CS Weekly Archive > DVD > 8/29/08

The British Comedy College—
Class of the '80s

by jason davis

Alfresco

Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, David McNiven, Paul Shearer, Nick Symans and Emma Thompson
Additional material by Robbie Coltrane, Andy de la Tour, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook

Before penning beloved British comedies such as Blackadder and A Bit of Fry and Laurie or scripting Oscar-winning adaptations of Jane Austen, writer-performers Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and Emma Thompson wrote the early '80s sketch comedy series Alfresco for the U.K.'s ITV. Acorn Media's two-DVD release contains all seven episodes of the freshman season, as well as the six-part follow-up. Following in the anarchic footsteps of Monty Python's Flying Circus, the series dispenses with the traditional set-up/punchline format in favor absurdist takes on modern life and a healthy dose of satire aimed at the Thatcher government. It's easy to see the roots of Fry and Laurie's later series in these episodes, with their word play repartee already coming to the fore and the second season's archetype-inhabited pretend pub presaging much of their style. As an added bonus, the DVD includes three episodes of There's Nothing To Worry About!, a series that served as Alfresco's pilot, as well as an informative essay on the era's comedy.

Alfresco
Acorn Media

Not rated; 315 min.

$39.99

Buy it now

Jason Davis has been the DVD Manager for CS Weekly, a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.

Alfresco courtesy Acorn Media

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