Beast (2000–2001) User Reviews

A forgotten gem

[trogwest · 7/10 · 31 January 2008]

I thought the two series of "beast" were very funny indeed, i think that Simon Nye's writing had got back on track with this programme after a couple of relative lack lustre efforts in his other ventures.

The acting from the cast is polished and professional, the story lines are very well thought out, and the characters quirky but likable, and performances from Alexander Armstrong show why he has gone on to be such a asset to comedy roles on TV.

Good supporting performances from everyone else too, i rather thought there was a third series in there somewhere, shame Simon Nye didn't come up with a third,

This programme is crying out for a DVD release, lets hope the BBC considers this, as it seems they have a wealth of material in their archives gathering dust.

Roaring good comedy

[Richpq-2 · 1 February 2000]

This is brilliant comedy. The cast is perfect together, and the premise of a vet who doesn't like animals leads to many laughs. Alexander Armstrong is excellent as Nick, the animal-hating vet, bringing subtle humour out of every line he's given. The comic interplay between him and Doon Mackichan (as the receptionist) appears so natural, and is always hilarious. The other two vets in the practice provide the "weird" factor, completing a great ensemble cast. A lot of work has gone into this series, into the writing, the performing, and the sets (how refreshing to see a comedy set in which the camera can actually move around!) and it pays off.

Fantastic

[garethdimu · 10/10 · 23 August 2005]

I'm a huge fan of BBC comedy and I really think this is one of the best-although not particularly popular or acclaimed. Alexander Armstrong is hilarious and the story lines and scripts are excellent. The humour is both 'clean' and subtle but the underlying tensions and attractions between characters give this show more depth than many situation comedies. The characters work well together and are extreme versions of people we all know. I think this is as good as Simon Nye's Men Behaving Badly ( and believe me that that is high praise indeed) Sadly, this series has not been released on DVD and I've checked the BBC website and there doesn't seem to be any plan to do so.

Another vote for a DVD release.

[alan-trevennor · 10/10 · 2 December 2009]

STOP PRESS: Bothe series are now (Feb 2014) available on DVD in the UK

I can only concur with the previous reviews about Beast. It's something approaching a crime that the Beeb have not put this out on DVD -especially considering some of the dross that they HAVE put out! I have to demur from the adoration of Simon Nye's earlier "Men Behaving Badly" series -which I thought was only sometimes as funny as it thought it was. I also object to MBB on the grounds that it spearheaded the "Men are stupid, woman are clever" stereotype that was so prevalent in comedy and advertising around the millennium. I can only imagine the storm of protest that would have ensued if that stereotyping had been the other way around...

Anyway, no such problem with Beast, everyone in it is, happily - a lackwit!

A beast of a comedy

[cold_lazarou · 6/10 · 14 April 2013]

This is a somewhat forgotten show it would seem - sad to say, as unlike quite a lot of the BBC's sitcom output of the late '90s and early 2000s is was actually pretty funny. It's not for nothing that there was quite a long period of abominations such as the ill-advised (to put it extremely mildly)Jasper Carrott / Meera Syal vehicle 'All About Me' which were known as s**tcoms. This at least had some jokes. Inasmuch as the concept of a sitcom involving a misanthropic veterinarian who hates animals can be, anyway.

Alexander Armstrong has always been good value for humour, whether it be in his prime on 'The Armstrong and Miller Show' or currently whiling away the twilight years of his career on the quiz show 'Pointless', and he makes a good... erm... fist of things here. The two standout things about this series that make it stick in my memory are without a doubt: a) the lovely Emma Pierson as the receptionist (my, she was gorgeous, sadly i think she was last spotted in the awful 'Hotel Babylon". Tragic.), and b) the bit where Armstrong rides naked on a pig down a street. Some memories just won't leave your brain no matter how hard you scrub.

By the second series he might just as well be a shoemaker.

[Pizzaowner · 5/10 · 19 May 2014]

I absolutely CANNOT understand the reason for all the gushing praise for this comedy. It IN NO WAY is of the quality of Men Behaving Badly. It certainly has it's moments but ultimately it falls into that all-too-familiar trap of believing it's own canned laughter. Sex can be and is funny as a subject but after the first 6 episodes we see that it has become a comedic crutch upon which every episode rests. Unfortunately even from the beginning, it is obvious that nearly all the characters in the series are well done...both the writing and the acting EXCEPT the main character..Nick, played by Alexander Armstrong who by the second series is so over the top as to seriously detract from all the other comedic possibilities. From this point on he is only on scene BECAUSE the other characters are brilliant. Unfortunately the writer continues to provide him alone with the 'big lines'. Every episode concerns his obsession with finding more sex and failing. Initially his fear of animals and the juxtaposition of that with being a vet was funny and one could see many future possibilities using that concept alone but this is abandoned in favour of his one love....sex and every episode wallows in it. All in all I felt the writing slid to a mono-concept and lost the basic comedic root of a vet who fears animals.