Comedy

• Lenny Henry - So Much Things To Say, Live | DVD | (07/11/2005) from £4.85   |  Saving you £15.14 (312.16%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In his first live stand up release in over a decade Lenny puts on another dazzling display of comedic energy!

• Marion And Geoff - Series 1 | DVD | (17/02/2003) from £3.45   |  Saving you £12.54 (363.48%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Originally broadcast in 10-minute segments on BBC2, Marion & Geoff is a very funny if at times unrelentingly bleak comedy in which Rob Brydon plays Keith, a hapless cuckold who addresses us via a camcorder set up in his mini-cab. The Marion and Geoff of the title are his estranged wife and her new lover, though as Keith--who never fails to perceive a bright side to his utterly dismal existence--says, "I don't feel I've lost a wife, I've gained a friend." Through his monologues, we learn that Keith has a room in a student house where banging techno is played day and night; that in order to make the journey to see his two boys, he must make an overnight journey from London to Cardiff by car; that his only friend is a tollbooth operator (though the operator doesn't seem to know it) and that, although he's been driving a minicab for a while, he's yet to pick up a fare. Keith's attempts to buy presents for his children generally backfire ("I've kept the receipts. I learned that from my old dad. He always used to say keep the receipts"), no more heartrendingly so than in an evidently disastrous attempt to pay a surprise visit to the newly attached Marion and the kids in Disneyland. As he hugs the tiny Winnie the Pooh puppets he's tried to give to his children, his uniformly chipper tone wavers momentarily and the comedy threatens to darken into something like tragedy. However, Keith's indomitable if inappropriate optimism eventually enables him to bumble through. Masterly in its veracity and Pooteresque banality, Marion & Geoff is as near-flawless as The Office. On the DVD: Marion & Geoff on disc comes with an informative if somewhat giggly commentary, featuring Brydon and director and cowriter Hugo Blick. There's the Comic Relief special, in which Keith's cheque to the charity bounces with typically pitiful consequences and outtakes from the series, all of which would have merited inclusion in the final edit. --David Stubbs

• The Boys And Girl From County Clare | DVD | (16/09/2007) from £19.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Listen To Your Heart. It's the late '60s and the British Invasion has conquered the world! The Liverpool Sound tops the charts in every country except in Ireland where traditional Irish music still reigns supreme! But could the unthinkable happen? Could an upstart Irish band from Liverpool win the All Irish Music Championship for the first time in history? Transplanted Irishman Jimmy McMahon (Colm Meany) and his motley English crew have their hearts set on it. Meanwhile back in County Clare Ireland Jimmy's stalwart older brother John Joe (Bernard Hill) and his feisty local band are determined to win the trophy for the third year in a row. Meanwhile Clare's star fiddler Anne (the radiant music icon Andrea Corr of The Corrs family band) chafes under her mother's rules against dating - especially when her eye lands on Teddy (Shaun Evans) Liverpool's star flute player. They are Ireland's answer to Romeo and Juliet. The film weaves these timeless themes of discord - star-crossed lovers feuding brothers narrow-minded parents and rebellious children - with the passion all the characters share for the music they play. And against a backdrop of amber-lit pubs narrow streets and sandy shores the visuals keep pace with toe-tapping soundtrack and reflect the honor and traditions at stake in the competition.

• Victor Victoria | DVD | (29/07/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £13.99

  Like a good claret laid down for a couple of decades, Victor Victoria (1982) just improves with age. Based on a 1930s German screenplay, Blake Edwards' cross-dressing musical tackles sexuality and gender with a sweet generosity of spirit and endearing warmth. To Edwards' credit and that of his wife Julie Andrews in the title role it is far more than a star vehicle, with James Garner, Lesley Ann Warren and, particularly, Robert Preston (as worldly gay Toddy) contributing quick-fire performances that brim with brilliant timing. Andrews, too, is wonderful in a deceptively complex part. It shouldn't have worked at all. Victor Victoria was made at a time when the Hollywood musical's currency was at its lowest and Andrews might have been deemed a rather old-fashioned sort of star. But by keeping Henry Mancini's songs in context as stage numbers, the traditional values of the musical are subverted. And the whole thing is bathed in a soft, intimate light; this is a film of considerable artistry on every level. On the DVD: Victor Victoriais presented in widescreen with a sharp Dolby Digital soundtrack; the picture quality is splendid. Extras include lists of cast, crew and awards as well as the original theatrical trailer. Best of all is a touching--if occasionally repetitive--commentary from Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews, who clearly remember the project with great pride and affection. Somewhat belatedly they resurrected it as a Broadway show in the 1990s, in which Andrews again scored a considerable personal triumph. --Piers Ford

• Auf Wiedersehen Pet - Series 1 - Vol. 2 : Episodes 4-6 | DVD | (27/05/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Episodes include: 'Suspicion' 'Home Thoughts From Abroad' and 'The Accused'.

• Getting On | DVD | (07/09/2009) from £5.00   |  Saving you £10.99 (219.80%)   |  RRP £15.99

  If The Office was set in a hospital... Health care for the elderly is the least prestigious area of the medical service. The patients rarely make a fuss - often they're unable to - and for that reason bad practices slip through. But are they that bad? It's a tough world for staff too and getting on means well getting on. Dark funny tough and compassionate this is the story of one ward in one hospital in one overlooked corner of the modern health service. But although status isn't high moral questions come from all corners. It's a long way from ER and a lot closer to most people's experiences. It's the bit of health care that gets swept under the carpet - an overload of grumpy messy old people patched up only to return again a few months later. The staff on this ward joke as they go about their daily tasks leaving humour and dignity to mix as it will. With a retrospective script deliberately allowing for improvisation by the actors Getting On is a comedy of characters doing the best they can in a situation we can all relate to; everyone has an elderly relative parent grandparent and difficult choices are the order of the day. It's the scene that awaits all of us - whether we like to admit it or not.

• Date Night | Blu Ray | (13/09/2010) from £11.09   |  Saving you £13.90 (125.34%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Tina Fey and Steve Carell join forces as a buttoned up, suburban couple looking to reignite the spark in their ritual "Date Night".

• Our Idiot Brother | DVD | (16/09/2013) from £8.75   |  Saving you £11.24 (128.46%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Paul Rudd stars in this witty and highly relatable comedy about that one family member who is always just a little bit behind the curve. For sisters Liz (Emily Mortimer), Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) and Natalie (Zooey Deschanel), that person is their upbeat brother Ned, an organic farmer whose willingness to trust human kind allows for oddly trouble-free existence. Ned may be utterly lacking in common sense, but he is their brother and after his girlfriend dumps him and boots him off the farm, ...

• Shampoo | Blu Ray | (05/11/2018) from £20.89   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Warren Beatty and Hal Ashby team up for a bedhopping farce that doubles as a sly political satire Shampoo gives us a day in the life of George, a Beverly Hills hairdresser and lothario who runs around town on the eve of the 1968 presidential election trying to make heads or tails of his financial and romantic entanglements. His attempts to scrape together the money to open his own salon are continually sidetracked by the distractions presented by his lovers played brilliantly by GOLDIE HAWN (The Sugarland Express), JULIE CHRISTIE (Don't Look Now), and LEE GRANT (in an Oscarwinning performance). Star WARREN BEATTY (Bonnie and Clyde) dreamed up the project, cowrote the script with ROBERT TOWNE (Chinatown), and enlisted HAL ASHBY (Harold and Maude) as director, and the resulting carousel of doomed relationships is an essential seventies farce, a sharp look back at the sexual politics and selfabsorption of the preceding decade. Features: 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Alternate 5.1. surround soundtrack, presented in DTSHD Master Audio New conversation between critics Mark Harris and Frank Rich Excerpt from a 1998 appearance by producer, cowriter, and actor Warren Beatty on The South Bank Show PLUS: An essay by Rich

• The Dictator Blu-ray Triple Play (Blu-ray + DVD + Dig Copy | Blu Ray | (24/09/2012) from £4.98   |  Saving you £23.01 (462.05%)   |  RRP £27.99

  The heroic story of a North African dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.

• Jason Byrne - Out Of The Box | DVD | (20/11/2006) from £6.15   |  Saving you £13.84 (225.04%)   |  RRP £19.99

  The amazing energy and quick fire comedy of Jason Byrne is brought to DVD with his critically acclaimed stand up show Out Of The Box.

• National Security | DVD | (22/09/2003) from £5.96   |  Saving you £0.03 (0.50%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Although it's enjoyable as a brainless diversion, National Security is one of those forgettable entertainments that denies its own considerable potential. It's a police action comedy in the mould of Beverly Hills Cop, tailored to the buddy-flick formula and laced with racial tensions of the post-Rodney King era. It's set in Los Angeles, where dedicated cop Hank (Steve Zahn) does jail time for allegedly beating Earl (Martin Lawrence), whose only real assailant was an overzealous bumblebee. As fate and lazy screenwriting would have it, the two adversaries reunite as security guards, teaming up to crack a team of violent smugglers led by bleached-blond Eric Roberts (further proof that this movie's got nothing new to offer). Routine stunts distract from the comedy's mostly untapped resource: Lawrence pointedly riffs on racial profiling, and his prolific ad-libs play well against Zahn's by-the-book straight man. If their partnership had been allowed to develop more believably, National Security might have been more than a blip on the box-office radar. --Jeff Shannon

• Ricky Gervais Live Complete Box Set | DVD | (22/11/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Titles Comprise:Animals: ...or - Life On Earth (the bits David Attenborough left out) The Office is the BBC's most succesful comedy export of all time, being show in 80 countries and having sold over four million DVD's. Ricky Gervais, the creator of David Brent, leaves aside people-watching for a while and takes on our animal cousins.Specially filmed for this DVD during a limited run at the Bloomsbury Theatre, Animals is the freshest and funniest live stand-up from the country's finest comedian.Politics: ...or Trying To Make A DifferenceRicky Gervais, now winner of an Emmy, two Golden Globes, six BAFTA's and a recent entrant into the Guiness World Records as the most downloaded Podcast ever, delivers his second ever live show, Politics. The tour was a sensational sell-out, a massive critical success and toured the length and breadth of Great Britain.The DVD was filmed at London's Palace Theatre and shows that Ricky is a hugely gifted live performer and seriously funny stand-up comedian.Fame: ...or - Brodie's Notes For 'Heat' ReadersRicky Gervais' third live show, Fame, is the fastest selling comedy tour in British history, eclipsing even his own two previous stand-up shows. Writer, director and star of The Office and Extras, progenitor of the most downloaded series of podcasts ever and award-winning author of four volumes of 'Flanimals', Ricky Gervais is uniquely placed to apply his prodigious comedic talents to the world of celebrity.In this DVD filmed at London's Hammersmith Apollo, Ricky delivers hilarious and insightful observations on the nature of Fame, and in the process displays his talent as Britain's foremost comedian to the fullest extent yet.Science: ... or The Way Things Worked Before We Invented GodThe hilarious fourth live smash hit stand-up from Ricky Gervais, following his complete sell out tour - filmed live at London's Hammersmith HMV Apollo.

• Christopher Guest | DVD | (17/10/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £29.99

  A triple bill from actor/writer/director Christopher Guest: Waiting For Guffman (1996): The sometimes dry sometimes bubbling satire of Middle America which chronicles Corky Corkoran's efforts to put on a spectacle commemorating the town of Blain's 150th anniversary. A mockumentary style film Corky drafts an odd assortment of local talent to bring his historical revue to life including the local dentist and a travel agent couple. The film spoofs the 'artistic' pretensions of

• To The Manor Born - Series 1 | DVD | (05/05/2003) from £8.19   |  Saving you £16.80 (205.13%)   |  RRP £24.99

  'To The Manor Born' stars Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles in this hilarious timeless comedy. Grantleigh Manor's history changes when Martin Forbes-Hamilton dies and Audrey his widow is forced to sell her beloved stately home to nouveau-riche millionaire grocer Richard DeVere. Audrey and her faithful butler Brabinger move into the small lodge house whilst Richard and his formidable mother Mrs Polouvicka set about making changes at the Manor - much to the annoyance of it's form

• Forget Paris | DVD | (18/04/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Night Patrol | DVD | (19/04/2004) from £22.47   |  Saving you £-16.48 (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Melvin has a problem. As a rookie cop he ranks among the best... of the worst. Inept hapless and shy his daily routine takes him from misadventure to misadventure. but by night the normally bungling bobby transforms into ;The Unknown Comic'. Disguised only with a paper bag over his head Melvin has audiences eating out of his hand if only the same were true of the voluptuous lady in the front row. A loony psychiatrist a police captain who is a pathalogical liar a playboy partner

• What? | Blu Ray | (04/07/2016) from £12.45   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Roman Polanski described it as the ribald adventures of an innocent girl. Critics called it an amoral, depraved disaster. More than four decades after its controversial release, it remains the most butchered, debated and least-seen film of the Oscar-winning directors entire career. The succulent Sydne Rome stars as an oft-naked American girl lost inside a Mediterranean villa inhabited by priests, pianists, perverts and a syphilitic pimp (a deliciously bizarre performance by Marcello Mastroianni) while indulging in madcap acts of gang rape, sodomy and ping-pong. Hugh Griffith (Tom Jones), Romolo Valli (Boccaccio 70) and Polanski himself co-star in this surreal and sexy comedy, now finally restored to its original running time from a vault print reportedly stolen from the wine cellar of producer Carlo Ponti! Extras: Featurette: Sydne In Wonderland - Interview With Star Sydne Rome Featurette: Memories Of A Young Pianist - Interview With Composer Claudio Gizzi Featurette: A Surreal Pop Movie - Interview With Cinematographer Marcello Gatti plus Theatrical Trailer.

• Jethro Says Bull'cks To Europe | DVD | (05/10/2001) from £17.19   |  Saving you £2.80 (16.29%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Jethro the hero of Cornwall comedy performs in front of a packed audience in Yeovil.

• Marley & Me | Blu Ray | (06/07/2009) from £14.95   |  Saving you £11.04 (73.85%)   |  RRP £25.99

  Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star as a married couple who adopt Marley, a dog with unbridled energy, and get more than they bargained for!