This series may be mostly about motorbike trials, but given that Ross Noble is at the heart of it, there are laughs too.
Noble, a keen biker all his life, decides to enter the Scottish Six Day Trial, one of the hardest events in the sport. The most notable part are the actual “trials” where each competitor has to drive across very rough ground while avoiding putting their feet on the ground. Every time they do so, they get a penalty.
To help him Ross he is assisted by his coach James Burroughs, a professional biker who is taking the whole event very seriously; James’s father Dave who acts as their mechanic; and Ross’s tour manager Shaun Weager who is acting as moral support.
While at first Ross is getting plenty of comedy form the situation, with the first episode seeing him in a different unrelated city at the beginning of every part after the ad break, as well as using cakes to appeal to a wider audience, as the series moves on the comedy is toned down. The main focus of the programme is the relationship between Ross and James, with the later becoming ever more frustrated as he begins to feel that Ross is dragging him down due to his lack of skill. Dave and Shaun thus act as peace brokers between the two as the tension soon begins to mount.
Thus, Off Road is not the sort of programme where you can see Noble at his comedic best, but there are still plenty of other reasons to watch it given the drama that is created between everyone involved.
Ross Noble: Off Road is on Dave on Thursdays at 20.00.
