Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12056 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

British Comedy at It's Best
For a while there was a buzz about the partnership of Matt Lucas and David Walliams when they had a show together- Rock Profile on PlayUK. Together with Jamie Theakston they took on different pop stars, such as Gary Barlow and Elton John and so it was no surprise when the two were commissioned by the BBC to write their own show. What they have come up with is simply brilliant- dark but hilairious comedy that takes a surreal look at the life of Britain and those that inhabit it. At first it was aired on BBC3 but made a successful leap onto BBC2 and has since grown in reputation, and become one of the most talked about british comedies since The Office.

Matt Lucas and David Walliams play perfectly off each other and act as foils to each other's own style of comedy and impersonation. Each have a wide range of unusual characters but a few stand out more than others, most notably the double act of supposed wheelchair bound Andy and his good-hearted but gulliable friend, Lou. These two are so brilliant in their execution they could have a spin-off series all by themselves. Other highlights include the infamous Vicky Pollard which Matt Lucas gets down to a tee, and the unconvincing transvestite Emily Howard. The first series is outstanding, simple but brilliant, it's a touch of genius with each episode easily watched repeatedly over and over again. By the last episode each character gets some kind of comeuppance but that doesn't mean they won't all be back for a highly anticipated second series.

Instantly quotable this series is a classic- and a must-buy DVD. Everything from the opening credits to the closing 'world record attempt' has you laughing and it's all topped off by Tom Baker's
booming voice describing the bizzare goings on with customary hilarity.

Excellent DVD with lots for fans of the show
Not only is the one of the funniest shows to emerge in recent years (one which revels in it's Britishness rather than trying to be watered down US-style comedy), it's also a sterling effort disc wise and is loaded with lots of worthy extras.
Every episode has a commentary by the shows stars and has an interview from the Jonathon Ross show, the pilot (with commentary), deleted scenes (with commentary - and lots of them), the best of Lucas & Walliams previous show 'Rock Profiles', a making of documentary (which is very good) and more.
If you are a fan of the show, you are in for a treat.
The only other BBC shows which have been given this much care and attention are the League of Gentlemen and Red Dwarf DVD's.
And the second series (being shown at present on BBC3 is just as great!

What more could you want?
It's a first time review, so bear with me.

Little Britain. This, in my humble opinion, is the greatest sketch show ever created. Matt Lucas and David Walliams will become TV comedy gods for this (suprisingly) little-known gem. The stupidly over-exaggerated (in a good way, of course) characters will have you splitting sides all around. Examples include:

Vicky Pollard, the unintelligible juvenile "No but yeah but no"
Lou and Andy: A carer and cared-for duo. But does Andy really need that wheelchair? "Yeah I know"
Marjorie Dawes: The evil leader of the 'slimming' group 'FatFighters' "Dust! Anyone? No? Dust!"
The Hotelmaster: A deranged Scotsman who runs an old-style hotel, but does he know which time period he's in? "Maybe we do, and maybe we don't!"
Daffyd Thomas: The self proclaimed only gay in the village. He rants about it, however, he seems to like being the only one. "I'm the only gay in the vill-age."

If I listed all the characters, I'd be here a while. Anyhow, Little Britain is the greatest comedy series I have ever seen. I have loved it ever since I first saw it, a few months ago.
Matt Lucas and David Walliams have produced an incredibly funny 'account' of the lives of 'Real Britain folk', or so Tom Baker puts it.
"Just who is Britain? What do they, and why?"