Jerk (TV series)

Jerk is a British black comedy television series starring and co-written by Tim Renkow. It centres around Tim, a man with cerebral palsy who tries to use his condition to his advantage. The character of Tim is based upon Renkow, who also has cerebral palsy. The series built upon a 2016 BBC production, A Brief History of Tim.
Jerk first aired on 24 February 2019 on BBC Three. In September 2019, it was reported that BBC Three had ordered a second series before the first had aired. The second series premiered on BBC Three on 1 August 2021. The show was renewed for a third series in 2022.

Plot

Tim has cerebral palsy, and is also a terrible person. He attempts to take maximum advantage of his condition by being insufferable to those around him. In Season 1, Tim faces deportation due to the impending expiration of his visa, and makes various attempts to ward off this fate.

Cast

Series 1

Tim Renkow as Tim
Sharon Rooney as Ruth, Tim's care-worker
Rob Madin as Idris, Tim's friend and employment consultant
Lorraine Bracco as Tim's mother
Karl Theobald as Shaun
Lee Ridley as Kiefer
David Calder as Great Uncle Thomas

Reception

Reviewing the first series of the show in Guardian, Stuart Jeffries describes Renkow as "Larry David with a twist". In The Times, Carol Midgley gave the second series of the show a positive review, comparing it favourably to Curb Your Enthusiasm: " both series push the boundaries splendidly into dark, dark humour and political incorrectness and both have selfish, thrillingly unlikeable lead characters."