Favourite DVD Commentaries?

To all those that actively seek out comedy commentaries, what would you say your favourites are? Like many of you (I'm sure), I listen to them primarily for writing structures and to find out how ideas germinate. However, I seem to have nearly exhausted what's in my collection so just wondered what's good out there? At present I've heard all of:

The Simpsons S1-10
The League of Gentleman (if only all commentaries were like these)
All Alan Partridge
Phoenix Nights (+ That Peter Kay Thing)
Seinfeld (disappointing commentaries!)
Spaced
Black Books
Mighty Boosh
Father Ted
Fun & The Funeral Parlour
15 Storeys High
Human Remains (highly recommended)
Ideal (hilarious commentaries)
Red Dwarf

If anybody knows of any other recommendable commentaries, I'd love to hear about them. That includes comedy films as well...

you sure do love your commentaries

I like a good commentary too. Of your list I've listened to:

All Alan Partridge
Phoenix Nights
That Peter Kay Thing
Seinfeld (I thought the writer commentaries are sometimes good, but Jerry just laughs and doesn't really speak much)
Spaced
Black Books
Father Ted
15 Storeys High
Human Remains (agree with you)

Rob Brydon gives great commentary (with Hugo Blick) on Marion & Geoff. But slightly naff commentary (ironically) on Director's Commentary (the real commentary, not the in character 'Peter DeLane' commentary, which is excellent).

Graham Linehan's IT Crowd commentaries are good ones if you are interested in writing comedy. He uses some of them more like lectures rather then just telling anecdotes.

The 'in character' commentary on Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is absolutely brilliant. It's almost like having 12 episodes instead of 6.

I don't always listen to them but have ventured into Father Ted, Phoenix Nights and Look Around You. Me, being the geeky soul I am, also like to determine the writer's, actors and crew background gossip. Agree about Rob Brydon's Director's Comedy series, I'll re-rent it at some point; such a shame that they couldn't include The Duchess Of Duke Street episode though because that was fab.

Fawlty Towers - commentary by John Cleese of every episode was very interesting and revealing at times. Top notch stuff from Cleese it has to be said.

This is Spinal Tap has a good in character commentary.

Brass Eye has a bizarre commentary. No Chris Morris, instead he hired a few homeless guys to do it.

One of Ricky Gervais' stand up DVDs (it's either Animals or Politics) has an odd commentary in which Ricky reads extracts from his diary all about Robin Ince while Robin pleads with him to stop.

Outside of comedy, Robert Rodriguez does goo commentaries if you are interested in filmaking. He uses El Mariachi as a guide to making a film with little to no money.

Bey Logan might be the king of commentaries. He's done over 100 commentaries for (mainly) Hong Kong action/martial arts films and is always interesting and informative. He can change my mind about a film I might have initially not enjoyed that much.

Quote: DougWonnacott @ 14th August 2014, 11:45 PM BST

One of Ricky Gervais' stand up DVDs (it's either Animals or Politics) has an odd commentary in which Ricky reads extracts from his diary all about Robin Ince while Robin pleads with him to stop.

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I completely agree. This is probably my favourite DVD commentary of all time. It really does make Ricky look like a crazy person. I think any standup DVD that features more than one person is pretty good. Robin Ince's "Happiness Through Science" DVD commentary includes Brian Cox, so it's funny and educational. Jon Richardson invites his flatmate on his "Funny Magnet" commentary since he speaks a lot about his flatmates. Both are good.

Jaime Pond
Anglonerd.com

The best other commentaries I can think of:

Psychoville
Goodnight Sweetheart (Series 1 in particular)
The best commentaries on Red Dwarf are probably the writer commentaries on the Bodysnatcher box set.
Early Doors
The Wrong Mans
Coogan's Run
The Office and Extras specials
Rev.
The Armando Iannucci Shows
Not Going Out (a few episodes on each of the first 2 series)

The weirdest one I've heard is on the Dads Army Christmas specials DVD where Jimmy Perry and David Croft pretend they are in the same room as one another even though the commentaries were quite blatantly recorded separately.

As suggested on here I've dug out my LoG DVDs and listened to their commentaries (Local Gossip) and they're bloody fantastic, especially as all three series include all four Gentlemen and often Steve Bendelack, the director and general comedy sage. Despite being a huge fan, owning the script book and suchlike, I'd not picked up on everything. I'm leaving the final episode, S3, E6 until the weekend just to keep it 'special'.

The Father Ted commentary pretty much got me into writing. Although they didn't do it for series 3. I'm Alan Partridge is good as well.

Ever heard of rifftrax?

It's these comedians in America who watch famous movies and do an alternative commentary, usually taking the piss out of the film

Quote: Patrick Parkinson @ 23rd November 2014, 10:50 PM GMT

The Father Ted commentary pretty much got me into writing. Although they didn't do it for series 3. I'm Alan Partridge is good as well.

Ever heard of rifftrax?

It's these comedians in America who watch famous movies and do an alternative commentary, usually taking the piss out of the film

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I think the re-release Father Ted box set had newly recorded commentaries for all three series (I might be wrong).

Ironic comedy commentaries have been going longer than DVDs in America. Mystery Science Theatre has been doing it since the early 90s.

I don't really see the point of commentaries for stand up shows. Surely the show itself is a commentary.

Has anyone listened to the commentary on the new (ish) blu ray release of Gregory's Girl with Bill Forsyth and Mark Kermode? Can't decide whether to replace my old barebones DVD or not.

Quote: DougWonnacott @ 23rd November 2014, 11:34 PM GMT

I don't really see the point of commentaries for stand up shows. Surely the show itself is a commentary.

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You could say that of many sitcoms, not least Father Ted.

Quote: Stephen Ryder @ 14th August 2014, 8:23 PM

Fawlty Towers - commentary by John Cleese of every episode was very interesting and revealing at times. Top notch stuff from Cleese it has to be said.

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Yes, worth the price for this alone, even though it was yet another cash in of a show that already had a great boxset and been very well repeated over the years with more than one documentary celebration. He may be a wily businessman but he certainly puts in a performance at whatever it is he does. Always good value. The commentary is a must imo for serious wannabe sitcom writers because he knows his stuff and created the funniest sitcom yet. He also has a very technical mind, part of the great success of Fawlty Towers.

Away from comedy, some of my favourite film commentaries are on British movies, that's just my taste. In my collection I'd have to mark out Sir Roger Moore and Sir Christopher Lee as being particularly good at them, as you'd expect with their great voices. I like the conversation ones the best, giving lots of titbits about the film industry. Got loads still to trawl through. I haven't bought a DVD in ages, I hope commentaries weren't just a trend.

Don't know about favourite, but I did get very engrossed in the "extras" on each disc of my Lord of the Rings box sets - the detail they went into was mind boggling; but sadly I never did finish them all as I seem to remember that when I added it all up it came to around 24 hours of commentaries and background!

Fascinating stuff though.

The DVD of the Rob Brydon series Directors Commentary is split up into segments, rather than episodes, annoyingly.