Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37791 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-11-03
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 330 minutes

Synopsis
This collection brings together all ten surviving episodes of the classic TV comedy.

Customer Reviews

"Noote? Noooottteee!!"
This is a wonderful TV series. In reality, there are 33 episodes (including the pilot in the BBC's Comedy Playhouse series), although only 11 have survived the massive destruction of video and film material that took place at the BEEB in the early 70s.

The ensemble cast play members of a cathedral ecclesiastical community, who constantly in-fight amongst themselves. There is the Bishop (William Mervyn), the Archdeacon (Robertson Hare) and the chaplain, Noote (Derek Nimmo), who are lazy, ineffectual and enjoy life's pleasures. This triumvirate is engaged in a constant battle of wits against the reforming and high-church Dean (John Barron, sadly no episodes from the two seasons with Ernest Clark in this role have survived).

It's not always about big belly laughs, but it’s more gentle and enjoyable than the sickly sweet “Vicar of Dibley”. In fact, it owes much to Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Cathedral series of novels. The humour is more akin to that of the Will Hay films or Capt. Mainwearing in “Dad's Army”, where the joy is in watching incompetent people tackle tasks beyond their scope.

I loved this series as a child and the BBC, under licence, has finally released the surviving TV episodes.

For real buffs, there was also a BBC radio series with Baron, Mervyn and Hare in their original roles, although Nimmo only appeared in 13 of the 33 episodes, being replaced by his friend Jonathan Cecil for the remainder. Few of the radio episodes (some substantially rewritten for radio and some much funnier than the TV shows) are currently available from the BBC.

Classic British tv comedy
It is hard to think that this package contains all that remains of this long running series. The picture quality can be somewhat grainy in places but it is quite an old tv program.

As normal with this publisher, no extras on the CD but you do get a very informative (very small print) booklet about the series which is worth having.

If you enjoyed the series, like Derek Nimmo, or just like gentle 60's UK Comedy, buy it.