The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin

Born the son of a butcher in 1705, Dick Turpin grew up to be one of the most notorious highwaymen of the 18^th century. The exploits of Turpin and the Essex Gang became romanticised into folklore over the coming decades and in more recent years he has become subject of television and film adaptations. Thanks to the wonderful minds of Claire Downes, Ian Jarvis and Stuart Lane, Dick is back once more as a Noel Fielding incarnation.

Dick Turpin (Fielding) is a legendary British highway robber, whose success is defined mostly by his charm, fashion, showmanship and fabulous hair. Together with his gang of loveable misfits, he sets out on new adventures and the career he always dreamed of, all while trying to escape the clutches of thief-catcher General Jonathan Wilde (Hugh Bonneville).

Showcasing some of British TV’s greatest comedic talent of the past two decades, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is a parody comedy that sees Horrible Histories meet The Mighty Boosh, featuring a large number of the respective casts throughout its six episodes. The series is entirely self-aware in a chaotic and giddy way, combining adventure with witty humour to create a show that Monty Python would be proud of. Dick’s illusions of grandeur and his lack of a sense of how to achieve a legendary status make for entertaining viewing, albeit a bit tiring the longer it goes on, but Fielding embodies the role perfectly with a little bit of Vince Noir panache and in all honesty, who are we to say Dick Turpin should be any less like this interpretation?

The supporting guest characters prove the most fun, with Greg Davies and Tamsin Greig chewing every inch of the scenery much to our viewing delight. As the title suggests, each tale is naturally made up and the adventures are short in depth and stature, concluding at the end of each episode before the gang go gallivanting off to their next robbery. This means most characters only have a short time to bask in the limelight, but the script just about does enough as you wade through a sea of gags and the story progresses.        

On the contrary to the humour, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin does lack a little bit of grit and the jokes become too repetitive, suggesting that this series is best watched in small doses so as not to exhaust the quips. You won’t find yourself bingeing this series and yearning for the next episode, but you will have a blast nonetheless, as you ride alongside the charming Fielding in this surreal universe with a smile on your face.

Guy Lambert

The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is released on Apple TV+ on 1^st March 2024.

Watch the trailer for The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin here: