VOTE: Which is officially the best series of Peep Show?

I can’t tell you how to vote. I’m not the borough

4 years ago

Enough time has passed that we should probably start arguing about Peep Show.

I think everyone might be in agreement over which are the best episodes. But series? That’s controversial. Does the mere presence of Dobby make you skip entire series on your rewatches? Does the shaky filming of the early series make you want to vomit?

And are the latter series an in-depth exploration of the melancholy of discovering life has no purpose, or the dying embers of a once great show?

We want to settle this once and for all. I can’t tell you how to vote though, I’m not the borough. Here’s a recap:

Series One

Episodes: Warring Factions, The Interview, On the Pull, Mark Makes a Friend, Dream Job, Funeral

You’ve got Toni and Tony. The bad thing, Jez’s sympathy handjob. Cleanshirt. If the old-school, slightly depressing intro coupled with the shaky camerawork does it for you, who are we to judge?

Series Two

Episodes: Dance Class, Jeremy Makes It, Local Zero, University Challenge, The Man Show, Wedding

Take your pick of classic moments with this one: There’s Rainbow Rhythms and the whole Gog and Honda caper. Nim Nim fucking Nim moves in, Mark pulls out of a bungie jump because “I’m too hungry”, and of course, four naan.

Mark goes back to uni to pursue April, and Jez marries Nancy. However, Jez does black up which really doesn’t look great, does it?

Series Three

Episodes: Mugging, Sectioning, Shrooming, Sistering, Jurying, Quantocking

This series’ most quotable moments include the hunk of monk, everybody trying to section each other, Super Hans trying to create the Swan and Paedo, Jez shagging Mark’s sister (“tickety boo”), but most crucially, “is that normal pooing, Mark?”

Jurying might be the Peep Show formula at its absolute zenith: Jeremy’s speech at jury duty, Mark pretending to be on pills at the gay club and his big speech on capitalism afterwards. Quantocking, too, is an oft-overlooked classic. Mark and Jez get stuck with only a bar of chocolate between them, and Super Hans tries to skin up with his feet.

Series Four

Episodes: Sophie’s Parents, Conference, Gym, Handyman, Holiday, Wedding

Plain and simple, this series could stand on Project Zeus alone. But it’s so much more than that. If you’re not satisfied with Mark pulling the head off a pheasant, what about Jez seducing Sophie’s mum?

You can take your pick from Jez becoming the Orgazoid’s handyman, or the stag do with the canal boats and Mummy. And of course, there’s Mark’s disastrous wedding to Sophie, where Super Hans takes three grams of coke to relax.

Series Five

Episodes: Burgling, Spin War, Jeremy’s Broke, Jeremy’s Mummy, Jeremy’s Manager, Mark’s Women

Things are getting increasingly deranged by this point. Mark restrains a burglar, meets Dobby and dry humps in the stationery cupboard. Then there’s the whole ordeal with Saz.

The most memorable moments are even deranged, whether it’s “Pass me the Doritos or I’ll blow my brains out”, Cally’s obsession with crystal skulls, or Jeremy becoming Jarrod and joining a definitely-not-Scientology cult.

Series Six

Episodes: Jeremy at JLB, The Test, Jeremy in Love, The Affair, The Party, Das Boot

This series, perhaps, is more notable for its memorable moments: JLB goes under and Dobby and Mark spray each other with foam. Mark finds out Sophie’s baby is his. Mark does the walking tour and becomes a waiter at a Mexican restaurant.

The high point, realistically, is the party with puke points and the rental snake.

Series Seven

Episodes: St Hospitals, Man Jam, A Beautiful Mind, Nether Zone, Season’s Beatings, New Year’s Eve

With the whole Zahra thing and the advent of Dobby club, the first half of this series isn’t great for the El Dude Brothers’ love lives. However, the second half is three back-to-back classics. The Christmas episode is one I’m not afraid to admit I watch every single Christmas day. Alone. And as for New Year’s Eve, it’s utterly ruined the phrase “might pop in”.

Series Eight

Episodes: Jeremy Therapised, Business Secrets of the Pharaohs, The Love Bunker, Big Mad Andy, Chairman Mark, Quantocking II

I dare you to tell me what actually happens in any of these episodes. Yes, we get Big Mad Andy, the paintballing, and Mark utterly failing to play football, but I’ll leave it to you to decide where this sextuplet sits in the overall ranking.

Series Nine

Episodes: The William Morris Years, Gregory’s Beard, Threeism, Mole-Mapping, Kid Farm, Are We Going To Be Alright

Say what you will about the final series. In fact, vote as you will. But no series has more of a plot running through it. Mark’s pursuit of April goes through twists and turns – a Moroccan dinner party and an iPad being thrown out of the window – before it crashes and burns with a kidnapping. Meanwhile, Jeremy’s perilous love triangle ends in tears, and Super Hans leaves for Macedonia.

But which is the best series of Peep Show? Vote below: