![\"Thomasin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_272303831-ad76.jpg\")
\n\t\tDownton Abbey\u2019s legacy continues with this spoof effort from Jimmy Carr and company (Picture: Elysian Films\/Entertainment Film Distributors)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tDownton Abbey\u2019s legacy continues with this spoof effort from Jimmy Carr and company (Picture: Elysian Films\/Entertainment Film Distributors)<\/p>\n
Fackham Hall<\/a> is as unsubtle and unserious as its title suggests, two qualities essential for any spoof movie to be even halfway good.<\/p>\n Following hot on the heels of The Naked Gun<\/a> and attempting to profit shamelessly from Downton Abbey<\/a>\u2019s popularity, is this comedy<\/a> genre making a comeback? Perhaps, although Fackham Hall\u2019s hits and misses prove that parodying well requires a delicate balance.<\/p>\n Its Monty Python<\/a> inspirations are obvious, as is its five-person writing team, led by brothers Patrick and Jimmy Carr<\/a> and their \u2018original\u2019 idea.<\/p>\n Fackham Hall has everything, comedy-wise \u2013 silliness, sight gags, slapstick, play on words and shock tactics \u2013 but is at its best when it\u2019s darkest or most truthful.<\/p>\n \u2018But we\u2019re the aristocracy, surely laws don\u2019t apply to us?\u2019 sniffs one character of the murder investigation at the heart of the film. That hits as hard as ever in today\u2019s society, where people still use privilege to try and keep themselves above the law.<\/p>\n But here it\u2019s 1931, and after 400 years the Davenports of Fackham are financially struggling.<\/p>\n To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web \t\t Damian Lewis<\/a>\u2019s dim Humphrey and Katherine Waterston\u2019s brittle Prudence are relying on their younger daughter Poppy (Emma Laird) to marry her odious cousin Archibald (Tom Felton<\/a>, continuing his strong line of villains) so they don\u2019t get kicked out of their ancestral home.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve previously had the damn bad luck to lose all four sons in separate accidents, including in the sinking of the Titanic<\/a> and to a fatal danger wank (the first of several references to remind you of Jimmy Carr\u2019s input, outside of his befuddled vicar cameo).<\/p>\n Oldest daughter Rose (Thomasin McKenzie) is meanwhile a wizened spinster of \u2013 gasp \u2013 23, considered on the shelf until her meet-cute with charming pick-pocket Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe), who she manages to run over.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tDo you enjoy spoof films?<\/p>\n Eric is an adult orphan tasked by an investigator (Ian Bartholomew) with delivering a letter to Fackham Hall from London<\/a>, where he was raised by nuns whose \u2018doors are always open to men with an interest in a specific child\u2019 \u2013 which drew the biggest laugh in my screening.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a predictable storyline buoyed by a strong cast who get stuck into the film\u2019s ridiculousness. Lewis shows flair for this kind of comedy as the ineffectual patriarch, while Radcliffe has the charm for our grifter hero Eric, who is later framed for murder.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t\t\tFackham Hall: Key details\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tDirector<\/p>\n Jim O\u2019Hanlon<\/p>\n Writer<\/p>\n Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Inman, Jimmy Carr and Patrick Carr, based on an idea by Jimmy Carr & Patrick Carr<\/p>\n Cast<\/p>\n Ben Radcliffe, Thomasin McKenzie, Damian Lewis, Katherine Waterston, Tom Felton, Emma Laird, Anna Maxwell Martin, Jimmy Carr, Sue Johnston, Tom Goodman-Hill, Hayley Mills<\/p>\n Age rating<\/p>\n 15<\/p>\n Runtime<\/p>\n 1hr 37min<\/p>\n Release date<\/p>\n It releases in US cinemas on December 12 and in UK cinemas on December 12.<\/p>\n There are also admirable supporting turns from Anna Maxwell Martin<\/a> as permanently unimpressed housekeeper Mrs McAllister and Sue Johnston<\/a> as Great Aunt Bonaparte, whose asides such as \u2018wasteman just got merked\u2019 manage to remain on this side of cringe (just about).<\/p>\n It\u2019s a hoot too to see Juliet Mills\u2019s \u2018introducing\u2019 credit as the film\u2019s narrator.<\/p>\n Fackham Hall\u2019s strengths also lie in fun references to the period, such as \u2018unpublished writer\u2019 J.R.R. Tolkien (Jason Done), a house guest casting around for inspiration.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t The film claims a grand total of 278 jokes with only 36 used across both trailers, but these are undoubtedly a lot of the best bits with some of the remaining 242 quips and gags failing to land satisfactorily \u2013 and quite a lot of them devoted to penises.<\/p>\n It could just be my smaller and somewhat stony-faced audience which failed to help some of those gags achieve lift off, as I\u2019m sure a more gregarious crowd\u2019s laughs would have enhanced the viewing experience. <\/p>\n As with any spoof, it will always be seen at its best when playing to a large crowd, with chuckle encouraging chuckle.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tVerdict\t\t\t<\/p>\n If you like Jimmy Carr, you\u2019ll probably like Fackham Hall; if you like Downton Abbey, you may like Fackham Hall too. It\u2019s a spoof that revels in the freedom of its \u2018no limits\u2019 comedy, even if it doesn\u2019t quite bring the house down.<\/p>\n Fackham Hall is in UK cinemas from today.<\/p>\n Got a story?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Fackham](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_272303773-464a.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe rather penis-obsessed film has star-crossed lovers Eric (Ben Radcliffe) and Rose (Thomasin McKenzie) at its centre (Picture: Elysian Films\/Entertainment Film Distributors)<\/p>\n![\"Undated](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_277286289-34e0.jpg\")
\n\t\tFackham Hall will only be saved if Poppy (Emma Laird, R) marries her first cousin Archibald (Tom Felton, L) (Picture: Elysian Films\/Entertainment Film Distributors)<\/p>\n![\"Fackham](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_272303830-d560.jpg\")
\n\t\tCarr cameos as a vicar who has a certain way with words (Picture: Elysian Films\/Entertainment Film Distributors)<\/p>\n![\"Undated](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_277286354-a39c.jpg\")
\n\t\tDamian Lewis, as Humphrey Davenport, proves adept at this kind of humour (Picture: Elysian Films\/Entertainment Film Distributors)<\/p>\n
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