The Funny Side Of... (2007)

I have not been closely following Clive Anderson's career, but has it come to this: The Funny Side of Animals? This clips show did not even show new footage, but clips of wildlife documentaries in which animals behaved as animals do. Anderson tried to keep up the banter but his eyes were screaming.

Animals are anarchists, and here is a wealth of tremendous footage showing them doing all manner of things that they shouldn't. Ostriches, squirrels, badgers, ferrets, pigs and snakes attack presenters as if they hadn't eaten for years. Expletives are bleeped, blood flows and cameramen fall about laughing. Po-faced commentators try to do pieces to camera while cows hump joyfully in the background. The programme doesn't amount to much and Clive Anderson's banter is painfully laboured ("John Noakes famously ended up with smelly brown muck all over his shoes. Some say he was nervous and badly trained, but I'm pretty sure it was the elephant.") But you can't beat an animal behaving badly.