Comedy

• Guest House Paradiso | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £29.95   |  Saving you £-9.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Richie and Eddie run Guest House paradiso: possibly the worst hotel in the world.

• Seinfeld: Seasons 1 - 3 | DVD | (01/11/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £59.99

  Seinfeld is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of American sitcoms, and this long-delayed box set goes a long way in demonstrating why. From the first episode of the first season, it hit the ground running with its collection of oddball New Yorkers: There’s stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who plays himself; Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), his pushy ex-girlfriend; his neurotic loser of a best friend George (Jason Alexander); and Jerry’s wacky neighbour Kramer (Michael Richards). Co-written and co-created by Seinfeld and Larry David (who later went on to plumb greater depths of misanthropy with Curb Your Enthusiasm), it revolutionised American sitcoms with its cynical and mature comedy, and its ability to find comic gems in the most mundane situations (one classic episode is set entirely in a mall car-park). Seinfeld was, as all involved frequently admitted, a show about nothing. But this extras-laden collection--which features extensive cast and creator commentaries, deleted scenes, trivia tracks, outtakes, interviews and more--is most definitely something. --Ted Kord

• The Young Ones - Series 2 | DVD | (18/08/2003) from £4.98   |  Saving you £11.01 (221.08%)   |  RRP £15.99

  The second and final series of The Young Ones was screened in 1984 and continued in the anarchic, surreal, scatological, slapstick yet subtly satirical vein of the first series. When hippie Neil's blazer and furcoat-clad parents step horrified into the filthy student digs he shares with prissy sociology student Rick (Rik Mayall), the psychotic punk Vyvyan (Ade Edmondson) and wide-boy Mike (Christopher Ryan) a parody of The Good Life promptly ensues, signalling just what a giant leap this show represented from mainstream sitcom of the time. Nigel Planer's put-upon Neil is as fine a creation as the putting-upon Vyvyan. Guest appearances from Alexei Sayle, Stephen Fry, co-writer Ben Elton and Jennifer Saunders among others confirmed The Young Ones' status as an academy for future establishment comedians. But Mayall's creation is still the show's greatest legacy: Rick is self-righteous to the point of fascism in his right-on-ness, a mass of studenty pretentiousness, pathetic inadequacy and egotism ("Hands up who likes me!"). Anything went in The Young Ones--talking hamsters and toilets, bizarre digressions into period sketches, subliminal images, guest appearances by bands from Dexy's Midnight Runners to Motorhead--yet through Rick in particular, the show implicitly mocked shopworn Goodies-style notions of "zaniness" ("You have to watch me, I'm a bit nutty!"). This series includes "Bambi", the University Challenge episode; "Cash", in which Vyvyan announces his pregnancy; and the final show, a parody of Cliff Richard's The Young Ones itself, in which the quartet exit ingloriously. The Young Ones is among the most youthful and radical of all sitcoms, yet it still manages to contain a timelessly astute critique of youthful radicalism--and bottom-burp jokes aplenty. On the DVD: The Young Ones, Series 2 comes to DVD with no extra features. Visually, it's well up to the usual BBC standards but the transfer can't disguise the datedness of some of the early 80s special effects. --David Stubbs

• The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard 4K UHD | Blu Ray | (06/09/2021) from £19.48   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The world's most lethal odd couple bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius's even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as well, you'll have to see. Special Features Ryan, Sam, Salma: One F'd Up Family Gone Soft: The New Michael Bryce The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard: #stuntlife On the Set of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard Gag Reel

• Can't Buy Me Love | DVD | (05/04/2004) from £10.50   |  Saving you £4.49 (42.76%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Nowhere-man Ronny Miller is secretly in love with Cindy Mancini the foxiest most popular girl on campus. When Cindy finds herself in a desperate predicament Ronny steps in to save the day...for a price! Cindy must pose as his girlfriend so that her popularity might rub off on him. What results is a hilarious yet touching series of complications as Ronny and Cindy discover that teenage love and friendship can still survive despite the hassles of peer pressure.

• The Day Today (2 Disc Set) | DVD | (26/04/2004) from £23.99   |  Saving you £-4.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Fact me till I fart, it's The Day Today, the most outrageously satirical show ever to feature a man called Chris Morris--until Brass Eye, that is. Both savage and surreal, The Day Today heaps great steaming mounds of abuse and scorn upon our self-appointed moral guardians, upon pompous pundits, puerile newspaper headline-writers and vacuous, self-important TV presenters. And they all richly deserve it. First broadcast in 1994, the show's format is Newsnight-meets-Crimewatch in Hell. A ridiculously protracted title sequence and melodramatic headline announcements introduce Morris' demented, Jeremy Paxman-a-like anchorman, who simpers to the viewers while castigating on-air his useless reporter Peter O'Hanraha'hanrahan. The vacant Collatallie Sisters turns financial news into a Dadaist nightmare of meaningless statistics, graphically illustrated by the currency cat or the finance arse; while American journo Barbara Wintergreen's reports from Death Row are just scary and absurd enough to be completely believable. Also making his TV debut here is Steve Coogan's legendary sports caster Alan Partridge, with his appalling sports reporting, his cringe-inducing misunderstandings and his sheer blunt-headed stupidity (many of the same team, sans Morris, would reunite the following year for Knowing Me, Knowing You). Sketches such as the spoof soap "The Bureau" and the spoof docu-soap "The Pool" also betray the writing skills of Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews, creators of Father Ted. On the DVD: The Day Today arrives as a two-disc set with all six episodes on the first disc. The second disc has a handful of fairly brief but still enjoyable extras: here you will find "Mini News" features in full and the complete versions of "The Pool" and "The Office" documentaries--the latter now looking like a brilliant premonition of the more famous Ricky Gervais vehicle. There's a rather dull Open University programme about the craft of TV journalism which uses extracts from The Day Today and is truthfully entitled "Po-Faced Analysis". Best of all is the complete original Pilot episode, plus a marvellous post-programme update in which Morris telephones a befuddled American McDonald's employee as if he was a crewmember of a sunken US submarine. Picture and sound quality are standard for a BBC show from the early 1990s. In summary: dispassionate. --Mark Walker

• Ghostbusters/Ghostbusters 2 | Blu Ray | (01/09/2014) from £19.99   |  Saving you £-10.96 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.03

  GHOSTBUSTERS: University parapsychologists Dr. Peter Venkman (Murray) Dr. Raymond Stanz (Aykroyd) and Dr. Egon Spengler (Ramis) lose a research grant when their experiment methodology is proven to be bogus. The team decides to go into business for themselves and open ‘Ghostbusters ’ a ghost removal service. After struggling to get on their feet they are summoned to investigate the strange happenings in Dana Barrett’s (Weaver) Central Park West apartment. What they discover is that all Manhattan is being besieged by ghosts and other worldly demons through a portal in her building. GHOSTBUSTERS II: Supernatural superstars Peter Venkman (Murray) Dr. Raymond Stanz (Aykroyd) and Dr. Egon Spengler (Ramis) spring back into action when the infant son of Dana Barrett (Weaver) becomes the target of a powerful demonic force. Reunited with their industrious secretary Janine (Potts) and the nerdy near-sighted Louis (Moranis) the ‘heroes of the hereafter’ must put a stop to an enormous underground river ready to rot the roots of the entire Big Apple.

• Grimsby | Blu Ray | (04/07/2016) from £7.25   |  Saving you £17.74 (244.69%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Nobby (Sacha Baron Cohen), a sweet but dimwitted English football hooligan, has everything a man from the poor fishing town of Grimsby could want, including 9 children and the most attractive girlfriend in the northeast of England (Rebel Wilson). There's only one thing missing: his little brother, Sebastian (Mark Strong), who Nobby has spent 28 years searching for after they were separated as kids. Nobby sets off to reunite with Sebastian, unaware that not only is his brother MI6's deadliest assassin, but he's just uncovered plans for an imminent global terrorist attack. On the run and wrongfully accused, Sebastian realizes that if he is going to save the world, he will need the help of its biggest idiot.

• Despicable Me 4 | DVD | (28/10/2024) from £15.25   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Oscar | DVD | (22/02/2005) from £8.25   |  Saving you £6.74 (81.70%)   |  RRP £14.99

  Anchor Bay presents seven films from Showtime's much-anticipated Masters Of Horror series!

• The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy | Blu Ray | (19/03/2007) from £7.99   |  Saving you £16.00 (200.25%)   |  RRP £23.99

  Arthur Dent finds himself exploring the great unknown in this adaptation of the classic book.

• You Don't Mess with the Zohan | DVD | (19/01/2009) from £5.98   |  Saving you £17.00 (568.56%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Adam Sandler stars as the titular Zohan - an Israeli commando forced to seek refuge in America and pursue his dream of becoming a hairstylist!

• Victoria Wood - The Best Of Victoria Wood - As Seen On TV | DVD | (05/08/2002) from £13.14   |  Saving you £5.84 (57.54%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Another BBC raid into their archives, The Best of Victoria Wood is taken solely from her early television series, a period that established her as a major name in British mainstream comedy. Although rooted firmly in a cosy, almost bygone age of English culture (her work is full of Northern references), Wood's reputation as one of the UK's sharpest writers is well deserved. She is particularly adept at creating a range of characters that not only provide great humour but also a fair amount of depth and empathy as well. Assembling an excellent cast of players (the majority of whom she continues to work with to this day), the sketches here are a mixture of group pieces (the fantastic soap opera pastiche Acorn Antiques), musical numbers, a succession of wonderful head-to-heads with long-time sparring partner Julie Walters and, uniquely, the odd monologue (Patricia Routledge's Keeping Up Appearances character makes an embryonic debut in the shape of Kitty). Television watchers of a certain age may find the clips a little over familiar but this should take nothing away from a fine compilation. On the DVD: The Best of Victoria Wood is another example of the BBC falling flat with their approach to the possibilities of DVD. The picture and sound quality seems to have improved little since the show's original broadcast and there are no extras beyond the standard interactive menus. Given the amount of fine work that Wood has produced over the years, we could have hoped for at least the beginning of an insight into her methods, inspirations and influences. --Phil Udell

• Romesh Ranganathan | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £6.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  The BAFTA nominated star of Asian Provocateur releases Irrational, his first ever live stand-up show. his ability to produce bitingly fresh gags marks him out from the crowd. The Guardian

• Brass - The Complete Series | DVD | (25/06/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £39.99

  Bradley Hardacre owner of the brass factory as well as everything else in the town is the most ruthless of men and enjoys a life of luxury much to the disgust of Agnes Fairchild. However her plans to overthrow the Hardacre Empire are thwarted by her husband George who is ever the unswervingly loyal employee. Meanwhile to complicate matters further the loves and passions of the Hardacre girls and the Fairchild sons are heating up with some truly hilarious consequences for everyone concerned. This release features every episode from complete three series of Brass.

• Coming to America 1 & 2 | Blu Ray | (07/03/2022) from £9.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Coming to America: Join EDDIE MURPHY (Norbit, Dreamgirls) on an unforgettable comic quest to the New World. As an African prince, it's time for him to find a princess... and the mission leads him and his most loyal friend (ARSENIO HALL) to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince relishes the chance to test his mettle in the urban wilderness. Keep an eye out for both Murphy and Hall in some unforgettable cameo roles! Coming 2 America: Akeem and Semmi are back! Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York where it all began. Returning to their original roles in this long-awaited sequel are James Earl Jones, John Amos, Louie Anderson, and Shari Headley, alongside new characters from Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan, and Leslie Jones. Product Features Commentary By Director Craig Brewer From Queens To Zamunda Trailer Gallery

• Round Ireland with A Fridge | DVD | (21/10/2013) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A self-centred pampered celebrity accepts a drunken bet that will change his outlook on life. On his funny and heart-warming journey around the coastline of Ireland he meets a series of bizarre characters falls for a feisty radio reporter and takes his fridge surfing. Written by Tony Hawks and based on his worldwide bestseller this comedy road movie proves that no matter how gloomy things seem open the fridge door and a little light comes on. Tony takes the lead role and is joined by a stellar cast of comedians including Sean Hughes Ed Byrne and Josie Lawrence. Special Features: Story Behind The Fridge Fridge Interviews

• A Fish Called Wanda | Blu Ray | (18/09/2017) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  This 1988 comedy starred and was scripted by John Cleese and directed by Charles Crichton, veteran Ealing Comedy director. After 1986's Clockwise--in which he played a manic loser similar to Basil Fawlty--A Fish Called Wanda saw Cleese opting for a more sympathetic lead role. Cleese plays Archie Leach (Cary Grant's real name), a barrister living a typically English life of quiet desperation, who falls prey to the American charms of Jamie Lee Curtis. Posing as a law student, she's actually involved in a diamond robbery with psychotic but occasionally clueless Kevin Kline ("The London Underground is not a revolutionary movement!") and Michael Palin, an animal rights' activist. A Fish Called Wanda is, typically of Cleese, well constructed but the romantic heart of the movie softens it a little. It was intended as a satire on Anglo-American differences but most people remember it for a running joke involving squashed dogs, the chips up Palin's nose and the scene where Cleese is hung out of a window by his ankles. The same cast reassembled for 1997's vastly inferior Fierce Creatures.--David Stubbs

• Eurotrip | DVD | (02/07/2006) from £7.15   |  Saving you £10.84 (151.61%)   |  RRP £17.99

  From the makers of "Roadtrip" and "Old School" comes another raucous comedy about a group of US students taking a grand European tour that gives new meaning to the phrase "foreign relations."

• Sightseers | DVD | (25/03/2013) from £5.80   |  Saving you £13.45 (296.26%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way - on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan.