Our Ten Favourite Moments from Jack & Dean of All Trades

From bread sword fights to many a musical number, Jack & Dean of All Trades is a show that has it all.

JADOAT follows the lives of Jack and Dean as they attempt to the navigate the London job market after quitting their jobs at a bank. They undertake a series of temp jobs offered to them by the hilarious Marv (played by Jessica Hynes) with varying degrees of success, ranging from going badly wrong to going really, really, really badly wrong – like, huge-amount-of-cash-hidden-in-a-suitcase-after-a-bank-shootout wrong.

Unfortunately, last week brought the news that the Fullscreen show starring Jack Howard and Dean Dobbs would not be returning for a third series – and let us be the first to say we’re going to miss it. Fortunately, both Series One and Two remain on Fullscreen for our viewing pleasure. Here are our ten favourite moments…

Warning: spoilers ahead.

1. The bread fight

The very first episode of any series is always used to set the tone, and what better way to do so than by having a dramatic bread sword fight?! Talk about hilarity!

After Jack wakes to find Dean having eaten all the bread, the duel ensues. But don’t worry! It’s definitely not what it looks like. Throwing the bread around isn’t the best way to make any dough, boys. (We’ll show ourselves out.)

2. ALL the musical numbers

Here at TenEighty HQ, we’re a sucker for a good musical number, and the ones in JADOAT are no exception! Whether it’s the ever-iconic line “Good things always come to those who paint” or the sudden appearance of backing dancers (we’re still wondering where they came from), they constantly have us in stitches.

3. Roleplay

While there are certainly more dramatic moments in the show, the roleplay between Jack and Marv, acting as Jack’s sister Lottie and herself respectively, is hands-down one of its funniest parts. There are several interruptions to the roleplay, with Marv critiquing Jack-as-Lottie’s manners and an attempt at knock-knock jokes. The constant reminders to Dean that he is a “no-one” are both heartwrenching and hilarious.

It’s a scene with many different facets, despite its visual simplicity, and showcases the great acting of the show.

4. The heist

Dean? Emma? Jack?! The heist involving Jack’s not-girlfriend Emma, her father, and Dean (who will now forever be known as Paul) turns into an accidental robbery when Jack, Dean, and Marv are left with the very cash Emma and her father were trying to steal. It’s a complicated day for everyone involved.

The whole sequence is smoothly shot and full of high tension, with perfectly timed humour. As Marv says, “It is quite serious, yeah?”

5. The book signing lie

Marcus Rose, the coolest guy in school, pops up while Jack and Dean are working as librarians, and, eager to impress him, Jack claims to be a published author doing a book signing later that afternoon. Characteristically, this spirals out of control when Marcus promises to come back and Jack realises the author is a woman – literature is a difficult field for a white man to get into, apparently.

We’re caught between laughing and being mortified for Jack each time we watch it.

6. The most awkward dinner of all time

Jack and Dean are working as waiters when Marv brings her boss Gerald into the restaurant to try and convince him to make her an assistant. When things become awkward, she enlists Dean to pose as her fiancé Darren in what quickly turns into an even more awkward situation. It’d probably be more helpful if Dean knew how to use a knife and fork… Trust us, if you thought work dinners were uncomfortable before, this is another level entirely.

7. Pulling a “deadie”

Ever wanted to fake your own death to get out of a really stressful event? Yeah, us too. Every Monday morning, in fact.

Dean fakes his own death while Jack is working in a mortuary. Is it a good first day if one person ends up unconscious and the other one dead? We’re going to go with maybe not. Safe to say, Dean has a slightly different idea of what it means to pull a sick day than the rest of us. Although, a morgue is significantly cheaper to relax in than a spa…

8. Prison break

When your girlfriend is in prison for robbery for the next seven years, what are you to do? Disguise yourself as a guard and break into the prison, of course! People who say romance is dead clearly haven’t seen the penultimate episode of JADOAT Series Two.

Dressed up as a prison guard and prisoner, Jack and Dean sneak their way into the prison with the help of another prison guard to visit Emma. The result? You’ll have to watch to find out.

9. The Series Two premiere

Is it a cop-out to nominate an entire episode as a favourite moment? Too bad, we don’t care.

From brilliant moments such as the pair’s attempts to complete Cat’s Cradle and Jack getting hit in the head with a ball every time he comments on people showing him respect, to the sudden appearance of Jack’s sister, this episode is one to remember! However, our favourite moment has to be when the pair are rowing through the water whilst looking for a shark – it’s beautifully shot.

10. Everything Marv ever said or did

Is there anyone more suave than Marv? By her own declaration – and ours – there certainly isn’t! Marv, short for Marvington (but not really), works at the temp agency giving Jack and Dean their various jobs, armed with her job gun.

From her fabulous fashion choices to her pearls of wisdom, she’s taught us a whole load of important things: that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is “leaning”; that you NEED a hat for every occasion; and, crucially, “Get paid, get laid, make lemonade”. All catchphrases start somewhere!

Leave it to the unprofessionals…

While being a temp often isn’t considered the most glamorous of jobs, Jack & Dean of All Trades puts a funny and enjoyable spin on being able to try out a range of different paths. And although we’re heartbroken we won’t be getting a third series, we’re certain to be coming back to it for years to come!

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