Brian Pern

The Life of Rock with Brian Pern review

This is an absolute gem of a comedy series, reminding us why Simon Day is such a well-regarded performer, and will enhance Rhys Thomas' reputation as a comedy writer/director to watch.

The reception to Simon Day's mock-history of guitar music has been mixed, with some critics praising the series for its skewering of BBC Four music docs and others feeling that its on-the-nose parody comes at the expense of actual, y'know, jokes. Still, it's hard to be entirely dismissive of any series that features a guest appearance by Vic & Bob's freewheeling folk duo Mulligan and O'Hare, expressing their belief that the synthesizer is only good for "calling the pigeons home".

Radio Times review

This final episode, the weakest of the three, is ostensibly about the death of rock. And, of course, there were a lot of rock stars kicking the bucket during the 70s. "You'd be chatting to someone at a party, pop off to get some cheese and pineapple on a stick; by the time you got back they'd be dead," says Brian's manager.

The real focus, however, is the death of Brian's former band - public-school prog rockers Thotch. And this is a good thing, because it means we get more anecdotes from the band's silky guitarist Pat Quid (Paul Whitehouse) and ribald keyboard player Tony Pebble (Nigel Havers). The star turn, though, comes from Lucy Montgomery as Pepita, the klaxon-mouthed cactus player.

Why you must all watch the Life of Rock With Brian Pern

It is very low budget and was sold to the BBC as essentially a clip show with a bit of comedy tacked on says Simon Day. It is much more than that, of course, but even this apparent shortcoming actually helps because there are occasional moments when you are not sure what is from the archive and what has been shot for the show.

A second outing for the spoof rockumentary that makes you wish its creators hadn't sat down after watching The Rutles or This Is Spinal Tap and thought: "Well, that looks easy." Tonight, Pern (Simon Day channelling his inner Peter Gabriel) explores rock's middle age. One halfway decent gag about Phil Collins at Live Aid notwithstanding, this mainly serves to remind us that there are even more depressing things than out-and-out horrors such as The Now Show, and that is comedies that just aren't funny enough.

Radio Times review

This second episode, about the "middle ages" of rock, is even funnier than the first - especially if you're sufficiently middle aged to understand all the 70s and 80s references. There's a greater emphasis on doctored archive footage than on semi-improvised skits this time, but we're treated to an appearance from Noel Edmonds, while Red Dwarf's Danny John-Jules pops up thinly disguised as the ubiquitous Nile Rodgers.

Tom Jones's interminable note-hold and Phil Collins massacring Stairway to Heaven are particular highlights. Be warned, however: there's some fruity language; from Nigel "potty mouth" Havers no less.

Comedy of the week has to be the spoof documentary series The Life of Rock with Brian Pern. Simon Day plays the eponymous narrator - a self-regarding, pretentious prog rock legend, whose career bears more than a passing resemblance to Peter Gabriel's - eliciting contributions from genuine rock stars including Rick Wakeman, Roger Taylor and Jools Holland.

Rock music's indulgences are an easy target for parody, with the mockumentary format a far from original approach, but The Life of Rock's combination of affectionate derision, pure silliness and a non-stop array of gags is very hard to resist.

The Life of Rock with Brian Pern, BBC Four

Move over Spinal Tap, Simon Day updates the mockumentary genre.

The Life of Rock with Brian Pern, BBC Four, review

BBC Four's new mockumentary series had the odd moment of comedy nirvana but was often too hammed-up to be funny.