Change Your Image
kev-mccready
Reviews
Little Britain (2003)
Snobbery with vileness
Well done Leo. It's about time someone said it.
"Little Britain" is doing everything Dick Emery did in the 70's, but with added snot and vomit. Walliams and Lucas seem to like taking the P**s out of ordinary working-class people, middle-class puddings that they both are.
Witness the recent article in the Observer Music Monthly, where Walliams interviewed Noel Gallagher,and he actually said: "Oh, how working class..." It seems to be a lot of British TV comedy (see also Catherine Tate) is based around lame, catchphrase, based "let's have a laugh at the scallies" schtick. It may get big audiences,and sell by the cartload on DVD, but The Sun sells 4m copies a day. Quantity doesn't always mean quality.
I've never found this programme remotely amusing, I've got too much respect for the people around me.
Help (2005)
Get yourself some "Help".
In the arid landscape that we call "British Sitcoms", Help comes as a drink of cool, refreshing water. I must declare a professional interest at this point, I am a practising counsellor... but I also enjoyed it on the grounds that it was well-written, original, funny and well-acted (unlike the vast majority of British comedy).
Basically, the series takes place in a therapist's (Chris Langham) office. Over the six episodes, we see him counsel a wide variety of clients (ALL played by Paul Whitehouse) - a "mind invader", a man who has beaten his wife, a feuding chav couple, a TV chef driven mad by members of the public using his catchphrase to him ("Don't go mad, just a sprinkle!"), a Mick'n'Keef pair of band members...
... best of all Monty. An elderly Jewish cabbie, caring for his wife suffering from Altzhiemers. As we find out more about Monty, your perception of him changes.
Characters appear, re-appear in different episodes. This is not a linear process, much like the counselling process itself. Best of all the counsellor himself is seen as an imperfect human being, as we see his own supervision.
Do yourself a favour... get some "Help."