Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #931 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-11-05
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 198 minutes

DVD Description

With the release of Peep Show: Series Four, Mark and Jeremy, the directionless college friends and flat mates of Apollo House in South London, are back to their usual antics.

While Mark – the sensible professional with a slightly disconcerting interest in World War II – deals with the consequences of his accidental proposal to his office crush Sophie, Jeremy – the drifting waster whose life-long dream is to become a musician – struggles to win back his beautiful ex-‘visa wife’, Nancy.

In this series, as ever, the pair’s deepest and darkest thoughts and feelings are revealed to viewers, as they try in vain to find their place in the modern world and search to find love and fulfillment.

Synopsis

Mark Corrigan and Jeremy 'Jez' Osborne are caught up in a familiar malaise; the two housemates are constantly at each other's throats as they struggle to find a direction in life. Jez has aspirations to become a musician, but his efforts resemble the Prodigy on a very bad day! Meanwhile, Mark is stuck in an interminable office job, where the object of his affections--co-worker Sophie--is the only thing keeping him sane. Racked by nerves and insecurity, the lengths Mark goes to in order to impress Sophie often leaves her in a state of bewilderment. What makes Peep Show stand out from the Britcom pack is its finely honed script and strong lead performances by the show's creators, Mitchell and Webb. The fact that viewers are able to hear the innermost thoughts of Mark and Jez as they encounter various problems makes their characters all the more vulnerable and sympathetic. The result is a well-observed comedy for anyone who spends life at the mercy of their own hesitant thoughts (...and who doesn't?)

Customer Reviews

A DIP IN FORM

AFTER 3 GREAT SERIES THIS GOES INTO A DITCH

-- OK BUT I AGREE WITH SOME OF THE OTHER REVIEWERS HERE IN SAYING SOME OF THE PLOT DO NOT FEEL RIGHT

Begins well but flirts with mediocrity throughout
I loved the first three series of this show very much - great comedy acting, some excruciating cringe worthy moments and many great laughs. However, I found this series often made me cringe for the wrong reasons- the script quality is poor and I really think they were low on ideas at times. The plot was often very unbelievable (dog eating anyone?) and not in an amusing way, some episodes were a struggle to watch to the end to be honest. Remember that I was a fan of previous series and wanted to like it. It has taken a nose dive - the fifth series is a little better.

Slight dip in quality but still a superior comedy
After three almost flawless series, Series 4 of Peep Show demonstrates a slight dip in quality, but in the main still manages to stay head and shoulders above all its contemporaries. This series centres around the approaching marriage of Mark and Sophie, and Mark's increasing disillusionment and desperate attempts to extricate himself from the situation. This plot arc is perhaps allowed to dominate a little too much, which means that Jeremy is pushed into sidekick role too often and many of the brilliant recurring characters are under-used. Moreover, many of the episodes are set in a particular venue away from the flat, which makes some of the plots feel a little contrived and lacking in the surreal naturalism of earlier series. It's also the first series to feature a largely duff episode, "Conference", which feels like it's written by somebody else as everyone seems to be behaving largely out of character.

However, there are still plenty of positives. The series starts and ends with two cracking episodes, the first a brilliantly-realised visit to Sophie's parents (the "Happy Birthday" scene still makes me laugh out loud) and the last a surprisingly touching portrayal of Mark and Jeremy's relationship amidst the disaster of Mark's wedding day. Elsewhere, although it's a little hyperbolic, "Holiday" is very funny, including possibly the best scene in the whole series of Jeremy eating the "turkey leg" and while "Gym" wastes Rachel Blanchard's reappearance as Jeremy's estranged wife Nancy it's pretty solid otherwise. "Handyman" is so-so and finishes a bit abruptly, but it's not bad.

Series 4's main problem is that it follows three excellent series and so suffers slightly by comparison. However, it's still frequently laugh-out-loud funny (not something that can be said of many comedies these days) and anyone who's enjoyed the earlier series will enjoy this one too. What's more, I can't think of another comedy series that's still scoring such a high hit-rate in its 4th series.