Product Description
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All thirty-nine episodes of the ground-breaking 1980s
British comedy series, which launched the careers of Adrian
Edmondson, Peter Richardson, Rik Mayall and Alexei Sayle, among
others. 'Five Go Mad in Dorset' is a satirical send-up of the
Enid Blyton stories. 'War' sees the Warsaw Pact countries
invading Britain. In 'The Beat Generation', middle-class Desmond
(Edmondson) invites a group of beatniks to his house while his
parents are away. 'Bad News Tour' introduces the feeble heavy
metal band and their quest for rock glory. 'Summer School' sees a
group of students forced to fend for themselves in an Iron Age
community. 'Five Go Mad on Mescalin' sees the gang getting caught
up in slightly more sinister adventures. In 'Dirty Movie', a
sleazy cinema owner tries to find some privacy to watch his
latest porno film. 'Susie' sees a bored schoolteacher's life
enlivened when a rock star moves to her y village. 'A
Fistful of Travellers' Cheques' is a Spaghetti Western spoof,
following two deluded Western fans on a fantasy journey into the
'Old West', via British Rail, two female Australian backpackers,
and a vicious mass-killer who dresses like a matador. 'Gino'
follows an ordinary man who is framed for murder by a psychotic
housewife. In 'Eddie Monsoon - A Life?', the repulsive South
African TV presenter is followed by a documentary film crew.
'Slags' is set in a strange post-apocalyptic world, where rival
street gangs the Slags and the Hawaiians battle for supremacy.
'The Bullshitters' follows the attempt by two inept detectives to
rescue their guv'nor's kipped daughter. In 'The Supergrass', a
compulsive liar finds his tall tales are believed by the .
'Consuela' is a spoof gothic melodrama, about a young bride who
is at the mercy of her ruthless Spanish maid. 'Private
Enterprise' sees two small-time conmen decide to pass themselves
off as successful rock stars. 'The Strike' brings a Hollywood
touch to the Miners' Strike, starring Al Pacino (Richardson) as
Arthur gill and Meryl Streep (Jennifer Saunders) as his
long-suffering wife. 'More Bad News' follows the band on their
reunion tour, five years after splitting up. In 'Mr Jolly Lives
Next Door', Nicholas Parsons gets embroiled in a scam by two
drunken escort agency workers. 'The Yob' is a sci-fi spoof, where
a pretentious video director has his brain swapped with a
football hooligan's in a freak accident. In 'Didn't You Kill My
Brother?', a convicted killer is released from prison only to
meet the evil twin who framed him. 'Funseekers' sees a group of
young people arrive in Ibiza for the holiday of a lifetime. In
'South Atlantic Raiders (Part I)', a young man sets off to rescue
the woman he loves, thinking she is trapped in the Falklands with
the Argentinians poised to invade once more. 'South Atlantic
Raiders (Part II)' sees his worst fears confirmed, as he stumbles
into an invasion plot by a group of renegade Argentinian
officers. 'GLC' sees Charles Bronson (Robbie Coltrane) playing
Ken Livingstone, in an epic Hollywood production about his
attempt to stop Margaret Thatcher (Saunders) from executing the
Prince of Wales. In 'Oxford', two female students find themselves
practising deception to get onto an English Literature course at
the university. 'Spaghetti Hoops' sees a bank chairman avoiding
two incompetant hitmen after embezzling millions. 'Les Dogs' sees
an upper-class wedding turn into a war zone. 'Red Nose of
Courage' follows the career of John Major (Edmondson), leaving
his family of circus entertainers to become Prime Minister. 'The
Crying Game' follows the fortunes of a wannabe football star. In
'Wild Turkey', a family are held hostage by their Christmas
dinner. 'Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown' sees the
inept detectives caught up in a 1970s-style murder investigation.
'Space Virgins From the Planet Sex' sees secret agent James Blond
(Richardson) use his non-PC ways to stop a group of beautiful
female aliens. 'Queen of the Wild Frontier' follows two escaped
convicts on the run. 'Gregory - Diary of a Nutcase' is the record
of an aspiring serial killer. 'Demonella' sees a music producer
sell his soul to the devil for fame and fortune. In 'Jealousy', a
husband is driven mad by his suspicion of his wife. 'Four Men in
a Car' follows four salesmen on the way to a conference. Finally,
'Four Men in a Plane' sees the salesmen c-land in the desert,
where they are forced to fend for themselves.
.co.uk Review
-------------
It hardly needs spelling out that The Comic Strip
Presents
kick-started the careers of the bulk of our
alternative comedians. Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel
Planer, French and Saunders, Peter Richardson, Keith Allen--all
started here.
The series is the very definition of a mixed bag. Each show
was a separate story in its own right, and each one couldnt be
more different from the last--from the sixties pastiche The
Bullshitters to the arty Les Dogs (starring Kate Bush, no
less).
With 39 episodes to choose from, the overall quality of the
episodes does vary somewhat. For every excellent South Atlantic
Raiders and The Supergrass, theres a woeful Spaghetti
Hoops. But The Comic Strip Presents
deserves its place in comic
history by virtue of being different, by trying to create new and
interesting work, and in doing so being truly groundbreaking.
When you take risks, you end up with gems such as the double
header of Bad News Tour and More Bad News, which follow a
chronically bad rock group on the road. These two episodes alone
are worth your attention, the interplay of the four leading
players (Edmondson, Planer, Mayall and Richardson) a marvel to
watch and with scenes that will make you keel over--Vim Fuegos
take on Imagine/Imogen is pure gold.
Other highlights include Five Go Mad In Dorset, a wonderful
take on Enid Blytons skewed and irreverant view of teenagers in
Britain; Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, which sees Mayall and
Edmondson, in a precursor to their days on Bottom, getting
themselves in a sticky situation with Mr Jolly, played
brilliantly by the late Peter Cook; and Strike!, a
Hollywood-esque take on the miners strike of 1984.
The Comic Strip Presents
pushed comedic boundaries and was never
afraid to do things a little differently and this collection is a
fine record of its prolific, always interesting, and often
hilarious output.--Mark Oakley
