I've been noticing lately that my expectations of modern life have apparently been heavily shaped by sitcoms, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but is certainly a thing and perhaps best in moderation; unrelatedly, I've been meaning to sit down and watch The Hollowmen for a while - and the combination of those factors led me to go through the two series (they're only six episodes each) in the last week or so.
The show's undeniably amusing - much of it did chime with my experience and impressions (albeit in exaggerated form), and of course satire depends on that kind of recognisability for its effectiveness and humour. The depiction of the public service rang less true than that of the Central Policy Unit and the other political operators who move through the show's corridors - but that's probably just quibbling given the show's intent, namely to send up the whole system as much as possible.
