The Series 1 DVD of Little Britain is a little treasure chest containing 225 minutes of uniquely Little Britain material. Heres a quick look at whats on the disks: All eight episodes of the first series are included, and tempting though it is, wed recommend that you curb your enthusiasm and dont try to do the whole lot in one sittingIts a little like overdosing on Monty Pythonafter two or three episodes on the trot, thestarts to get acclimatised, and the shows take on a surreal kind of predictabilitywed advise you watch in short doses in that way, you can really get the most of what Lucas and Walliams are offering. Many of the situations reoccur in each episode and taken collectively, it the same joke played in a number of different ways (take Lou and Andys I want that one as an example), but with Little Britain, its not so much about the verbal puns and the situation, but the effort and attention to detail thatve gone into the writing, production and the acting. There are also a fair number of below-the-surface comedy moments too, that are well worth looking out for. Watch closely! Obviously, anyone buying the DVD is probably doing so for the episodes themselves, but for us in the Radio and Telly office, the extras on the DVD are the gems heresome comedy DVD releases contain half a dozen outtakes and a commentary if youre lucky, but this DVD really is packed with a strong collection of impressive extras, such as:
Pilot episode: This is a full episode, and shows many of the regular characters under construction with some of the faces weve come to know in a raw state (such as the Scottish hotelier, fat-fighter Marjorie, Emily Howard, and a different granny).amount the laughter track though
Deleted scenes: An impressive 45 minutes of extra scenes, with highlights including the St Toms Ambulance chaps at a hearing, good news at thecharity, Kenny Craig hypnotising at the scene of an accident, and the man who wants to meet the Royal Family (Keith Harris & Paul Daniels) importer
Commentary: From Matt Lucas & David Walliamson the episodes, pilot & deleted scenes. Commentaries also include producer Myfanwy Moore and director Steve Bendelack
Behind the scenes documentary: A look at what goes into putting an episode togethera 35 minute insight into how the show is make (before a live audience), including a look at how the original radio shows were recorded, and how they do the Dennis Waterman bits
Little Britain survey: What does Britain mean to the characters of Little Britain? Hilarious 5 minute extra created for the DVD release
The BBC3 splodges: Two TV station idents voiced by Matt & David
Live sketches: Performances for the live TeenageTrust15 minutes of sketches, with an intro from Alan Partridge
Interviews: Matt & David on the Jonathan Ross Show (12 mins), and a 30 minute radio interview on BBCs 5 Live
Best of Rock Profiles :What the stars got up to before Little Britain
Finally, check out each disks character profile for a few extra extras (esp. Andy & Lou on disk 1) The producers are to be commended on a cracking collection of Lil Britain material. We reviewed the US version of the DVD (Little Britain has been running on BBC America, and now has a large following outside of the UK(, and we cant help wondering how this series reflects on how Britain is viewed would visitors be disappointed? We may not have invented the cat (as Tom Baker announces in one of the series intro), but we are home of many of the best comedy series in the world. Regardless of your comedy tastes, therell be plenty to make you smile in Little Britain, and we can highly recommend this feature-packed DVD. The Series 1 2-disc DVD is available from Amazon.co.uk & Play.com. For the US version reviewed here, go to Amazon.com
