RAZZ / FLAVOUR
Freshers’ Culture Comforts
RAZZ writers Erin Zammitt and Katya Green bring you their “culture comforts”-- the media that got them through their own Freshers’ Weeks. Illustration by Leoni Fretwell.
Stath Lets Flats Erin Zammitt
Television is comforting. And when I started university last September, I needed that comfort more than ever. Don’t get me wrong, Fresher’s Week was great; I found amazing friends and societies that I would go on to spend the year with. But it was also overwhelming, and that’s okay. It just so happened that I started university whilst the second series of one of my favourite shows, Channel 4’s criminally underrated Stath Lets Flats, was airing. The BAFTA nominated comedy was created by Jamie Demetriou, who plays the title role of Stath, a Greek-Cypriot lettings agent who works at his father’s agency. The series follows Stath’s attempts to let properties despite being rather inept at the viewing process, whilst trying to ensure that he will be the one to take over the family business when his father retires. Stath’s endearing lack of self-awareness is observed just as much in his sister Sophie (played by Jamie’s real-life sister Natasia), who has naïve dreams of being famous, whilst perhaps lacking the talent to do so. The Demetrious are joined by an eclectic cast of characters, such as sweet and awkward Al, Sophie’s moody best friend Katia, and Stath’s nemesis Carol, who is a much more successful lettings agent than he is. 14
Stath Lets Flats is so much fun to watch; the show has very little cynicism and the characters have a lot of affection for each other. The sibling dynamic between Stath and Sophie is particularly heart-warming, and the absence of malice between the pair is refreshing to watch. Above all, Stath Lets Flats is very funny, and its blend of wit, slapstick and character comedy made me laugh a lot during my first days and weeks of university. Warmth and kindness radiate from the characters and the show itself, brightening the quieter moments of a mostly hectic Freshers’ Week. I remember watching episodes of Stath the night before my very first lecture, before I properly started my degree; it calmed me down and managed to turn a daunting prospect into something I was looking forward to. Stath Lets Flats was something that felt familiar, whilst I was in the most unfamiliar situation I’d ever experienced. Whether it’s this show or something completely different, TV can provide much needed continuity – and comfort – whilst you’re embarking on an adventure as exciting and scary as university.
“Warmth and kindness radiate from the characters and the show itself, brightening the quieter moments of a mostly hectic Freshers’ Week.”