# Sick of It (TV series)

Sick of It is a British comedy-drama television series that premiered on Sky One on 27 September 2018. It was created and written by Karl Pilkington and Richard Yee (who also directed the series). Pilkington stars as both lead characters, playing his namesake Karl, and the voice inside his head that takes the form of his Doppelgänger.
The series is set around Ladbroke Grove in London and follows Karl, a bored taxi driver who has been dumped by his girlfriend Zoe and moves in with his elderly American aunt Norma, and is struggling to get his life back on track. Karl's closest companion is the voice in his head, a sardonic, outspoken alter ego who takes the form of his double – it's the uncensored true version of Karl that says what he really thinks without the risk of offending others. As Karl attempts to move on from the break up and sort out his life, the voice in his head appears periodically to guide, criticise and dispense his unorthodox philosophy of life.
Pilkington and Yee have worked together since 2009 on An Idiot Abroad and The Moaning of Life. Sick of It is the first scripted project they have collaborated on.
The show was renewed for a second series, which premiered in January 2020. In March 2020 in an interview with Lorraine Kelly on Lorraine, Pilkington stated that the second series would likely be the last.

## Episodes

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally aired | Originally aired |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
| 1 | 6 | 6 | 27 September 2018 (2018-09-27) | 11 October 2018 (2018-10-11) |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 10 January 2020 (2020-01-10) | 24 January 2020 (2020-01-24) |

### Series 1 (2018)

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "The Sofa" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 27 September 2018 (2018-09-27) | 1.079m (combined Wed/Thu screening) |
| Karl and Norma are holding a wake for Uncle Vinnie at his house. There could be no better time for a delivery man to rock up with a new sofa and Karl needs to get shot of the old one fast. When he puts an ad online, he is given the runaround by Neil. |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Scream" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 27 September 2018 (2018-09-27) | 710,400 (combined Wed/Thu screening) |
| Next door's noisy baby is doing Karl's head in, so when he picks up two mums and their crying kids in his taxi the next day, he loses it. This sends him off to counselling for anger management. There, his therapist forces him to confront his issues. |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Lonely People" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 4 October 2018 (2018-10-04) | 596,000 |
| Karl books a holiday alone as he needs some me-time and decides to escape Auntie Norma for a holiday in the middle of nowhere. However, his hopes of a quiet week are dashed when the nosy locals discover he is on his own. |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Uncle Vinnie" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 4 October 2018 (2018-10-04) | 496,800 |
| Karl and Norma wind up on a mad journey to Eastbourne after Karl accidentally takes a cherished photo to the charity shop. While Norma basks in her memories, Karl realises that things were not quite what they seemed when he stumbles on a secret. |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Kid" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 11 October 2018 (2018-10-11) | 456,500 |
| Karl's big plan to woo Zoe goes out the window when a dad and his son get into his cab. Then, an urgent pick-up derails things even further when he gets stuck in the traffic at the Pride festival. |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Bunged Up" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 11 October 2018 (2018-10-11) | 428,100 |
| Dating is not going well for a constipated Karl; he has been out the game for a long time and finds himself constantly saying the wrong things. Well, that is until he meets someone who cannot understand what he says. |||||||

### Series 2 (2020)

| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
| 7 | 1 | "The Biscuit" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 10 January 2020 (2020-01-10) | N/A |
| Karl sets out to hire a carer for Norma, although he doesn't think she really needs one. |||||||
| 8 | 2 | "The En-Suite" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 10 January 2020 (2020-01-10) | N/A |
| Karl takes a job as a chauffeur in order to pay for a new car and, eventually, a place of his own but his new job prevents him from spending time with Norma. |||||||
| 9 | 3 | "Useless Lump" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 17 January 2020 (2020-01-17) | N/A |
| A health scare sends Karl into despair when he realises he may have another forty years to live. Ruby convinces him to go back to Manchester to see an old friend. |||||||
| 10 | 4 | "Love & Laughter" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 17 January 2020 (2020-01-17) | N/A |
| Karl just can't seem to laugh anymore, at least, not while he's awake. A night out at a comedy club brings Karl and Ruby closer together. |||||||
| 11 | 5 | "Use By Date" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 24 January 2020 (2020-01-24) | N/A |
| Karl starts to realize how much he likes Ruby. The trouble is he doesn't know if she likes him back |||||||
| 12 | 6 | "The End" | Richard Yee | Unknown | 24 January 2020 (2020-01-24) | N/A |
| Karl and Ruby take a trip to New York to clear up some family business. |||||||

## Cast

Pilkington stars as the show’s two lead characters and appears in every episode. Sondra James plays his American Auntie Norma. In Series 2 Norma's carer Ruby is played by Marama Corlett who also becomes a love interest for Karl. Sick of It doesn’t have a regular fixed cast and instead features guest appearances each week from actors including Craig Parkinson, Kate Ashfield, Perry Benson, Finn Bennett, Remy Beasley, Mark Silcox, Raad Rawi, David Vujanic, Cokey Falcow, Lou Sanders, Shola Adewusi, Cavan Clerkin, Julia Krynke, and Doug Stanhope.

## Reception

Lucy Mangan from The Guardian gave the first two episodes 3 out of 5, observing, "It may not have been pure Pilkington, but perhaps in these melancholy times we couldn’t cope with that simple, shining joy anyway." Morgan Jeffery at RadioTimes.com gave the second series 4 stars out of 5, calling it "a smart, well-observed, touching and, yes, funny reflection on the intricacies and trivialities of modern life, and a step-up from the already formidable first series".