Mock Of The Week - Too Hot For TV Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

Sometimes brilliant satirical quiz panel type thingy

Mock The Week , is a hybrid of 'Have I Got News For You' and 'Whose Line Is It Anyway'( it actually has the same producers as WLIIA) and is often very funny indeed. It lacks the true topical format and chemistry of the former and the sheer inventive fly by the seats of your pants brio of the latter but every episode has a handful of true laugh out loud moments. Like HIGNFY I feel that the air of spontaneity is somewhat disingenuous as the panel are obviously briefed about content beforehand but it's worth watching because it can be very funny and one of its regular panellists is the brilliant Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle.

Boyle is the funniest person on the show by such a margin he makes the other panellists appear even less funny than they undoubtedly already are. Hugh Dennis is okay but isn't really a stand up comedian and as much of the show revolves around the panellists interpretation of topical news events he gets rather marginalised though his film dub rounds are great . Russell Howard is full of boyish enthusiasm but his take on events is scatological but rarely funny or insightful. Mostly he just gets in the way. Andy Parsons is droll , laid back and capable of moments of lacerating insight , but not nearly enough to make his continuing participation essential. He always gets the headline acronym for some reason. David Mitchell often pops up and has a steely eye for the absurd while the other guests are mostly swamped by the regulars . Rory Bremner, Ed Byrne , Jo Caulfield manage to hold their own though the best guest was Ben Norris whose stand up credentials really stood out.

Not to be taken seriously by any means as the points are handed in a rather oblique fashion by host Dara O,Briain who is a good host and has thankfully given up the little stand up routine at the beginning of the show. The various rounds involve the cast satirising the weeks news and events and while it lacks the audacious edge of empirical authority Ian Hislop brings to HIGNFY it does have Frankie Boyle who is quite exceptional at spotting absurdities and contradictions , but often goes not so much close to the knuckle as devours the phalanges . His comments that the best way for the Heathrow protesters to wreak havoc was to actually book a flight were spot on but his pointing out that the terrorists attacking Glasgow airport were wasting their time as all Scots on foreign holidays get burnt to a crisp anyway is the sort of thing that might offend some people .I laughed like that clown on Blackpool Pleasure Beach. His Princess Diana gag is pure genius but you can hear the collective gasp in the audience. They actually are,nt on the DVD which is a shame but there is plenty of stuff about hand jobs, some extremely bad taste jokes , and truly extraordianary levels of profanity .The easily offended should avoid like Chris Evans is in the room. There is also stuff where the panel members lose their way with a point or joke which is good to see as it makes my sometimes stumbling attempts at humour seem more acceptable.

The extra stuff is actually good and make this DVD well worth viewing on their own and at three hours it is exceptional value . There is plenty on here to entertain and amuse and until the return of HIGNFY it's the funniest thing on the box.

Fantastically amusing

Absolutely brilliant.

Satire mixed with shockingly outrages humour. Highly offensive in parts, so be warned. Certainly not for the easily distressed or champions of political correctness.

A good set of extras too in the form of three c.35 minute episodes.

RENT IT!