DB7

Comic Strip Presents: 9dvd: Box Set

Here's a welcome reissue for the complete output of Channel 4's Comic Strip team, at a slightly less wallet stretching price. Featuring the cream of the early 80s alternative comedy scene, the Comic Strip gave early TV exposure to such currently mainstream names as Dawn French, Ade Edminson, Rick Mayall, Robbie Coltrane and Jennifer Saunders. Together with director, writer and actor Peter Richardson, they brought an anarchic new style of comedy to the emergent forth channel, starting on the stations opening night with the Enid Blyton satire 'Five Go Mad In Dorset'. This box set contains everything they did so the quality sometimes wavers and a few of the films have dated quite badly. The satirical stab at Yuppiedom, The Yob, could only have come from the 1980s. But when the team were firing on all cylinders the results were some classic comedy moments, such as the heavy metal parody, Bad News, which predated Spinal Tap, and the dry run for Bottom which was Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, which features a brutal cameo from Peter Cook, and the spaghetti western on a budget hilarity of A Fistful of Travellers Checks. A must have for serious TV comedy fans.

Tony Pendrey

I was watching "Mr. Jolly" the other night. Like a lot of the Comic Strip stuff it hasn't aged well. But right at the beginning I spotted Rob Brydon in one of the many non-speaking parts he would have, years before he hit the big time.

(Oh well, please yourselves)

Ah Yes, the Soviet Union. All them wheatfields and ballet in the evenings

cletus awreetus

Rob Bryden, Jimmy Carr, Russel Brand, et al.

Who are these people and where do they come from?

batman

A Fistful of Travellers Cheques is brilliant! I was never a huge fan of The Comic Strip but, being a Spaghetti western fan, I love this episode.

Bats.

Don't miss out on a chance to win a rare film in Bat-Quiz 13 closing date - 31/8/8.

cletus awreetus

I remember Dirty Movie being a pleasant diversion, as for the rest I don't think I know them too well if at all.

dremble wedge

Fair enough but when is Peter Richardson's Eat the Rich coming out on DVD? Any film with Nosher Powell as the Home Secretary is okay by me...

cletus awreetus

The Bullshitters was another I remember as being good.

Tony Pendrey

The Bullshitters is a bit of an oddity 'cause it wasn't a Comic Strip production, but does get included in CS compilations. Which is good thing as it is funnier that a lot of the other stuff.

I remember that Peter Richardson was hoiked onto Right to Reply to answer to Gus McDonald. There had been umpteen complaints just about the title.

What was hilarious was Richardson's attitude. Think Vicky Pollard in a suit.

Ah Yes, the Soviet Union. All them wheatfields and ballet in the evenings