Okay, here's something more contemporary, a review of the first episode of:
Noel Fieldings's Luxury Comedy, Channel 4/E4/4OD (pick your poison really)
“Luxury Comedy” is an apt title for, what feels like, a
vanity project for Noel Fielding, one half of British comedy act, The Mighty
Boosh. Fielding has stated he intended to “make something in the spirit of
Spike Milligan or the Kenny Everett Show.” If you don’t know who those are, get
on youtube now, but suffice to say it is an appeal to recreate old-school
British absurdism, and to me this animation-comedy mash up most closely
resembles “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.”
I can’t settle on how I feel about the show. It’s a free
form sketch show, with no consistent theme or story to tie it together... or
jokes for that matter. On the other hand, the visuals are impressive and are
created by Fielding and collaborator Nigel Coan (who also contributed to the
graphics and images of The Mighty Boosh). The look of the show, from the
backdrops to the costumes, is so enthralling, bizarre and different from
anything else on television, I don’t want to criticise it.
But I can’t escape the fact that calling itself a comedy is
practically a bare-faced lie: some of the sketches are just vulgar (the “Secret
Pieces” bit) or tragic (a sketch with a zoo-kept lion going slowly insane from
mistreatment and loneliness still haunts my dreams). I did chuckle a few times
though.
It has some familiar faces many (well, just me) have missed
since The Mighty Boosh finished, such as the peculiar Michael Fielding and Tom
Meeten, as well as Rich Fulcher (who seriously deserves more work). The
brilliant Richard Ayoade is scheduled to appear. The Moon even turns up for one
fantastic gag.
Overall, I recommend it for the imaginative visuals, rather
than the humour. If you were a fan of The Mighty Boosh’s crazy visuals and
bizarre non-sequitors, check it out. Here’s hoping this strange yet original
format improves over the next few weeks.
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