The Comic Strip Presents (TV Series) The Yob (1988) User Reviews

Good and bad at the same time.

[13Funbags · 4/10 · 23 May 2017]

While I do like this episode, the first 15 minutes don't make any sense at all.Ade's character is a scientist who is doing some kind of experiment in the back room of a concert hall.For some reason his experiment involves booths with toilets in them and somehow two different people manage to find this hidden room at the same time.One is a fruit cake music video director and the other is a football hooligan.They get their personalities switched and leave.For some reason the first step in the directors transformation is becoming racist.Because all football fans are racist.Ugh.But from that point on, the story gets much better even if it doesn't make too much sense.Considering that Keith Allen is the star, it's amazing that it's watchable at all.It's the best thing he ever did and it's still very average.

The Yob or The Keith?

[torrascotia · 4/10 · 9 October 2022]

Luckily the Comic Strip Presents are being hosted on the More 4 service, which means it possible to check these 1980s comedy one offs for a second time. It's definitely a mixed bag. The Yob appears to be the episode which has to be one of the bigger budget affairs, probably as it's a sci-fi horror. It's not difficult to figure out it's basically a copy of the remake of The Fly, albeit with a then contemporary setting of 80s yuppie London. Although it appears to be a critique of yuppie and working class football culture it's simply not as clever as it thinks it is. The biggest problem is that the writer and star doesn't actually appear to be that different from the ultra yob in the story. His behaviour is well documented. Is it funny? Well not really. Nor is it scary. There isn't much to recommend this as it's basically a full on Keith vehicle and he is probably the least talented and most obnoxious member of the Comic Strip. And this is him at his worst. Probably the lowest ranking of the episodes currently available on More 4. It's basically a 50 version of the Fat Les Vindaloo video, minus the music. Oh and there's also plenty of racism on show. Cheers.