British Comedy

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E5, Jungle

Leave a Comment

Episode: S1E5, Jungle

Air Date: 15 June 2004

Summary: Ten years ago (well, technically twenty now) Tommy Nookah, previous owner of the Zoo, allegedly fell in the ocelot pit and died. Howard refuses to believe it and when Dixon Bainbridge, as the current owner, threatens to close the Zoo, it is clear that Howard must solve the mystery of Tommy’s disappearance once and for all. Vince and Howard work out that Tommy must be in the Jungle Room and set off in the hope of finding the calcium-faced midget. After hours of searching, Howard manages to find Tommy but he is old and his cheese eating habits are out of control (this bit always freaks me out as I have a stupid phobia of cheese). It is decided that they must grate Tommy’s head in order to save the Zoo: Tommy can help them, even in death.

What Else? This episode contains the brilliant: “We dream, but do we really dream?” sequence and also a mini instalment of: “Gather round, come closer, not you Fire!”. The Mod Wolves make a splendid appearance and delight us with the wonderful Mod Wolf Dance and we also hear one of my favourite crimps: Calm a Llama Down. The incredibly well-known Cheese song is in this episode. I love this little song but it gets so overplayed by people who haven’t ever seen the show so that irks me somewhat, so it’s nice to hear it in its natural habitat. We get to meet Rudy, the man who goes by many names and holds many tests, such as the Pipe Test (“many men would have taken the pipe…”).

Tommy Nookah © Baby Cow

Tommy Nookah © Baby Cow

Quote of the Episode:

Tommy Nookah: “I have survived only by eating cheese, and as the saying goes: you are what you eat. And I’m freaking cheese!”

Familiar Faces: Rich Fulcher as Tommy Nookah and Dave Brown briefly as Fire. We also get to see Martin Trenaman as the locksmith.

THE REVISITED SERIES

TV Review: Derek, Series 2

2 Comments

Due to Ricky Gervais having such a broad following, he inevitably gets a lot of unnecessary abuse from people who disapprove of his comedy but it’s obvious that this show puts him more at risk than ever. Derek (Gervais) is a man with learning difficulties who works in an old peoples home with his friend, Hannah (Kerry Godliman) who runs the establishment.

Derek has moments where it is incredibly funny, but I don’t think that was Gervais’ main aim. The messages this show leaves behind are way more important, though the laughs keep it ticking along nicely. There was no plateau in this series despite my fears because series one was so beautiful.

I was a bit upset that Karl Pilkington’s character, Dougie, left early in the first episode and didn’t come back but there was a guest appearance from Joe Wilkinson, as Kev’s brother, that kind of made up for it. Kev has been an interesting character for me because through know fault of David Earl himself, I didn’t really like the character of Kev, I didn’t think he really added anything to the show. However the last couple of episodes of series two completely turned that on its head for me as Derek taught us that everyone has good in them and everyone is worthy of your time. The arrival of sarcastic and arrogant Geoff (Colin Hoult) really showed Kev in a new light, especially the fight scene in episode six.

The whole feel of the old peoples home is wonderful, inclusive and warm. For example, in episode four, a deaf lady called Pat comes to visit the home in the hope staying there. The whole group already knew sign language and welcomed her with open arms; it made my heart melt. This is the episode where the group visit the zoo and the wonderful actress that is Holli Dempsey (Vicky) meets a man she fancies and it’s all she talks about all day. However, when something more serious pops up, Vicky drops all of her girl talk and is willing to help and I think that’s such an important lesson to teach. Kindness is scattered all over this show, even in the little joke about the man who lost his hair and it ‘grew back’ straight away, though it was clearly a wig. Everyone stuck up for him though, because that’s what good people do.

Kerry Godliman is an absolutely brilliant actress and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her blossom in the role of Hannah. She is a beautifully stable character for the more erratic ones to bounce off and her importance shouldn’t be underestimated.

I can sum up Derek in these few lovely quotes from the show:

‘Everyone needs something to love, something to do and something to wish for.’

‘Animals always try their best, you never see a lazy ant.’

‘I don’t know if there is a heaven, I’m suspicious.’

Everyone should watch this show, and I think criticisms of it are lazy and unfounded, Gervais has truly created something wonderful.

TV Review: Inside No. 9

2 Comments

I had the whole series of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s Inside No. 9 recorded to watch when my exams were out of the way and with three exams left and half a day at home I managed to watch all six episodes in the space of a few hours.

Inside No. 9 is my favourite kind of comedy: dark, twisted and thought-provoking. Each episode is an entirely different storyline with new characters and setting yet they are all set at ‘Number 9’, be that a house or a dressing room in one case. With this vague link connecting the stories, it enabled Shearsmith and Pemberton to explore many entirely different groups of people, which I found fascinating. Each episode is given half an hour so the situation always gets worse and worse until the end and they just cut off. Resolutions aren’t really important for Shearsmith and Pemberton which I think is very brave and very unnerving.

Two episodes stood out for me as the cleverest and creepiest (what’s not to love?) and these were episode one: Sardines and episode three: Tom and Gerri. I’m going to give a brief overview of these as my heart is fully invested in them.

EPISODE 1, SARDINES

This episode featured the beauty that is Katherine Parkinson and generally had a very quaint, slightly ‘off’ feel. That is something I think Shearsmith and Pemberton are very skilled at: creating an atmosphere and evoking a reaction without necessarily relying on laughs to do so. The story follows a well-to-do family who are playing their traditional party game: Sardines, which is like hide-and-seek except once you find the person, you must join them in their hiding place until everyone is there. A magnifying glass is held up to the group dynamics and many dark secrets are hinted at and eventually revealed at the very end. The plot of this episode is incredibly clever and a wonderful start to the series.

EPISODE 3, TOM AND GERRI

This episode freaked me out because it’s all about the stability of the human mind, which I personally find terrifying and I’m guessing the writers must do as well. The basis of the story is that Tom is a primary school teacher living in a comfy apartment with his wife, Gerri, and one day he lets a ‘tramp’ come into his home for a few hours in return for him bringing him his wallet that he somehow, conveniently, lost. This is the beginning of a drastic downward spiral for the stranger rapidly begins to take over his life and, in turn, Tom’s health and motivation for life decreases. It is a tragic tale and I’m still a little confused by it in all honesty as the audience are left questioning which parts are real and which are fabrications from Tom’s distressed mind, but that doesn’t detract from my emotional connection to it. I also like the way the names Tom and Gerri may have been a hint at the idea of a cat and mouse chase, like the cartoon, which made it particularly poignant.

The other episodes were all brilliant with many laughs, but also many shivers of absolute disgust. Many talented actors popped up throughout such as Tamsin Greig in episode four: The Last Gasp and Julia Davies in episode five: The Understudy. I think it’s hilarious that Julia always gets given the role of ‘the bitch’ (think, Dawn from Gavin and Stacey or Jill from Nighty Night). Of course I’m not suggesting that’s anything to do with her own personality, just that she is stupidly good at playing it!  One fabulous moment was in episode six: The Harrowing where Katie is asking about Tabitha’s disabled brother: “That’s Andras, milk and rusks, that’s all he can have.” “…the disability?” “That and the fact he doesn’t have a mouth.”

This series has been punchy, eery and absolutely fantastic and I am genuinely so excited for some more from Shearsmith and Pemberton (and am so annoyed that I can’t find anywhere to watch Psychoville online!).

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E4, Tundra

Leave a Comment

Episode: S1E4, Tundra

Air Date: 8 June 2004

Summary: This episode has elements from the Boosh’s beginnings as it used many ideas from the television pilot and one of the radio episodes. Dixon Bainbridge has just returned from his trip to the Tundra where he failed to successfully steal the Egg of Mantumbi and Howard is annoyed at the attention Bainbridge is getting because he didn’t actually do anything. Despite the fact that the last person to get near the egg was frozen by the ‘icy bastard’ that is The Black Frost, Howard and Vince decide to make an attempt and head out to the Tundra in Gary Numan’s private jet. While they are there, Vince is abducted by a giant polar bear and Howard is visited by one of the Parka People who takes him to the cave where the egg is (though the little man is taking him there to kill him, not help him).

What Else? This episode features the often forgotten song: the Stickleback Crimp, and also has the brilliant little scene where Bob Fossil is interviewing two cavemen-like people to be Howard and Vince’s replacements: they just point at things saying ‘Topshop’ constantly. The brilliant Tundra song comes from this episode as well; one of the few genuine songs from The Mighty Boosh that is more than a few lines long. Vince claims he is ‘like Mowgli, the retro version’ and Howard’s moustache is accused of being more of a ‘cappuccino stain’.

Quote of the Episode:

Howard: The wind is my only friend.

Wind: I haaaaaate you.

Howard: Shut up wind!

Familiar Faces: Dave Brown as The Black Frost and Bob Fossil’s replacements for Howard and Vince were played by Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding themselves.

THE REVISITED SERIES

May: Comedian Of The Month #4, Diane Morgan

3 Comments
Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

This month’s comedian is Diane Morgan and particularly her alter-ego Philomena Cunk who makes regular appearances on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe. Despite the fact that the show isn’t actually running at the moment, Diane Morgan has been relevant for me this month because I found a bit of her stand up online (although I couldn’t really find a lot).

Philomena Cunk

Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe is very satirically dense and although this is important in comedy, it can often get a little too heavy. This is why characters like Philomena Cunk and Barry Shitpeas are so brilliant for the programme: they bring the silliness to a sometimes very depressing world. Philomena always has the most incredible lines that really catch you off guard, with her little mini-documentaries about The Internet or What Is Time? They are completely stupid, and the things she says aren’t intellectual in anyway; that’s why I love her.

Diane manages to convey a beautiful silliness within five seconds of screen time which is reminiscent of many comic heroes such as Vic & Bob and Harry Hill. This mood can be shown through words, or even just a raise of the eyebrows, which is a skill not many have mastered (think, Paul Foot or Bill Bailey). Here is a clip from the latest series of Weekly Wipe, it is the first episode in the series of Philomena Cunk’s Moments of Wonder (‘Time’).

For more information, visit Diane Morgan’s website and follow her on Twitter.

 APRIL COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH

Review: Jeff Leach – FIT

1 Comment

On May 31st I went to Artrix, one of my favourite comedy venues, to see the brilliant Jeff Leach and his support, Tania Edwards. It was a new-material show, Jeff Leach: FIT, so was on a very small scale, which is better for me because tiny gigs are the best gigs (why I love the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton).

I hadn’t seen anything from Tania Edwards before, so it was great to see some material I knew completely nothing about so it could surprise me, and she was delightful. Tania is very soft-spoken which I thought was nice as a lot of comics you see are intent on damaging our eardrums with their shouting which is fine, but a change is always welcome. She talked about her Indian boyfriend and what their kids would look like and really made me laugh with her queries about how you would fix a pepper spray onto their inhalers to beat off the bullies in the playground. I’m definitely going to find out more about Tania’s comedy, you should ALL have heard of her by now!

Jeff LeachI took two of my sisters, Katie and Megan, and Scott, Katie’s boyfriend with me and because Scott is a lunatic, I even enjoyed the interval where we were researching how many Wine Gums it would take to kill someone (apparently it’s only capable via choking or hitting people with them). He was gutted he wasn’t heckled because he had a whole story ready about how he was called Hugh and was a plumber.

Then it was time for Jeff’s set, which was a ‘Work in Progress’ set but you couldn’t really tell; he was loud and confident as ever and even though the room was miniature, it didn’t feel empty or too quiet. As well as being hilarious (a given), Jeff’s material was lovely and had a serious undertone: questioning whether he is ‘fit’ as a comedian, boyfriend, father, person etc. It was really nice to see some real substance behind a show rather than just what someone might think would make an audience laugh, though it was kept light with Katie Price impressions and complaints about the number of bottles of hair conditioner all women have (so true).

It was lovely speaking to Jeff after the show, as always, and our photos are pretty fabulous, you have to admit. Catch him on tour here and you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook too; here is Tania’s Twitter as well. It is great to be able to support genuinely lovely, hardworking people like Jeff so do check out some of his stuff please or I will hunt you down! (exclamation mark needed to disguise genuine threat.)

 

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E3, Bollo

Leave a Comment

Episode: S1E3, Bollo

Air Date: 1 June 2004

Summary: This episode is an exploration of death: Bollo is getting old and it is clear that he is dying (not that anybody seems too bothered, as always). While Vince is busy caring for Bollo in his last hours, Bob Fossil alerts Howard to yet another problem: the woman who sponsors Bollo is coming to visit and Fossil cannot let her see that the gorilla is ill. Howard is forced into dressing up as a gorilla and sitting in Bollo’s enclosure for the day and this results in The Grim Reaper getting confused and taking the wrong person off to ‘Monkey Hell’. Vince must rescue Howard from the Ape of Death before he is dropped into the fiery pits…

What Else? This episode has a beautiful moment near the beginning where both Noel and Howard are trying not to laugh for whatever reason. It also has the brilliant ‘floating cup’ scene as well as the appearance of Mr Susan and his mirror balls (look at them shine). Whilst Bollo is on his deathbed, the lovely little jingle of ‘the sun is shining, and you’re feeling fine, and the birds are singing in the trees’ is sung as well as the brilliant song from the Ape of Death towards the end.

Quote of the Episode:

Phone Caller: How’s your Pauline?

The Grim Reaper [on the phone]: She’s alright, she’s dead. How’s your Pauline?

Phone Caller: She’s dead.

Familiar Faces: Rich Fulcher as the Ape of Death, Julian Barratt as Mr Susan (look at them shine).

THE REVISITED SERIES

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E2, Mutants

Leave a Comment

Episode: S1E2, Mutants

Air Date: 25 May 2004

Summary: There is a crisis at the Zooniverse: the animals, and even the quiet Joey Moose, have gradually been going missing and nobody knows who the culprit is (well, half of the staff haven’t even noticed). However, all hell breaks loose when Vince discovers that Bollo, too, has been snatched, as well as Mrs Gideon’s beloved python. The evil mastermind behind the trouble is the one and only Dixon Bainbridge who has been making mutants in his Secret Lab. Don’t worry, he has his reasoning: “Times have changed, zoos are over. You see a rhino, big deal. You see a wolf, who cares? You see a rhino with a wolf’s head- that’s a kind of twisted poetry”. His demands are getting out of hand as he orders Fossil to “get me a human person” and Howard is in severe danger of becoming a ‘mansnake’…

What Else? This episode features another one of Fossil’s iconic scenes, his quirky song: “Nicey nicey zoo zoo, for him and her, and me and you” as well as further development of Fossil’s inability to name the animals, for example, he refers to the elephant as the ‘grey leg faced man’. Howard demonstrates his brilliant skill for disguises, such as hiding behind a bunch of pink balloons: it’s true, he is a maverick.

Quote of the Episode:

Howard: “It’s very visually noisy, your face. It’s like a brass band under a wig”

Familiar Faces: Dave Brown as Joey Moose again, and more of Matt Berry’s Dixon Bainbridge. If you look closely, Dave Brown and Rich Fulcher can be picked out behind the mutant make up!

THE REVISITED SERIES

A Week In The Life

1 Comment

I thought I’d try something different today and post something I watched/listened to that was comedy-related for each working day of last week. Many of these items will probably evolve into a separate post in the coming months so this is a small taster for that I guess.

Monday: Henning Wehn: No Surrender!

There isn’t a lot on on Monday nights, apparently, so this week I start watching Henning Wehn’s 2013 stand-up show as I bought it months ago and he’s one of my favourite comedians. I only watched an hour or so on Monday because I have to fit all this in between my GCSE exams that take up so much time! But what I should say, even though I’ve said it before, is that Henning Wehn deserves a way bigger audience than he has- I think he is hilarious because he takes the German stereotype and gives us what many people secretly expect, then goes beyond that. For example, his first stand up DVD was called My Struggle and I don’t think it gets any more stereotypical than that: I love it.

Tuesday: Sweat The Small Stuff

I regularly watch popular panel shows as they are a great way of finding new comedy talent and are generally just nice, easy viewing and although I don’t make an effort to watch every episode of Sweat The Small Stuff like I do for other shows, I enjoy it here and there. Series three is currently showing on BBC Three and this week I caught up with episode five as my April Comedian of the Month, Bobby Mair, was a guest. This episode really made me laugh and Bobby definitely stole the show (though I may be biased). Every single week the challenge for Melvin and Rochelle gets more and more awkward and it’s brilliant: this one was brilliant; you should definitely check it out.

derek

Wednesday: Derek

Watching Derek is currently one of the comedy highlights of my week: it is an absolute beauty of a show and I recommend you all watch it (I’m going to write up a proper post when the series has finished). This week, Derek, along with residents of the old peoples home and manager Hannah, visited the zoo and it was genuinely such a lovely piece of television. Derek in no way ridicules anyone with learning difficulties, or old people. In fact, it doesn’t ridicule anyone the show is very inclusive. There are a few big laughs each episode, along with a few tears. I am always left feeling happy after watching Derek because it leaves us with life lessons and also makes me laugh, a lot.

Thursday: Jonah From Tonga

I’ve talked before about how wonderful I think Chris Lilley is, and yet again will probably talk about this programme more extensively in a separate post so will keep this brief. Lilley’s work feels timeless to me as although this is new programme, it has the same feel as Summer Heights High from 2008 yet doesn’t bore me in the slightest. This man can effortlessly switch from playing a teenage girl to a camp drama teacher to a Tongan school drop-out and it is remarkable. Jonah is also a character from Summer Heights High and has always been one of my favourites so I look forward to where this new show will take us.

fubar radio

Friday: Fubar Radio

Fubar Radio is a brand new radio station that I was lucky enough to grab a free year’s subscription to due to a code from Richard Herring (not personally don’t get excited though he did tweet me once). I first heard about Fubar through Joey Page on Twitter who I think is really funny so wanted to hear more from him etc and I have completely fallen in love with it. Joey could tell you himself that I am in regular contact with the show which is every Friday from 1pm until 4pm: I just can’t help myself. His show is so easy to listen to and the music choices are on top form (except for that time they kept playing Beck and I got really self-conscious). But yeah, I really enjoy listening to the Joey Page Show on Fubar and would recommend it to anyone, not just comedy fans. But seriously, if you are a comedy fan, you WILL faint when you see the rest of Fubar’s lineup.

As well as all of this, I make sure I listen to my favourite podcast, The Comedian’s Comedian every morning before school as it helps me forget that I am about to go to school (yet it’s a pretty intellectual podcast so I don’t need to feel too guilty).

So that was a little comedy-style week in the life of Becca and I hope I’ve brought some new shows to your attention or just entertained you for five minutes, who knows?

The Mighty Boosh Revisited: S1E1, Killeroo

Leave a Comment

Episode: S1E1, Killeroo

Air Date: 18 May 2004

Summary: All is well at the Zooniverse until Bob Fossil sends a message over for Howard to visit him in his office urgently. It turns out that Mr Fossil has acquired some photos of Howard ‘in the nude’ and he subsequently uses them to blackmail Howard into fighting a kangaroo in order to get some more money circulating the Zoo. Mrs Gideon, a reptile keeper at the Zoo, has a special place in the heart of old Howard and Vince convinces him to fight the kangaroo to impress her (anything would be better than dear Mrs Gideon witnessing Howard’s additional growth). Howard must now prepare for the big fight, which everyone knows he is destined to lose…

What Else? This episode features the first ever properly televised Boosh crimp: Captain Cabinets and also includes the famous I Don’t Like Cricket! scene. It seems that many of the most famous Boosh moments originated in the first episode. There is a definite feeling that the people behind The Mighty Boosh were very keen to challenge the basic principles of a sitcom, such as in the scene where Vince takes Howard to visit his ‘uncle’ to train him for the fight:

‘Uncle’: “There’s only one way to get this boy ready for the fight”

Vince: “Training montage!”

‘Uncle’: “With music!”

Quote of the Episode:

Vince: “I’ve felt your moves, how flimsy are they? They’re like being caressed with a natural yoghurt.”

Familiar Faces: Dave Brown as marsupial expert, Joey Moose. Rich Fulcher as Vince’s ‘uncle’.

THE REVISITED SERIES