Comedy

• Jeeves And Wooster - The Complete 1st Series | DVD | (23/10/2000) from £18.98   |  Saving you £6.01 (31.66%)   |  RRP £24.99

  PG Wodehouse's much-loved stories about Bertie Wooster and his brilliantly clever valet Jeeves were brought faithfully to life in Jeeves and Wooster, starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry as master and servant. Perfectly cast and with scripts that retain all the sparkling wit of Wodehouse's prose, it's hard to see how any future adaptation of his work could surpass this wonderfully funny series. This set contains the entire first season of Jeeves and Wooster. In "Jeeves Takes Charge" young man-about-town Bertie Wooster employs a new valet called Jeeves, and not a moment too soon. Thanks to his Aunt Agatha, Bertie faces the terrible prospect of marriage to the statuesque Honoria Glossop, and only Jeeves can save the day. "Tuppy and the Terrier" finds Bertie in trouble again when he loses Aunt Agatha's dog. Further aunt-related complications arise when Bertie's chum Tuppy falls for our hero's cousin Angela. Aunt Dahlia is not amused. An uncle in love with a waitress, a trip to the country, a speedy choirboy, and a secret betting syndicate all lead to trouble in "The Purity of the Turf". Jeeves, of course, is the only one who can put things right. Jeeves and Wooster really hits its stride in the final episodes of Series 1: "The Hunger Strike" and "Brinkley Manor". When Bertie visits Aunt Dahlia he is called upon to solve the romantic problems of his friends Tuppy Glossop (in love with Cousin Angela) and the delightful Gussy Fink-Nottle (in love with Madeleine Basset, a young lady who believes the stars to be God's daisy-chain.) Unwisely, Bertie decides to cook up his own plan and before long disaster strikes. Aunt Dahlia's superb chef Anatole gives his notice, and Bertram is to blame. Thank goodness for Jeeves. --Simon Leake, Amazon.com

• The Princess Bride 30th Anniversary Edition | DVD | (23/10/2017) from £7.05   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Screenwriter William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride earned its own loyal audience on the strength of its narrative voice and its gently satirical, hyperbolic spin on swashbuckled adventure that seemed almost purely literary. For all its derring-do and vivid over-the-top characters, the book's joy was dictated as much by the deadpan tone of its narrator and a winking acknowledgement of the clichés being sent up. Miraculously, director Rob Reiner and Goldman himself managed to visualize this romantic fable while keeping that external voice largely intact: using a storytelling framework, avuncular Grandpa (Peter Falk) gradually seduces his sceptical grandson (Fred Savage) into the absurd, irresistible melodrama of the title story. And what a story: a lowly stable boy, Westley (Cary Elwes), pledges his love to the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright), only to be abducted and reportedly killed by pirates while Buttercup is betrothed to the evil Prince Humperdinck. Even as Buttercup herself is kidnapped by a giant, a scheming criminal mastermind, and a master Spanish swordsman, a mysterious masked pirate (could it be Westley?) follows in pursuit. As they sail toward the Cliffs of Insanity... The wild and woolly arcs of the story, the sudden twists of fate, and, above all, the cartoon-scaled characters all work because of Goldman's very funny script, Reiner's confident direction, and a terrific cast. Elwes and Wright, both sporting their best English accents, juggle romantic fervor and physical slapstick effortlessly, while supporting roles boast Mandy Patinkin (the swordsman Inigo Montoya), Wallace Shawn (the incredulous schemer Vizzini), and Christopher Guest (evil Count Rugen) with brief but funny cameos from Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, and Peter Cook. --Sam Sutherland

• Without A Clue | DVD | (10/12/2001) from £3.99   |  Saving you £3.00 (75.19%)   |  RRP £6.99

  The basic joke of the would-be romp Without a Clue is that Dr Watson (Ben Kingsley) is a detecting genius who has had to hide his light under a bushel by hiring an alcoholic ham actor Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine) to pose as his imaginary alter ego Sherlock Holmes. He is now frustrated because the blundering idiot is hailed as an infallible hero while he is forever being pushed out of the picture. To really work, the film should have cast a leading man who gives the impression that he might make a good serious Holmes, but Caine is all too credible in his idiot act. In one of the best jokes Watson covers up a faux pas by complementing Holmes on his convincing disguise as a drunken lout, and so the laughs that should come in a flow only manage to trickle. The actual plot is about forged bank-notes ruining the Empire but is constructed to allow for the usual excursion by picturesque steam train to a clue-ridden holiday destination and some dirty deeds down by the docks. The leads coast through their routines but the supporting cast has an appropriately rat-like and embittered Inspector Lestrade from Jeffrey Jones, a winsomely duplicitous Victorian heroine from Lysette Anthony and a rather good goateed sadist Professor Moriarty from Paul Freeman. It can't hold a magnifying glass to Billy Wilder's The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, but as a Holmesian footnote it edges a deerstalker or so ahead of Gene Wilder's The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. It certainly beats the Peter Cook-Dudley Moore Hound of the Baskervilles and John Cleese in The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It.--Kim Newman

• Mystic Pizza | DVD | (23/07/2001) from £8.18   |  Saving you £4.81 (58.80%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A sweet and sassy comedy about the bonds of sisterhood, Mystic Pizza offers the opportunity to see some solid young actresses early in their careers. Three sisters of blue-collar Portuguese descent work in a pizzeria in the coastal town of Mystic, Connecticut. Each has her own unique romantic entanglements. One is the fast girl in town (Julia Roberts) who falls for a rich kid but wonders if she'll ever be accepted; one is the lifelong local girl (Lili Taylor) in love with her fisherman boyfriend (Vincent D'Onofrio) but scared of what marriage will do to their sex lives; and the youngest sister (Annabeth Gish) dreams of going to Yale but during a summer of babysitting has an affair with a married man. Through it all each sister depends on the others regardless of the complications. It's the alluring charm of the three disparate leads that makes Mystic Pizza the delightful experience it is. --Robert Lane, Amazon.com

• Carry On Abroad | DVD | (27/08/2001) from £11.99   |  Saving you £-2.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  One of the last decent Carry On movies, Carry On Abroad is a 1972 venture into the world of package holidays. After this, the series descended into unfunny coarseness as opposed to camply laboured double entendre, culminating in the dreadful Carry On Emanuelle. Here, publican Sid James and dutiful mother's son turned sex maniac Charles Hawtrey are among a brace of Brits heading for the "paradise island" of Elsbels. Kenneth Williams is the out-of-his-depth tour operator, reverting to the sort of effete types he played in the 1950s, Peter Butterworth a pre-Manuel-style manager of a half-built hotel. A series of disasters ensue, with the entire gang landing up in jail following a fracas in a brothel at one point, but everyone finds romantic and sexual fulfilment in a quaint disco finale. This includes a gay character who is "dissuaded" from his homosexuality in a typical example of the thoroughly reactionary subtext that constitutes the really naughty bit of most Carry On films. Nonetheless, this throwback to an imaginary time when the lewdest innuendo of a dirty old man was greeted by young females with a flirty "Ooh, saucy!" is enjoyable on condition that you enter into its seaside-postcard spirit. June Whitfield is fine as a sexually uptight wife, Kenneth Connor a model of red-faced frustration as her wimpish husband. On the DVD: Sadly, no extra features except scene selection. The picture is a 4:3 ratio full-screen presentation. --David Stubbs

• The Mighty Boosh Live | DVD | (13/11/2006) from £12.98   |  Saving you £9.01 (69.41%)   |  RRP £21.99

  The Boosh are loose once again in this DVD version of their magnificent stage show!

• Starsky & Hutch | Blu Ray | (01/02/2021) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Coming off the heels of his hilarious college romp OLD SCHOOL, director Todd Phillips returns with a film that mocks the television cop dramas of the 1970s. Based on the crime-fighting television series of the same name, STARSKY & HUTCH follows the exploits of two west coast detectives. David Starsky (Ben Stiller) is a by-the-books officer who would like nothing more than to expose his partner Hutch's bouts of inconsistency. Ken Hutch Hutchinson (Owen Wilson) is a far more open-minded spirit with a tendency for meandering. Added to the mix is the world's coolest informant, Huggy Bear (Snoop Dogg), who wears an endless parade of stylish outfits. Starsky and Hutch's rival is the charming yet brutal Reese Feldman (Vince Vaughn), a maniacal drug lord with an absurd moustache who is prone to dramatic outbursts. Phillips uses freeze frames and slow-motion to up the comic ante, while Stiller and Wilson prove that they are a truly compatible duo, and, finally, Will Ferrell makes yet another scene-stealing cameo--all factors that ensure a long shelf life for this raucous spoof.

• K-9 | DVD | (05/09/2005) from £6.27   |  Saving you £4.98 (99.40%)   |  RRP £9.99

  James Belushi stars as Thomas Dooley an unorthodox narcotics cop who teams with an independently minded police dog in this hilarious action-comedy. Headstrong Dooley is one step away from nailing a prominent socialite in a $50 million cocaine bust. But branded as too crazy to partner with no one will work with him except Jerry Lee a superbly trained German Shepherd police dog with the best nose in the drug-busting business. The unconventional pairing pleases neither partner but a

• Bellamy's People | DVD | (14/03/2011) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Radio phone-in host Gary Bellamy is given his own TV series in which he travels the length and breadth of the land to meet the British people.

• Legal Eagles | DVD | (07/02/2005) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £5.99

  Robert Redford, usually a pretty good judge of material, got snookered badly in Legal Eagles, an Ivan Reitman comedy which also stars Debra Winger and Daryl Hannah. Redford is a rising assistant D.A. who is prosecuting a woman (Hannah) for theft of a painting by her father. Before he knows whats hit him, hes involved romantically both with the defendant and with her scattered lawyer (Winger). Redford is as good as he can be, given the circumstances but this is a film that doesnt know where its going. Originally intended as a serious film about the legal wrangling over the estate of the late Mark Rothko, this film quickly degenerated when the script was turned over to Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr, whose sparkling oeuvre includes Turner and Hooch. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com

• Hot Pursuit | DVD | (17/04/2019) from £4.86   |  Saving you £15.13 (311.32%)   |  RRP £19.99

  In Texas, a policewoman and a female prisoner are both on the run from a group of crooked cops.

• Mrs Brown's Boys Series 4 | DVD | (15/04/2024) from £6.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Mrs Winterbourne | DVD | (04/11/2002) from £23.99   |  Saving you £-11.00 (N/A%)   |  RRP £12.99

  This fast moving Cinderella-story comedy follows the fortunes of 18 year-old Connie Doyle (Ricki Lake). Homeless penniless and pregnant Connie's life changes forever when she is mistaken for another woman after the train she is travelling on crashes.

• Frankie Boyle Live | DVD | (10/11/2008) from £5.67   |  Saving you £14.32 (71.60%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Critically acclaimed comedian Frankie Boyle presents his hotly-anticipated first live stand-up DVD. Recorded live at London's Hackney Empire Frankie brings us his unique brand of observational comedy there are no gimmicks to this set just the sharp-suited Scotsman firing one-liners into the atmosphere with unparalleled finesse. As the recognisable face of television series Mock The Week Frankie shows us just a slice of what he's capable of; in this DVD you get Frankie Boyle no-holds-barred unleashing his razor-sharp wit upon the audience with jokes that are too near the knuckle for TV.

• Spitting Image - Series 8 - Complete | DVD | (19/10/2009) from £9.17   |  Saving you £3.82 (41.66%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Spitting Image: Series 8

• Slack Bay | DVD | (23/10/2017) from £11.95   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Summer 1910. Several tourists have vanished while relaxing on the beautiful beaches of the Channel Coast in Northern France. Infamous inspectors Machin and Malfoy soon gather that the epicentre of these mysterious disappearances must be Slack Bay, a unique site where the Slack river and the sea join only at high tide. There lives a small community of fishermen and other oyster farmers. Among them evolves a curious family, the Brufort, renowned ferrymen of the Slack Bay, lead by the father nicknamed The Eternal , who rules as best as he can on his prankster bunch of sons, especially the impetuous 18 years-old Ma Loute. Towering high above the bay stands the van Peteghems mansion. Every summer, this bourgeois family all degenerate and decadent from inbreeding stagnates in the villa, not without mingling during their leisure hours of walking, sailing or bathing, with the ordinary local people, Ma Loute and the other Bruforts. Over the course of five days, as starts a peculiar love story between Ma Loute and the young and mischievous Billie van Peteghem, confusion and mystification will descend on both families, shaking their convictions, foundations and way of life. After P'tit Quinquin, the latest film by Bruno Dumont finds once again its inspiration in slapstick comedy, at turns bleak and funny, with the most amazing cast of French actors whose performances take the film to another level.

• Bread - Series 1 And 2 | DVD | (17/03/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £24.99

  Nellie Joey Jack Adrian Billy Aveline and Freddie are the Boswells from Liverpool. They're experts at working the system and getting by with the help of Social Security payments and jobs on the side. Standing firm at the head of the family table is Nellie Boswell (Jean Boht) the matriarch who expects no nonsense especially from husband Freddie who spends his time chasing Lilo-Lil. First broadcast in 1986 this release features every episode from Series One and Two of Carla Lane

• Futurama - The Beast with a Billion Backs | DVD | (30/06/2008) from £6.49   |  Saving you £9.50 (146.38%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Join Fry and the gang for a new adventure in Futurama: The Beast with A Billion Backs! Can the team stop a planet-sized tentacle alien taking over the Earth?

• In The Loop | Blu Ray | (24/08/2009) from £10.98   |  Saving you £16.00 (177.98%)   |  RRP £24.99

  From Armando Iannucci, the comic-genius behind The Thick of It and starring Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Peter Capaldi and Steve Coogan, comes a hilarious and biting satire on British-US relations and the lunacy of War.

• Crazy Rich Asians | Blu Ray | (21/01/2019) from £10.35   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Crazy Rich Asians follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick's family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country's wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick's arm puts a target on Rachel's back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick's own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can't buy love, it can definitely complicate things.