'The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin' Wants to Steal Your Heart, But Can’t Quite Pull Off the Heist

The newest streaming comedy that wants to steal your heart (literally) is The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, not to be confused with any of the many preceding shows and movies that share its eponymous origins. Of course, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin isn’t wholly made-up. American viewers may be less familiar with the titular character, but he was a real highwayman in England in the 18th century. Aside from some of the elements of his origin story, though (he really was the son of a butcher and lived in Essex), the rest of the series is heavily fictionalized. This is far from the first dramatization of his life, but it may well be the funniest.

The six-episode comedy series follows Turpin (Noel Fielding), a hapless accidental highwayman, as he attempts to make it big in the robbery business. He picks up friends and foes along the way and has run-ins with ghosts, warlocks, witches, and one particularly memorable true crime writer.

Turpin is played with vigor by comedian Noel Fielding, who will be best known to American audiences as a host of The Great British Baking Show. It’s high time Fielding got his own comedy series after dominating British panel game shows, stand-up, and hosting gigs for decades. Dick Turpin is a sandbox made for Fielding to play in — which he does delightfully.