The latest outing of Mitchell and Webb, Back is a British sitcom that aired on Channel 4 in 2017. David Mitchell stars as Stephen, whose father has just died and bequeathed him a pub. After the failure of his career and marriage, he sees it as a chance to reinvent his life. Robert Webb plays Andrew, who was briefly fostered by Stephen's father as a child. He turns up at the funeral and decides he wants a hand in running the pub. Stephen's mother Ellen (Penny Downie), his sister Cass (Louise Brealey) and his uncle Geoff (Geoffrey McGivern) are quickly charmed by the new guy. Stephen is resentful – and suspicious.
A second series aired in the UK in January 2021. Can be watched via All4 (UK Only) or Netflix (Worldwide).
This work contains examples of:
- Amicable Exes: Stephen and Alison.
- Butt-Monkey: David Mitchell describes his character as having an "anti-Midas touch": nothing he does or gets involved with ever works.
- The Charmer: Andrew is always eager to please people, and good at it. It's often done to make himself look more altruistic, which is even discussed in several episodes.
- Flashback: Used as a device to show Stephen and Andrew's different views of the past. We are a shown a fond memory Andrew has of his time as a foster child. This then contrasted with Stephen's grim memory of the same thing, shown in black and white.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Stephen has a good reason to be suspicious of Andrew. No-one else seems to notice, and Stephen's grouchy behaviour doesn't help.
- Plot-Triggering Death: The show begins when Laurie, Stephen's father, dies, with Andrew turning up at the funeral and Stephen inheriting his pub as a result.
- Posthumous Character: Stephen's father Laurie appears in flashbacks.