I had never heard of this before but saw it on DVD today and am wondering if I should give it a go. It's an 80s sketch show written by Ben Elton. There are some videos on youtube but the quality isn't great.
Is it worth checking out and still funny today? Was it even funny in the 80s?
I vaguely remember it although I can't remember who was in it.
I read about this years ago on Chortle when they were running a comp to win the DVD.
Finally saw some on BubeTube and hated it. Strange cos I love nearly all the performers but this show was just - eurgh. I also think Ben Elton was one of the best comedy writers of the 80s and yet the worst actor of all time.
I have this dvd
I bought it cos I love A Bit of Fry and Laurie
What!? Another sketch show featuring these two guys? What could go wrong?
Sadly it's appalling
I really wouldn't waste your time and money
F**king Hell, someone on a forum actually agrees with me on something. Better lower my strandards a tad.
Yeah, big fan of Elton circa Young Ones and Fry and Laurie circa Fry and Laurie, but this one's horrible.
Cruel but fair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhkrAj52Cko
Thanks for the feedback and that's a bummer because I was hoping I had found a hidden gem. Maybe the reason I had never heard of it is because it's as entertaining as a pile of cattle's business so is long forgotten. Back then Ben Elton could do no wrong when he put pen to paper and with Fry And Laurie as well it's surprising it's crap.
Yeah it was a shame and quite surprising how just so unfunny it was
I think it was when they were just starting out before they had come up with any really decent ideas!
Its very experimental and odd and bizarre
They obviously set out to try and be different- a bit Monty Pythonish
But whereas some Monty Python is brilliant and some of it is shit
ALL of Alfresco was just shit
Ben's gem is Happy Families.
Recently I put Flying Circus s3 ep1 on and I actually stopped watching. People forget how hit and miss it was. Like Fellini, it makes for a great anthology (And Now For Something...) but it's hard to take a whole piece.
Kicked off as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWauLTwv0B8 and yup, it's elephant balls too. Reminds me of a Beatles Anthology One review: 'Like going back to punk and seeing what it was REALLY like...' Maybe for every Young Ones they needed 54336 Alfresco(e?)s. Wank in progress - like reading Salinger's 'A Girl I Knew' and then 'Catcher in the Rye'.
