whitetigeress

Spaced is fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation.

Giles

oh my god, I finally got Little Britain from Nicheflix and having just seen the first four episodes I found it very funny and entertaining, can't wait to see the remaining episodes. (I love the Prime Minister skits).

Question: what is the deal with Catterick is this on DVD yet? and what was the other show David mentioned in the interview supplement he was working on - something about two brother's working in an Retirement Home.

Question #2: A while back I saw a comedy series on British Airways that was insanely funny but I can't recall what it was called. From what I remember the show is comprised of a series of varying timed skits all revolving around word play and innuendo's. I know that's a vague description, but that's all I can remember.

On the same flight they showed the fabulous French & Saunders parody of "The Lord of the Rings" which I thought I was going to laugh my guts out, I simply have to own that series as well.

buckee1

My league of gentlemen R2 set arrived this week & I am now firmly entrenched in Royston Vasey...Are you Local?

Squirrel God

Was it an old show? If so, it sounds like Dick Emery, which ran from the 60s until the 80s, clocking up a total of 18 series!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/ar..._7772490.shtml




Seeing the BBC site has also reminded me that I forgot about two classic British comedies:

Till Death Us Do Part
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/ar..._7776335.shtml

In Sickness and In Health
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/ar..._7776350.shtml

Both shows feature the same character. It's very British and also very un-PC. Some find it very offensive.

whitetigeress

Can someone tell me about Black Books. It looks like something I would like but I am a little wary about buying shows that I have not seen.

logboy

sure. a vaguely alchoholic book shop owner (dylan moran) and his assistant
and their life ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/ar...66600660.shtml

Lastdaysofrain

Black Books is great, it's almost a parody of the traditional sitcom, it's a bit surreal at times, but amazing. The second series is my favorite.

cynthia

If you get BBC America, you can catch Black Books on Thursdays.

BritTVfanMidwst

Giles said quote [/Question: what is the deal with Catterick is this on DVD yet? and what was the other show David mentioned in the interview supplement he was working on - something about two brother's working in an Retirement Home. /]

Hi, I'm back.

*Catterick* is brilliant, absolutely brilliant. I think it aired on BBC3, which from what I understand is a satellite station (my friends in the UK keep telling me "be patient, it hasn't even aired on terrestrial television yet"). I got my copies the naughty way-- someone in the UK recorded it off-air onto a DVD-R and sent it to me!
But NOT to be missed-- fantastic! Rather hard to describe comedy/action/drama/musical. Stars Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves, co-stars (and please excuse my spelling) Reece Withersmith (something like that, from "League of Gentlemen"), Mark Benton, and--and I can't remember her name, sorry.
Mortimer plays Carl Palmer who returns to the north of England to find his son whom he abandoned in Catterick when he was 4 (the son, that is). Vic's his brother, Chris. (If you remember the skits the two did with the brother, Chris and Carl that owned a nightclub-- same two guys. I can't remember if "The Club" was a skit on "Smell of Reeves and Mortimer" or "Big Night Out" or what-- but it was one of their early comedies). Anyway, Carl returns, looks up his brother and the two set off for Catterick garrison/army base to find Carl's son.

It's odd, dark comedy. Things happen like Carl and Chris interrupt a robbery at Neil's Wheels car dealership-- to steal a car.
Vic Reeves has an second role as Inspector Fowler of the NYPD-- the North Yorkshire Police Dept, which he plays with a dead-on impersonation of Peter Falk as *Columbo*.
(It took me a while to figure that out, actually, but once I caught-on I thought it was a VERY good parody characterization-- I also only liked him *after* seeing episode four I think-- I won't spoil what happens in that one; but when I re-watch the series I like Insp. Fowler more and more).

Anyway-- definately NEEDS to BE on DVD!

--Brit TV Fan

Giles

hey look, Little Britain is getting a stateside release (May 17th)

Little Britain

Sid Yobbo

Brit TV Fan,

On the subject of gritty UK shows like The Professionals and The Sweeney I must have been crazy not to have mentioned the BAFTA winning Out (1978). Made by Euston Films (the same bunch responsible for The Sweeney) Out is a terrific thriller about career criminal Frank Ross (a sensational performance by Tom Bell) who, released from prison after serving eight long years, is consumed by one burning passion: to find out who betrayed him and exact revenge. Over six hour long episodes the scripts (by Sweeney writer Trevor Preston) juxtapose the traditional thriller elements - underworld violence, betrayal, corrupt cops, greed and sepia-tinged flashbacks to the original bank robbery gone wrong - with a detailed and no less absorbing look at the devastation wrought on Frank's family by his incarcaration - a wife gone insane, a son estranged - and the working class loyalty of a few friends.

Stylishly directed by Jim Goddard and boasting a cracking music score by George Fenton, Out is one of the boldest British dramas ever made, not least because it's one of the very, very few prime-time stories written entirely from the point of view of a criminal. There are no nice middle-class characters or pat morality to balance things out here, a position which offended several critics at the time of its original broadcast.

There's a decent UK/R2 DVD of Out available from Amazon, Play etc. If you enjoyed The Profs and/or The Sweeney then you should certainly consider getting this.

And although it won't be out on DVD until October I must put in a word of praise for Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet series. Four episodes in out of 26 and it's just getting better and better. The original 1967 show was done with puppets but this is an all cgi affair and it's quite stunning to watch. Last week's story in which the Spectrum team encountered a Mysteronised robot killer on Mars was jaw-dropping stuff. I gather the show has been shot on HD and produced with a DD5.1 mix which we'll presumably get to hear on the DVD. I have no idea when or even if this show will get to the States (apparently Sony hold the international distribution rights) but if anyone has enjoyed Gerry Anderson's shows in the past - especially the puppet shows - they should definitely make a point of catching this. It's pretty good stuff.

Oh, and here's a link to the official site.

buckee1

Sid I just checked out the new Captain Scarlet web site and all I can say is WOW! The animation looks great. I still love the marionettes but this definately looks cool. You said it's coming to DVD in October, any ideas on where to pre-order this? I tried amazon.uk and they don't even have it listed as yet.

Thanks

nemein

Kind like Free Enterprise? I've been considering picking up Spaced too but I'm also a bit lery of blowing that much money on something unseen.

Sid Yobbo

If you liked those you can find an episode guide with bigger screenshots at the official Gerry Anderson fansite here

Too early, mate. The show has only just started and the October date is the unofficial one (sorry, guess I should have made that clearer). Assuming the unofficial date doesn't change then it'll be summer before the title begins showing up.

B166ER1337

Hey

The reason i got a region-free dvd player is because of spaced. This was a blind buy for me. Therefore, i spent about $100 for the dvds and the player. Honestly, i think it's money well spent

This show is fantastic. In fact, i am going to upgrade to the 3 disk collector's edition. If you dig shaun of the dead, then you need to watch it!

OldBoy

Is it that good? I have one good source that has got me real interested and I am looking for some more. I know it is Brit comedy and it has been compared to a live action "Simpsons", but it seems to fall in line with the homages/antics of a "Dream On"...does it at all?

buckee1

Never seen "Dream On" but it's definately a funny show. I have the 3 disc set and it's seriously funny.

Sid thanks for the clarification on Captain Scarlet. I checked out your link and I am totally stoked! Hopefully, the summer will see an initial DVD release, cause, that looks like it's going to be the only way I'm going to see this! The animation looks a lot like the Starship Troopers animated series: Roughnecks. That was a great series and this by all accounts looks even better!

B166ER1337

Hey..

How do you compare Spaced and Black books?
Which one is funnier or are they about the same?

Lastdaysofrain

They are hard to compare, although they do share a lot of the same people involved as guest stars.

I prefer Spaced because the characters are great and the storyline grabs me, there are some great almost dramatic character romance things involved that make the storyline more gripping.

Black Books is a bit more superficial, it's a sitcom, laugh track, etc.

Spaced is more like a 6 hour movie.

Numanoid

Vaguely alcoholic? That's the understatement of the year.

OldBoy

does "Spaced" also have dramatic elements, so it is not just slap stick comedy, but there is real emotion? if that is true it sounds fantastic!! i love a good sitcom with comedy and emotion, "Friends" was like that and I loved it.

B166ER1337

yap..there are lots of emotions..

that's why so many people like the show

Lastdaysofrain

I thought I wrote that Spaced is more character /romantic comedy/emotional than Black Books.

Spaced is the show with some deeper character stuff going on, like I said Black Books (which I also love) is a more superficial show.

whitetigeress

Requesting a couple of reviews for:

Teachers
Kath and Kim
Only Fools with Horses


Thanks

benedict

Only Fools & Horses is a fairly "English" (British?) comedy set in London and following the misadventures of a middle-aged older brother and his young sibling as they try to scratch a living mostly by selling merchandise of dubious provenance. Initially they shared a council flat/apartment with the grandfather. After the "grand-dad" actor died, an uncle appeared on the scene.

As I recall, having seen some repeats a few years ago, the first series really wasn't very funny. Thankfully it wasn't cancelled as the writing got better as time went on: the series became very popular with BBC1 viewers.

My view is that the last couple of seasons at times became somewhat saccharine. Overall I liked it - and it had some very good episodes indeed - but I'll leave it to a bigger fan to give a more comprehensive breakdown of its highlights.

I missed the first series of Teachers but, unlike OF&H this is one that I'd consider purchasing on DVD. Each episode is around an hour in duration if you chopped out the adverts. Rather surreal at times - you need to watch what is going on in the background of many of the scenes - the show is set in a school and - as its name mihght suggest - follows the activities of a group of mostly young, mostly jaded teachers.

It is very irreverent: the teachers are like kids themselves with all that entails; bad language; bad behaviour; bad life-choices. If, like me, you are happy with comedy that can be quite crude, I think that any fan of modern BritCom would enjoy this. To put things into context, I also very much enjoyed Spaced and Coupling.