Hugh Bonneville reprises his role as Ian Fletcher in Twenty Twenty Six, a new mockumentary brought to you by the creators of the popular Twenty Twelve. While the series manages to deliver genuinely amusing moments, it’s also unfortunately dotted with gags that just don’t land, and some that are frankly quite poor.
The story opens in Miami on a Monday morning, where Ian Fletcher (portrayed by Hugh Bonneville) is engaged in yet another meeting. This particular meeting is designed to plan for a future meeting, the outcomes of which will then be acted upon – or, more likely, intentionally set aside – during a third, or perhaps even seventh, subsequent gathering. Furthermore, this meeting serves a deeper purpose: it’s an opportunity for Ian, the “incoming director of integrity” for the world football organizing body (which, as narrator David Tennant explains, “we’re unable to name for legal reasons”), to establish his position within a corporate culture he perceives as “irretrievably American.”
As Ian addresses his new colleagues with, “Shall we begin?”, the sustainability tsar, Sarah Campbell (played by Chelsey Crisp), gasps dramatically. Pressing the palm of her hand swooningly to her breastbone, she exclaims, “Oh my God, sooooo British!” This exchange perfectly highlights the cultural dynamics the series aims to satirize.