Mackenzie Crook's New Show: Magic, Melancholy, and Middle Age

Mackenzie Crook's latest venture, the six-part BBC Two series 'Small Prophets,' delves into the intricacies of middle age and the surreal. Crook, known for his nuanced performances, plays Gordon, a store manager in the show. The narrative, however, primarily follows Michael, a fifty-year-old twitcher and hoarder haunted by the seven-year disappearance of his girlfriend, Clea.

Michael's life takes a fantastical turn when his father reveals a secret method for creating homunculi—miniature, fully formed humans capable of revealing truths. Prompted to use this unusual skill to uncover what happened to Clea, Michael embarks on a journey that blends magic realism with the mundane.

Crook describes his fascination with stories of lonely individuals and ordinary lives disrupted by extraordinary circumstances. This new series echoes the sensibility of his previous work, 'Detectorists,' but incorporates more pronounced surreal and magic realism elements, making it a more expensive production.

Inspired by surrealist filmmakers like David Lynch and Michel Gondry, as well as classic 70s and 80s sitcoms, Crook aims for a style of gentle comedy. He emphasizes downplaying emotional cues for the audience, allowing a blend of genuine melancholy and humor to emerge organically from the characters' situations.