The Decameron review: Is Sex Education and EastEnders stars' Netflix comedy any good?

With the self-entitled snobs completely oblivious to the struggles of those beneath them, the group view the trip as they would a free holiday rather than a quarantine-for-your-life situation – but things quickly take a chaotic turn, and before long, the haven they envisaged turns into the stuff of nightmares.

The first character we meet is Pampinea (played by Girls' Zosia Mamet), who establishes the tone of the show when she interprets a grieving man carrying his dead wife as an act of romance rather than devastation.

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• Derry Girls and Sex Education stars in Netflix's The Decameron first look

Pampinea has dreams of marrying Leonardo, the villa's owner, after reaching spinster-hood at (gasp) 28 years old. Alongside her fiercely loyal servant Misia (Derry Girls' Saoirse-Monica Jackson), she decides to pursue her ambition.

Elsewhere, we have Filomena (Eastenders' Jessica Plummer), who is as obliviously cruel as they come, taking pleasure in making the days of her servant Licisca (Sex Education's Tanya Reynolds) a living nightmare.

But when Licisca seizes an unexpected opportunity, the tables swiftly turn.

Then there's Neifile (Lou Gala) and Panfilo (Karan Gill), a married couple whose sexual desires are masked by their devotion to God. But despite taking a vow of celibacy, ignoring handsome doctor Dioneo (Amar Chadha-Patel) as he roams the gardens shirtless is far easier said than done.

And finally we have Tindaro (Douggie McMeekin), who, on top of being a hypochondriac, is also an incel, yet cannot comprehend why women avoid him at all costs, even with his exceedingly deep pockets.

But their money and status isn't enough to protect them. Despite the efforts of villa servants Stratilia (I Hate Suzie's Leila Farzad) and Sirisco (Veep and Arrested Development's Tony Hale), who are desperate for the group's stay to unfold as smoothly as possible, it takes approximately one evening for everything to fall apart.

Based on the book by Giovanni Boccaccio, which is comprised of over 100 short stories, creator Kathleen Jordan (Teenage Bounty Hunters) had a lot to chew on when bringing the show to life.

Loosely inspired as a response to her feelings on the COVID pandemic, The Decameron combines drama with the bleak comedy inherent in trying to survive a global pandemic – but to mixed effect, it must be said.

Certain elements show promise before petering out, others never really get off the ground, and some are completely forgotten about until we cut back to them.

But the most successful stories by far are those involving Filomena, who has essentially swapped roles with Licisca, à la The Prince and the Pauper, and the downtrodden Misia, who shows her the ropes of a life of servitude.

With Misia bound to her mistress Pampinea, and Filomena out of her depth in a world lacking opulence, how the pair develop is a true credit to both Plummer and Jackson, who make us root for them in small acting choices and moments that keep us interested in their own separate journeys.

There are also some great moments involving Neifile and Panfilo, despite key elements of their story grating at times. The bond the couple share is both lovely and unique, and that’s again down to how Gill and Gala bring small things to the screen.

But despite that, some characters are so deeply unlikeable and frustrating that you're almost willing the Black Plague to kill them off – and not for entertainment value, but to condense the runtime.

And while there's nothing inherently wrong with main characters being unlikable (Succession, we're looking at you), at the very least you have to care about them, especially when the threat of a plague looms. But a number of characters fall short of that, while others reach that point a little too late in the story for a redemption arc to take hold.

There's certainly no doubt the show was a lot of fun to create, with the all-star ensemble revelling in chewing up the scenery from the word go, but it's a shame that decisions made while writing, or possibly even in the editing room, let the production down.

The Decameron isn't a bad show. It's just… fine. And with so much else now on offer, that's simply no longer good enough.

The Decameron is available now on Netflix – sign up for from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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