Little Britain (TV)

Synopsis:

Based on the highly successful Radio 4 series, Little Britain comes to BBC Three for a hilarious exploration of the British Isles and its curious inhabitants after a successful pilot earlier this year. The programme travels from the Scottish highlands, through Wales, the tranquil English countryside and the less tranquil council estates of Britain’s inner cities, while the narrator (Tom Baker) adds his insightful and eloquent comments for those less familiar with these fair Isles. Shot both on location and in front of a studio audience, Little Britain looks at the breathtaking debris of modern life and all that makes Britain Britain. Airs on BBC 3.

Critics’ Reviews: (#1)

…Like The League of Gentlemen before it, Little Britain has managed to become the nation’s latest must-see comedy show. Following a rapturous reception for the first run last year, the programme has enjoyed two three-CD releases, a script book and a superb DVD set. The BBC are clearly aiming high with the series and probably hoping that its imminent move to BBC1 will make it one of their flagship “products”, something that is evident from the way it’s been branded using the Union Flag on all of the merchandise and the series trailers… ~ Chris Orton, Off The Telly Reviews

Critics’ Reviews: (#2)

“Britain, Britain, Britain, land of technological achievement. We’ve had running water for over ten years, an underground tunnel that links us to Peru, and we invented the cat,” narrates Tom Baker gleefully at the beginning of Little Britain, introducing the first hit show for fledgling digital channel BBC3 and the best new comedy since The League of Gentlemen. In fact, creators and stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams acknowledge a large debt to the League, not only in the gallery of grotesques all performed by the duo, but also in the way in which the familiar sketch-show format is expanded by clever use of locale: not Royston Vasey here, but “Britain” itself in all its perverse splendour: from Darkly Noon, where chavette Vicky Pollard seems all too frighteningly real (“Yeah, but no, but yeah. Shut up!”), to the Welsh village with only one gay, to the council estate where buck- toothed Lou looks after apparently wheelchair-bound Andy (“Yeah, I know”), to Kelsey Grammar School where pupils are baffled and confused by their fusty teacher, and many more besides. It’s unashamedly puerile stuff and, as with The Fast Show before it, many sketches rely on a single incident or catchphrase repeated over and over in only slightly different contexts. But it works brilliantly, thanks to the characterisations of Lucas and Walliams, their sharp eye for the eccentricities of modern life, and of course that surreal voiceover from Tom Baker. ~ Amazon.co.uk Review

Our Reviews:

Little Britain, the latest Britcom brought to us by the BBC, is a series of sketch comedies and send-ups of all kinds of issues related to the Brits. I’ve been a big fan of British sketch comedies, most notably French & Saunders. So, upon watching Little Britain, it reminded me of the briliantly hilarious Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders doing the sketches in their series. Well, it’s a little difficult to ignore the somewhat similar build-up of the series; both French & Saunders & Little Britain have 2 comedy partners each who’re also creators & writers of the show; both shows are politically incorrect and sometimes perverse & grotesque, but at the same time the comedy is top-notch. Little Britain is like the male version of French & Saunders, only a little more grotesque in style and taste, which leads me to think back on the earlier installment of the same genre, the sometimes very crude The Young Ones (where Dawn & Jennifer are both its alumni). But I guess, to make a much closer related comparison, I’ll have to say that Little Britain is riding on the coat of The League of Gentlemen, although, I have to admit, The League of Gentlemen is way darker and sometimes too strange for my taste. Having said that, I enjoyed most of the sketches in Little Britain. Matt Lucas & David Walliams are hilarious in tackling issues that a lot of people wouldn’t even think of touching! Yes, I’m talking about the political correctness of it all. I strongly suggest that when you watch Little Britain, that you leave your PC-ness at the door so you can let your conscience go and enjoy the brilliant writing, genius comedy and hilarious performance thoroughly!

Sally Hawkins appeared in 3 episodes of Little Britain, playing the girlfriend of hypnotist, Kenny Craig. The funniest segment in one of these episodes is the Chinese Restaurant one where Kenny Craig, in his attempt to prevent Hawkins‘ from ordering the lobster & champagne, puts her under hypnosis. The look on Hawkins‘ face when she’s “under the spell” and involuntary eye-blinking when she’s eventually out of the spell are brilliantly played out with hilarious results! ~ Coggy

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