You’re Missing Out on One of the Most Absurdly Funny Comedies Ever

Stath Lets Flats is one of the silliest and funniest British comedies in recent years. Airing for three seasons between 2018 and 2021, the BAFTA-Award winning show follows Jamie Demetriou (Fleabag) as Stath, the shambolic Greek-Cypriot real estate agent who works at his dad’s agency in North London. Stath is a bumbling fool who is terrible at his job; he is a brilliant parody of a smarmy and incompetent real estate agent. Stath has an exaggerated air of desperation about him as he strives to gain his father’s approval at work – something he desires more than anything else.

Jamie’s real-life sister, Natasia Demetriou (What We Do in the Shadows), plays his on-screen sister, Sophie, and the rest of the cast is filled with familiar faces from the British comedy scene. Every character gets their moment of absurdity, and the show’s laughs are almost endless. Even with such a strong and hilarious ensemble, make no mistake — Jamie Demetriou is the star of the show, having created one of the most ridiculous television characters ever with Stath.

Jamie Demetriou First Introduced Stath in a Comedy Short

Jamie Demetriou first introduced the character of Stath to TV in Channel 4’s Comedy Blaps. The essence of Stath can be seen here, as he bumbles his way through trying to rent out flats. Once the character was developed for the full series of Stath Lets Flats, his idiocy and errors are elevated, while he demonstrates more of the well-meaning person Stath desperately tries to be.

Joining Jamie and his sister Natasia are a slew of other comedic actors to fill out a stellar ensemble and recurring cast. Katy Wix (Ghosts UK) plays Carole, Stath’s sort-of love interest, who despises him in spite of having his baby. Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts UK) plays Dean, Stath’s colleague who would rather be doing anything else with his life than working for the agency. Al Roberts (Industry) plays another bumbling fool as Al, Stath’s best friend who is infatuated with Sophie. Recurring guest stars include the funny likes of Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso) and Ellie White (The Windsors).

The main action takes place at the North London real estate agency, Michael and Eagle, which is owned by Stath and Sophie’s father, Vasos (Christos Stergioglou). Stath is terrible at his job as an estate agent, and resented by his coworkers Carole and Dean. There is interoffice rivalry, but also rivalries with other estate agents in London, particularly the neighboring office of Smethwicks.

Jamie Demetriou Is Ridiculously Funny as Stath

Stath’s comedic genius lies in both his strange use of language and his awkward physicality. His stiff yet flailing body language is a wonder to watch, as he looks like a ball of pent-up energy. He stumbles, falls, and walks into things constantly. He could be standing still, drinking a bottle of water, and somehow manages to tip out half the water onto the floor by accident.

Through mixed up metaphors, and a jumbled English-Greek dialect, everything Stath says sounds like nonsense. He refers to a “shoulder to talk to” rather than “cry on.” He says, “share and share a life” when he’s wanting to share a drink with his mates. “That means the world and his wife to me,” doesn’t even begin to make sense, but a deadpan delivery from Demetriou makes these endless weird moments the foundation of his performance. Stath seems to live in a delusional reality of his own making, and it’s glorious.

Stath also struggles socially in every way, and doesn’t seem to know when to take natural pauses, often speaking over or under other people. As he shows properties to prospective tenants, Stath uses unfunny jokes to break the ice, and it’s clear he knows nothing about housing, as he focuses on small and insignificant features. In one moment, he chases a pigeon in a house, destroying everything inside as he fails to catch it. It’s painfully amusing to witness.

‘Stath Lets Flats’ Overwhelms With Stupidity to the Point of Hilarity

Stath’s Greek-Cypriot heritage is often at the forefront of the comedy, playing off of stereotypes in a loving and personal way, with Stath and his family speaking almost their own language with their unique outlooks on life. One of the funniest moments is in the episode, “A Actually Good Person,” when the group goes on a local Greek Internet television program, “Speak Greek Speak.” They are all so stiff and awkward, and as the green screen technology fails miserably, Vasos appears as only a floating head, which nobody acknowledges. It is just so stupid and uncomfortable in every way, it becomes hilarious.

The bombardment of stupidity is what really heightens the humor of the show. It’s impossible not to laugh, as line after line, moment after moment, Stath or the situation is in-your-face idiotic. As seasons progress, Stath’s relationships with his colleagues and family do grow, and the show gets more emotionally grounded, but still never in realism. The disdain his colleagues and rivals have for him helps to emphasize his ridiculousness, and provides further humor as he responds with juvenile, nonsensical comebacks. It’s endless foolishness, all of the time, and it’s hysterical.

Stath is so weird, awkward, and uncomfortable in his own skin, it’s a fine balance between laughing at him and feeling sorry for him. What makes the show work wonderfully is that even when Stath is kind of the worst, the audience can still sympathize with him. It’s slapstick, it’s cringe, it’s absurd, it’s satire, it’s character comedy — Stath Lets Flats hits all of the comedy marks and more.

Stath Lets Flats is available to stream on BritBox in the U.S.

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