearing T-shirts bearing the logo of the competition sponsors is a far cry from winning The X Factor. At least they don't have to worry about any comments from Simon Cowell.

Published: 16/12/2004