CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN (OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH)

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Sitcoms that muck about with history are nothing new.

Richard Curtis and Ben Elton's 'Blackadder' is probably the best known example of a sitcom that toys with real events in British history.

Elton's 'Upstart Crow' about William Shakespeare is another.

Larry Gelbart's Korean War sitcom 'MASH,' could also claim to be in the genre, poking fun at more recent history.

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However who would have expected HBO Max to opt for a sitcom very loosely based on two pirate legends?

But that's what you get in 'Our Flag Means Death,' a 10 episode comedy which brings Taika Waititi's fearsome Blackbeard into the world of Rhys Darby's out of his depth pirate captain, Stede Bonnet.

Known as the "Gentleman Pirate," the real Bonnet hailed from a wealthy English family in Barbados and like Darby's character fell in love with the idea of a life on the sea.

He also fell in with Edward Teach, or Blackbeard as he was known, teaming up with him.

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The real Bonnet lost the confidence of his crew and ceded control of his vessel to Blackbeard but remained onboard.

As played by Darby in David Jenkins' charming sitcom, Bonnet is an affable but out of his depth dandy who adores the notion of being a pirate Captain and also adores his crew of oddballs.

They include Ewen Bremner's insane Scotsman, Nathaniel Buttons who has a propensity for nudity and likes to converse with seagulls.

There's also Matthew Maher's camp, dissatisfied Black Pete who rather unconvincingly claims to have been part of Blackbeard's crew, Joel Fry's Frenchie who likes to write songs about their adventures, Kristian Nairn's fire obsessed Irishman Wee John Feeney, Nat Faxon's clueless Scandinavian The Swede and Samba Schutte's Roach, the ship's doctor and cook.

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Bonnet also deploys Nathan Foad's effete scribe, Lucius Spriggs to document their adventures.

The most normal members of the crew of the Revenge are Samson Kayo's Oluwande Boodhari, who knows Stede is out of his depth but tries to steer him away from danger, and Vico Ortiz's Jim Jiminez, a skilled fighter who poses as a man.

At the start of 'Our Flag Means Death,' Black Pete tries to capitalise on discontent among his crewmates by plotting a mutiny against their inept Gentleman Pirate Captain.

It's not that they loathe Stede.

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It's just they know that he is not good at his job and they are pretty bored.

Oblivious to the rumblings of discontent, Stede behaves like a 21st Century office manager desperately trying to court popularity among his or her employees.

However he also wears fine clothes and has opulent quarters with books and lovely furniture.

In spite of his niceness, they go along with Black Pete's mutiny which Stede manages to stave off by promising to find another vessel for them to pillage.

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However the first vessel he targets is a Royal Navy galleon commanded by Rory Kinnear's Captain Nigel Badminton who bullied Stede in school.

Rather than plunder the ship, Bonnet pretends he and his crew are aristocrats sailing the high seas and invites Badminton and his senior personnel onboard for dinner.

However when Nigel mocks Stede in his quarters, it unearths a rage he bottled up since childhood after being bullied and he accidentally kills Badminton.

The crew also take the remaining officers hostage, deciding to abandon their mutiny because they believe Stede will probably lose his life soon.

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When Revenge gets accidentally stranded on an island, Stede, who is disturbed by having a hand in Nigel's death, and some of the crew are captured by a local tribe but they are later released.

It is there where they encounter other pirates, selling one of their hostages to them - unaware that they have just met some of Blackbeard's crew.

The crew of Revenge set sail for the Republic of Pirates where Bonnet hopes to get rid of their remaining hostage and build a name for himself as the Gentleman Pirate.

It is there where they encounter Leslie Jones' Spanish Jackie who runs a tavern and has a bounty on the head of Jim for killing her husband.

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Stede comes across Fred Armisen's sleekit barman Geraldo and Con O'Neill's Izzy Hands and ridicules him, unaware that he is part of Blackbeard's crew.

Geraldo subsequently tricks Stede into boarding a Spanish Navy vessel where he very nearly loses his life.

The Gentleman Pirate is stabbed and almost hanged until the boat is raided by Blackbeard who subsequently takes control of the Revenge.

Blackbeard, however, is jaded after years of pillaging and, much to Izzy's chagrin, he seems charmed by Steed and seduced by his lifestyle.

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So in return for teaching Steed how to be a proper pirate Captain, he wants to be taught about how to appreciate the finer things in life and behave like an aristocrat.

A bromance quickly develops with Izzy appalled that Bonnet calls Blackbeard "Ed" and concerned that his leader is losing his edge.

Or is he?

And with Nigel's twin, Admiral Chauncey Badminton swearing to avenge his brother's humiliating death at the hands of Stede, can he also escape the clutches of the Royal Navy?

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With scripts by Jenkins, Adam Stein, Eliza Jimenez Cosio, John Mahone, Simone Nathan, Zayre Ferrer, Alyssa Lane, Alex Sherman and Yvonne Sima, what you get is a mischievous, high spirited adventure with touches of absurdity a la Monty Python, Aardman's 'Pirates! (an Adventure With Scientists),' 'Blackadder' and 'Horrible Histories'.

Directed with great verve by Taika Waititi, Nacho Vigalondo, Fernando Frias, Andrew Young and the British duo, Bert and Bertie, the 30 minute episodes are pacy and have a high hit rate in landing their gags.

Like all good sitcoms, every member of the cast is on song but a lot hinges on Darby as Stede Bonnet who really shines in the lead role.

The Kiwi brings the same spirit of inept enthusiasm he brought to the role of Murray, the manager in 'Flight of the Conchords' and is perfectly suited to playing a head in the clouds dandy.

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Having previously teamed up with Waititi on the delightful New Zealand movie comedy 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople,' he has a clear rapport with the actor director and a shared love of absurdity.

As a result, the relationship between Steed and Blackbeard is really quite touching - hinting at a gay subtext for much of the run.

Indeed, one of the strengths of 'Our Flag Means Death' is its depiction of LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, including the portrayal of the non-binary Jim.

Waititi brings a bit of rock n'roll swagger to the role of Blackbeard but also injects an interesting mix of weariness, cunning and naivete.

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Kayo is tremendously appealing as Oluwande but this is a real ensemble piece.

Darby, Waititi and Kayo are complemented by the suitably eccentric performances of Bremner, Foad, Fry, Maher, Nairn, Faxon and Schutte.

Ortiz amuses as Jim, the crew member of the Revenge who is most suited to the pirate lifestyle 

O'Neill is wonderful too as Blackbeard's frustrated right hand man Izzy and gels well with Guz Khan and David Fane as Blackbeard's shipmates, Ivan and Fang.

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'Our Flag Means Death' also scores highly because of the quality of the guest stars.

Kinnear, whose father was the great Roy Kinnear, shows a flair for comedy and turns in his best comic performance.

His performance works because he plays everything so straight as both Badmintons.

Jones is also great fun as the hotheaded Pirate Queen, Spanish Jackie.

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Armisen is suitably shifty as Geraldo.

Will Arnett memorably pops up in one episode as Calico Jack, an old friend of Blackbeard's who competes for his affections with Stede.

Kristen Schaal and Nick Kroll have a whale of a time as French aristocrats who Stede and Ed come across on the high seas.

Claudia O'Doherty is good value too as Bonnet's estranged wife Mary and Kristen Johnston too as her friend, the widow Evelyn Higgins.

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When it comes to film craft, 'Our Flag Means Death' is also a joy to watch.

Many shots are beautifully lit by cinematographers, Mike Berlucchi and Cynthia Pusheck. 

It benefits too from some superb costume design by Christine Wade and Gypsy Taylor, striking production design and art direction by Ra Vincent and Bradley Rubin and a playful musical score by Mark Mothersbaugh.

Throughout its run, each episode leaves you with more than just a smile.

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In fact, it's a hoot that quickly makes a compelling case for a second series.

The show quickly establishes Stede Bonnet as a viable challenger to Ted Lasso's claim to be the most likeable character in situation comedy right now.

And for that, Jenkins must give thanks to Darby who anchors this cheeky, absurd sitcom with a performance that is full of heart.

It's a masterclass too in wonderful comic timing.

So sail on, Season Two.

('Our Flag Means Death' was made available on HBO Max in the United States on March 3, 2022 and was broadcast on BBC2 in the UK from January 28-March 25, 2023)