Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie (1990–1994) User Reviews

The ultimate Fartie

[Chip_douglas · 9/10 · 26 November 2003]

In 1990 the BBC, or `Auntie Beeb' captured Ben Elton in top form writing and performing stand up comedy in a sparkly suit. Nobody takes mundane things like taking out the garbage, doing the washing up or waiting in line at the post office (not to mention the female front bottom or "Tuut-tuut") and makes it as funny as Ben Elton.

During his fast paced rants, Benji would usually go off into hilarious diversions about advertising and other media as if he was making it up on the spot. But Ben always managed to get back to his original subject in the end and cunningly slipped in a bit of eco-friendly advise amongst the 'fart and knob gags' as well. The only things interrupting him were funny characters drawn on a person (also Ben)'s upside-down face.

The second series did not arrive until 1994. This time Ben wore a less flashy suit and the commentators were replaced by spoofs of commercials and unrelated recurring sketches like 'the Oompah Winfrey Show' This made the show a bit less focused than before and gave it more of a comedy variety feel. This trend would continue in the next series, simply called The Ben Elton Show, which featured special musical guests and a weekly appearance by Ronny Corbett. The first series however, was pure Ben Elton.

Series one: 9 out of 10

Series two: 7 out of 10

"My name is Ben Elton. Goodnight!"

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 21 March 2007]

When Anne Robinson made that now infamous 'Room 101' appearance, she lambasted Ben Elton for 'selling out' - becoming part of the showbiz establishment he had spent much of his career railing against in shows such as 'Filthy, Rich & Catflap' - the Forsyths, the Tarbucks, the O'Connors etc. A clip from The Royal Variety Performance in which he urged the audience to cheer Her Majesty The Queen was screened, adding weight to her argument. During his 'Saturday Live' days, Elton would have cut off his right arm rather than be complementary about the wealthy and privileged.

'The Man From Auntie' ran for two seasons ( one in 1990, another in 1994 ) and featured the man at his silver-suited, ranting best. Each week, there'd be a 'Farties Guide' in which he took a wry look at aspects of modern life ( one very good item was about student digs ), interspersed with fierce attacks on the British political system ( as expected, Mrs.Thatch and later John Major came in for the Elton treatment ), topical gags, and surreal sketches in which upside-down shots of Ben's mouth were turned into such comic characters as a sex-starved student and a Mary Whitehouse lookalike. 'Mastermind' was parodied ( Michael Portillo being depicted as a contestant ) and 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'. But sketch comedy was not his forte ( he lacked the range to be an actor ) and it was the stand-ups where he came into his own.

He got into trouble, however, with a witty monologue about contraception in which he used the then-taboo word 'fanny'. Outraged viewers impatiently waiting for 'Question Time' inundated the B.B.C. with complaints.

Unlike Rory Bremner, Elton could make a political statement, no matter how basic, and still manage to be funny. One episode ended with a John Major lookalike catapulted into a canal. The huge cheer from the studio audience spoke volumes about the popularity of the Tories in the mid-90's, that is to say, not popular at all.

Elton used up much of his stand-up material on this series, so it wasn't surprising that he cut it short after only two runs. By the time of 'The Ben Elton Show', Tony Blair's New Labour was in power and predictably, the fire went out of Ben's comedy. In recent years, he has concentrated on novels ( including the brilliant 'Popcorn' ) and hit stage-shows such as 'We Will Rock You'. Elton seems to have become a victim of his own success. Audiences don't laugh at millionaires.

'The Man From Auntie' deserves to be remembered as a snapshot of a particular moment in British history. When the Royal Family was reeling from a wave of high-profile scandals, when the Major administration looked increasingly frail, when Ben Elton was a spokesperson for a lost generation. It seems unlikely but one hopes that in the unfortunate event of David Cameron becoming Prime Minister someday, Ben can find a way out of the television wilderness and back onto our screens to do what he is best at - bashing the Tories.

Ben Elton's Finest

[joliet_jane · 10/10 · 24 June 2013]

First of all, put aside your pre-conceived notions about Ben Elton before viewing The Man from Auntie. The hatred people have for him personally is irrational, and even though he's not as funny these days, this series shows how incredible he was in his youth. I'm a youngish person in the United States, so I'm glad to have been able to finally see The Man from Auntie recently, which was impossible for me when it was first aired.

Looking back on Ben's material over the years, this series, in particular its first season, is among his best works, and likely his best solo work on TV period. He's funny, even making a foreigner laugh 20 years in the future. In this series, there's an exuberance in Ben's performance that we'll never see again; it's special, and not to be missed.

Despite Ben Elton's reputation, most of his comedy at this stage isn't very political. Much of it deals with the annoyances of daily life, which still resonates today. But age hasn't helped the more topical jokes, inevitably. The bits about specific politics are lost on me since I lived in neither the time nor the place of their context-- but it doesn't really matter, since that's not what this show is about. To his credit also, there's a sketch about judges blaming rape victims that would be bold even today.

By the mid-90s, the backlash against Ben was in full swing, and these days he's hated as a traitor to his former leftist ideals. But this is unfair, in that he wasn't really that kind of person in the first place, and this series proves that. It also proves that he was indeed funny at one time, at least.