Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4100 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-11
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 240 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
"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.

On the DVD: This is a handsome two-disc set chock full of tasty extras. Lucas and Walliams provide a surprisingly serious commentary, joined in turn by producer Myfanwy Moore and director Steve Bendelack (a League of Gentlemen alumnus). There's the original pilot episode, plus plenty of deleted scenes, live sketches, several behind-the-scenes segments, an interview with Jonathan Ross, and a half-hour Best of Rock Profiles, the hilarious spoof series in which Walliams and Lucas impersonated various rock stars. If that's not enough, you can also select from a gallery to watch all the sketches featuring your favourite characters. Another triumph for Auntie Beeb. --Mark Walker

DVD Description
Take a surreal tour of the British Isles in this comedy sketch show, adapted from an award-winning Radio 4 series, as it looks at life in the new millennium by following the lives of some extraordinary and sometimes sinister folk. Meet Emily, an unconvincing transvestite who runs a guesthouse by the sea, Jason, who is passionately in love with his best friend’s grandmother, and Daffyd, the only gay man in his village (and that’s the way he wants to keep it!)--to name just a few of the quirky characters that feature in this essential dissection of British life. It asks "Just who are Britain? What do they? And why?"

Synopsis
Meet the characters that inhabit Little Britain, in the first series of the comedy sketch show. Characters such as Dafydd, the only gay man in his village, Fatfighters group leader Majorie Dawes, teenage girl Vicky Pollard, and rubbish transvestite Emily Howard. Along with these characters there is the carer Lou and his wheelchair bound pal, Andy, aging actor Sir Bernard Chumley, disgraced kids star Des Kaye and many more. Originally created for Radio Four, this television series is primarily written by it's two stars, Matt Lucas and David Walliams. With a surreal narration provided by former Doctor Who, Tom Baker and regular guest appearances by Buffy star Anthony Stewart Head as the Prime Minister, the show presents a wide range of comedy characters in sketches shot both on location and in the studio.

Customer Reviews

I can't stand this program...
OK, I may be on my own on this one, but I just don't get it. How Tom Baker was ever coerced into appearing in this annoying dross is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, I love comedy - I'm a big fan of Eddie Izzard and Bill Bailey amongst others. But there is something wrong with this sketch show. After all the hype surrounding Little Btitain, my girlfriend bought me a copy of this series one DVD, but it just isn't to my taste. Favourable comparisons with great British sketch shows such as Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Two Ronnies and even more recent output such as Big Train and Mitchell & Webb's recent ventures are hugely unjust - this is a show that relies mainly on tacky innuendo and cheap catchphrases. It reminds me a lot of "When the Whistle Blows", the sitcom penned by Ricky Gervais' character in Extras. Having been unfortunate enough to have recently seen some of the more recent series 2 and 3, it has only got worse. The same old catchphrases now sound even more tired and the scenes have taken their shock tactics further to try to "push the boundries" - an incontinent elderly lady and a vomitting racist do not make good comedy. Poor, poor quality.

Whilst I appreciate Matt Lucas' comedy acting - he is very versatile and definitely the best thing about this series - David Walliams seems to play the same character over and over, but with a slightly different lisp. There is a huge quantity of inventive and genuinely funny comedy out there that doesn't strive to appeal merely to the lowest common denominator - please buy something decent rather than this rubbish. I'm sure that for most prospective purchasers, my opinion will count for very little, but for those who have not seen this program and have only heard the hype - you have now been warned!

This Is My Favourite Series, EVER!
The first series is BRILLIANT x3...Brilliant characters, Brilliant original catchphrases and brilliant humour...definately the best series for me!

Nice!
Nowhere near as good as the second series or the third series, but I kind of enjoyed this one. Some of the sketches were not really necessary since they weren't that funny, but most of the sketches are hilarious. Well done, Lucas and Walliams!