Comedy

• Gimme, Gimme, Gimme - The Complete Third Series | DVD | (11/11/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  Gimme, Gimme, Gimme took situation comedy to new peaks of vulgarity when it returned for a third and final series in 2001, thanks to the full-on performances of James Dreyfus (Tom) and Kathy Burke (Linda) who suck up Jonathan Harvey's innuendo-laden scripts and spit them out like a couple of thespian tornados. "I don't think anything could relax my lips, baby," leers Burke, milking the endless supply of double entendres. "Mind you, after a couple of vodkas they're usually flapping around like flip-flops." Tom's descent into self-parody--when he looks in the mirror, he sees the new Noel Coward--can have only one logical conclusion: the offer of a bit-part in Crossroads which eventually splits up this dysfunctional friendship. Sex-crazed Linda is deluded beyond all reason--when she looks in the mirror, she sees Catherine Zeta Jones--and here we finally get some insight into the reasons behind her grotesque traits: visits from her old Borstal wing governor (the excellent Ann Mitchell, sending up her Widows character), and the long-lost son she gave up for adoption. Like all successful comedy, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme has its dark side. It also becomes increasingly surreal as the episodes pass: Tom fails miserably in a walk-on role in a conceptual Japanese drama presented in a fire station; and Linda turns the back garden into a campsite. Sophisticated it isn't, but it's often wickedly hilarious and occasionally brilliant. On the DVD: Gimme, Gimme, Gimme is presented in standard 14:9 format with a stereo soundtrack, replicating the sitcom viewing experience. Apart from the episode index, there are no extras. At the very least biographies of Harvey, Burke and Dreyfus would have been useful. --Piers Ford

• True as a Turtle | DVD | (05/09/2016) from £7.99   |  Saving you £5.00 (62.58%)   |  RRP £12.99

  1950's nautical comedy starring John Gregson and June Thorburn as a newlywed couple embarking on a hastily planned honeymoon on board a yacht, the ˜Turtle'. Tony Hudson (John Gregson) asks his new wife Jane (June Thorburn) to go on a cruise on to France the ageing yacht ˜Turtle'. The yacht's skipper is the cantankerous Dudley Partridge (Cecil Parker) an important customer of Tony's. Along with the rest of the crew the newlyweds encounter a series of hilarious mishaps on their trip which leave them all at sea

• In Loving Memory - The Complete Series | DVD | (18/10/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  Thora Hird (Last of the Summer Wine) brings her inimitable humour to the role of Ivy Unsworth in this much-loved comedy series set in a fictional Lancashire mill town. As the widow of funeral director Jeremiah (who dies in the first episode) Ivy is left to run Unsworth and Co. along with her equally accident-prone nephew Billy (Christopher Beeny - Upstairs Downstairs). In Loving Memory was a huge success for Yorkshire Television and ran for fi ve series between 1979 and 1986; this complete first series which also features appearances by Richard Wilson Liz Smith and Joan Sims was originally screened in 1979.

• Father Ted - Series 3 | DVD | (20/05/2002) from £9.20   |  Saving you £10.79 (117.28%)   |  RRP £19.99

  This set contains the final series of Father Ted, which ended abruptly in 1998 with the death of its talented comic star, Dermot Morgan. The eight episodes here are a little uneven, but the best stuff is classic, laugh-out-loud satire, including "Are You Right There, Father Ted", in which Morgan's titular Catholic priest is re-banished to Ireland's Craggy Island, a green rock replete with paranoid sheep, randy milkmen, Nazi memorabilia collectors and an inexplicably large community of Chinese immigrants. Outstanding, too, is "Speed 3", in which Ted discovers that a number of babies recently born on Craggy all look like a self-made swinger named Pat Mustard. "Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse" speaks for itself, and "The Mainland" gives supporting actor Ardal O'Hanlon (as idiotic fellow cleric Dougal) a great showcase. --Tom Keogh

• Lost In America (1985) (Criterion Collection) UK Only | Blu Ray | (29/03/2021) from £17.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  In this hysterical satire of Reagan-era values, written and directed by ALBERT BROOKS (Modern Romance), a successful Los Angeles advertising executive (Brooks) and his wife (Airplane's JULIE HAGERTY) decide to quit their jobs, buy a Winnebago, and follow their Easy Rider fantasies of freedom and the open road. When a stop in Las Vegas nearly derails their plans, they're forced to come to terms with their own limitations and those of the American dream. Brooks's barbed wit and confident direction drive Lost in America, a high point in the string of restless comedies about insecure characters searching for satisfaction in the modern world that established his unique comic voice and transformed the art of observational humour. Special Features: New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack New conversation with director Albert Brooks and filmmaker Robert Weide New interviews with actor Julie Hagerty, executive producer Herb Nanas, and comic writer and director James L. Brooks Trailer PLUS: An essay by critic Scott Tobias

• The Big Chill | DVD | (01/10/1999) from £17.49   |  Saving you £-4.50 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This seminal film about the reunion of thirtysomething friends works even better than when first released in 1983. The fine performances of the ensemble cast and a rockin' soundtrack always made this eminently enjoyable. However, the characters' often pompous blather occasionally stalled the action. Baby Boomer introspection has become so common that such navel gazing seems less problematic than it did in the early 1980s. Seven former classmates from the University of Michigan gather for the funeral of Alex, their idealistic and suicidal friend. They use their time together to become reacquainted, all the while discussing lost dreams and current hopes. (This should appeal to anyone who enjoyed that other famous reunion flick of the 1980s, John Sayles' Return of the Secaucus Seven.) Director-cowriter Lawrence Kasdan culled finely textured performances from his cast and filled the screen with memorable details. He may manipulate us with his writing but the actors do an impressive job of pulling at our heartstrings while Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye play in the background. --Rochelle O'Gorman

• Hounded - Series 1 | DVD | (26/07/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Rufus Hound the hapless new presenter on cult CBBC science show Funlab is about to have a very bad day... When a scientific demonstration in the studio goes wrong Rufus is sucked into a parallel universe where evil villains time travellers wizards robots giants aliens and monsters casually go about their business amongst the daily irritations of explosions disasters earthquakes floods tidal waves battles chases crashes invasions and stunts. Rufus is plunged into a series of fantastic adventures as he is hounded across the known multiverse by Dr Muhahahaha an incompetent evil 'genius' and Steve his irritatingly pedantic chief scientific advisor.

• Waking Ned | DVD | (12/06/2000) from £5.95   |  Saving you £7.04 (118.32%)   |  RRP £12.99

  When local wag Jackie O'Shea (Ian Bannen) discovers that one of his neighbours in the village of Tulaigh Mohr is a lottery winner he sees a chance to share in the wealth. Things get complicated when Jackie and his pal Michael O'Sullivan (David Kelly) discover that the winner, Ned Devine, died of shock at the very moment he learned of becoming a millionaire. Undaunted, Jackie and Michael dispose of the lucky stiff and hatch a plot to impersonate him and claim the prize. Soon the whole village is involved and the plot rapidly thickens. This film has been compared to The Full Monty, but it lacks the vein of desperation that added depth to that film. Instead, Waking Ned is closer in tone to classic British comedies like Whisky Galore!, with its cast of eccentrics gleefully conspiring to outwit the authorities. Those with a low tolerance for twinkly eyed Irish charm might be tempted to steer clear, although the movie is saved, for the most part, by its central performances. Bannen is superb as an old man who is clearly hungry for any excitement he can drum up and David Kelly is remarkable as his scrawny sidekick. Kelly has had a long career as a character actor in film and television, but here he has a chance to really let loose. His naked motorcycle ride is a marvellous set-piece and in all of his other scenes his twitchy, perfectly timed performance quite simply steals the movie. --Simon Leake, Amazon.com

• British Film Comedy: The 50s | DVD | (29/10/2018) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  HAPPY IS THE BRIDE David proposes to Janet in the middle of a cricket match, a prospect less-than-enthusiastically received by Janet's prosperous father and the two lovebirds find romance being replaced by a regiment of interfering relatives! INTO THE BLUE Mr and Mrs Fergusson are relaxing on board a yacht off the coast of France their only crew, the skipper-owner and his adopted daughter. On taking a turn around the deck, however, Mr Fergusson is put-out to discover a stowaway helping himself to the comforts of their dinghy! FATHER'S DOING FINE A widowed mother has to contend with the love affairs of her two unmarried daughters, some worthless shares, a thieving butler, the unpaid rent, the matrimonial difficulties of a third daughter and the imminent motherhood of the eldest! THE MARCH HARE Sir Charles Hare gambles everything on one of his horses at Ascot and loses everything, including the racing stud that was the chief delight of his life! However, his aunt attends the sale and buys a promising foal which she intends to raise in secret for Charles...

• A Touch Of Class | DVD | (18/05/2009) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  George Segal plays married insurance executive Steve Blackburn who can't seem to avoid bumping into divorced fashion designer Vicki Allessio (Glenda Jackson) wherever he goes. Finally bowing to the inevitable Steve and Vicki fall in love. He suggests a romantic rendezvous in Spain...but nothing absolutely nothing goes as planned. A brilliant comedy of errors A Touch of Class was nominated for four Academy Awards and earned Glenda Jackson a Best Actress Oscar.

• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Kung Fu Hustle Steelbook Blu ray | Blu Ray | (02/12/2024) from £23.25   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Stephen Chow (director and star of Shaolin Soccer ) is at it again UK with hisaction-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, KUNG FU HUSTLE.From wildly-imaginative kung fu showdowns to dance sequences featuring tuxedoed mobsters, you've never seen action this outrageous and charactersthis zany! In a town ruled by the Axe Gang, Sing (Stephen Chow) desperately wants to become a member. He stumbles into a slum ruled by eccentric landlords who turn out to be kung fu masters in disguise. Sing's actions eventually cause the Axe Gang and the slumlords to engage in an explosivekung fu battle. Only one side will win and only one hero will emerge as thegreatest kung fu master of all.

• Lee Evans - XL Tour - Live | DVD | (28/11/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £21.99

  Featuring one of the most energetic (not to mention sweaty!) British comedians Lee Evans returns with his latest stand-up routine! Since making his mainstream breakthrough at the 1988 Edinburgh Festival Lee Evans has become one of the UK's best-loved comedians. Despite branching out into hit Hollywood movies such as The Fifth Element and Something About Mary stand up is still the best way to experience all the manic artistry of Lee Evans! In sold-out v

• Keith Lemon The Film | DVD | (10/12/2012) from £4.49   |  Saving you £15.50 (345.21%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Celebrity Juice host and international ladies' man Keith Lemon makes the leap to the big screen with Keith Lemon: The Film which follows Keith in his dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur, just like his hero Richard Branson.

• Bunny And The Bull | DVD | (29/03/2010) from £11.35   |  Saving you £6.64 (58.50%)   |  RRP £17.99

  From the director of "The Mighty Boosh" and starring its very own Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, as well as Ed Hogg ("White Lightnin'") "Bunny and the Bull" is a comedy road movie set entirely in a flat.

• Rab C. Nesbitt - Series 9 | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £9.05   |  Saving you £10.94 (120.88%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Rab C Nesbitt: Series 9 Box Set

• Sgt. Bilko | DVD | (16/02/2004) from £5.57   |  Saving you £0.42 (7.54%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Sgt. Bilko is back and up to his old tricks. The arrival of Major Thorn threatens to put a stop to the casino under-the-table deals and Bilko's other illicit businesses...

• Being John Malkovich | Blu Ray | (12/08/2019) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Ever wanted to be someone else? Now you can. Bringing new meaning to the term identity crisis , this instant cult comedy classic boldly launched the feature film careers of its director, music video visionary Spike Jonze (nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Director), and its screenwriter, master of existentialist surrealism Charlie Kaufman (also nominated for Best Original Screenplay). Failed street puppeteer Craig Schwarz (John Cusack) reluctantly gets a day job to financially support his wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz) and their ever-expanding menagerie of pets crammed in their small, dimly-lit New York apartment. Working as a file clerk at LesterCorp (hidden away on Floor 7½ of the Mertin-Flemmer Building), and spending most of his time lusting after aloof co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener), one day Craig makes an incredible discovery: a hidden door that leads to a portal inside the mind of legendary actor John Malkovich (John Malkovich), seeing life through his eyes for fifteen minutes before being spat back out on the New Jersey Turnpike. Craig shares his find with Lotte and Maxine, leading to an explosive chain of events that will irrevocably alter the lives of all three... and of course, the unwitting Malkovich.

• The Old Mother Riley Collection | DVD | (20/11/2015) from £21.95   |  Saving you £8.04 (36.63%)   |  RRP £29.99

  Bridget's Night Out (1936) This was the first appearance of Lucan and McShane on film. Arthur wrote the sketch shortly before the couple's appearance at the Royal Command Performance in May 1934; it was filmed by Butchers late in 1935 and released in 1936. Old Mother Riley(1937) Previously Lost Film. The first of a series of fifteen of the most successful comedies in the history of British film. Old Mother Riley In Paris (1938) Con West's second script for Butcher's Films, produced and directed this time with far greater assurance, by Oswald Mitchell. Filming took place far from Paris, at Nettlefold Studios, Walton-on-Thames, and on location at Gatwick airport. Old Mother Riley MP (1939) "Early in 1939 the Lucans made their third and last Riley film for Butcher's, Old Mother Riley MP. The film was released in August and was a huge box-office success, with Mother Riley taking the Mother Of Parliaments"" by storm." Old Mother Riley Headmistress (1950) "Old Mother Riley Headmistress, was produced for Grand National Pictures by Harry Reynolds. John Harlow directed with John Gilling, and old faithful Con West was back on the script. Here, Mother Riley makes the transition from washerwoman to headmistress with the usual hilarious results. Old Mother Riley's Jungle Treasure (1951) The last film in which Lucan and McShane appeared together or rather appeared to" appear" together because in reality their interminable quarrels had by this time become so intolerable that George Minter decided to film all their scenes separately and edit them later, a fact that accounts for the rather strange atmosphere in many scenes in which Mother and Kitty seem to be talking not to each other but to someone just over each other's shoulder. Old Mother Riley's New Venture (1949) By 1949 it seemed clear that the series of films by music hall to cinema crossover comedians had run its course. Made by Harry Reynolds Productions and the Renown Pictures Corporation, directed by John Harlow with John Gilling. Mother Riley Meets The Vampire (1952) Mother Riley was scheduled to meet a Vampire to be played by Bela Lugosi. As Richard Anthony Baker wickedly put it, "One horrific figure was replaced by another." Bonus Feature - Documentary "Arthur And Kitty" A real treat for Old Mother Riley Fans as a collection of Lucan specialists give an insight into the lives of Arthur and Kitty in this EXCLUSIVE documentary brought to you by Talking Pictures TV

• Blazing Saddles | Blu Ray | (26/03/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  The railroad's bound to run right through the sleepy tow of Rock Ridge. Land there will be worth a fortune - but the townsfolk already own their own land. How do you drive them out? Send in the roughest toughest meanest leanest gang you've got...and appoint a new sheriff you figure will last about 24 hours. But that's not really the plot of Blazing Saddles just the pretext. Once Mel Brooks' lunatic film - many call it his best - gets under way logic is lost in a blizzard of gags jokes quips puns howlers growlers and outrageous assaults upon good taste - or any taste at all.

• Abbott And Costello - The Collection | DVD | (28/08/2006) from £39.99   |  Saving you £-19.99 (N/A%)   |  RRP £20.00

  *Titles to be confirmed