The Best of Not the 9 O'Clock News - Volume 1 [DVD]

Now, please from my rather morbid title do not read that I have, or have ever had, any objection to the television series 'Not The Nine O'Clock News.' I believe it to be a fantastic work of comedy and believe that infant children should be bound by national curriculum to watch it from an early age- the introduction of such a policy would undoubtedly eliminate the growing problem of seemingly humourless individuals. The rather sorrowful outlook reflected in my title is infact derieved from my finally accepting that perhaps I shall never, in my lifetime, wake-up to find the 'Not The Nine O'Clock News Complete Box Set' alongside my other comedy favourites.I finally resolved that I must, at least for the present, purchase this DVD and its twin ( Not The Nine O'Clock News - The Best of Not The Nine O'Clock News - Vol. 2 [DVD] [1979 ]) instead. My first thought upon having completed both discs was that there were several sketchs I should very much have liked to see that were not to be found on either disc. I recall at this point, however, that once a very wise man said "Quality over Quantity," and certainly one is very aptly provided for in the former, if not the latter.Some might say that the comedy has aged badly and is no longer what once it was. I would wholeheartedly dispute such sayings. I believe the comedy to be, with one or two exceptions, extremely funny and, in its own special way, relevant. Even the sketches and clips that are political, or otherwise directly linked to a period or event, stand up alone as amusing. I believe I have sound authority to say so having been unborn both during, and for a considerable time after, the initial broadcast of the show, therefore having no direct links with the time 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' chronicled.Perhaps the largest downside, and the only reason I have doubts in meriting the product the much coveted five star rating, is the amount of effort put into the presentation. The menu system put in place is pointless, one has no means of telling when a sketch will be coming up, and there is no direct way of accessing a particular sketch. I, on one of my more boring days, typed up the entire catalogue of sketches on each disc, creating my own written menu. The DVD is a direct VHS transfer and this is acutely evident whilst watching as it plays much like a video tape. It is a shame the makers of this product do not deem 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' worthy of even the slightest bit of additional effort. It was, and remains, a magnificent show and deserves a spectacular tribute.Overall, I have no regret or remorse connected with the purchase of this item. I have had hours of fun watching it and I am sure I shall have hours more! I heartily recommend it, I honestly do.Thank you.

It’s ridiculous and fun, another time in history, something Rowan Atkinson should be proud of,get this Dvd , if you like Rowan Atkinson :)

The marvellous comedy that is Not The 9 O'Clock News is now on DVD. Given the state of society as it is today, quite a lot of this material is now destined to live in the archives.The show launched the careers of many people who have since gone on to do marvellous extra work. It's a shame that the show only lasted three years but then you'd never get away with this sort of stuff today.The famous Gerald the Gorilla sketch is on here, as well as other delights such as the Tory Speech sketch, the "we are a Python worshipping country!" discussion and of course, who can forget the "the one course of action the authorities must take is to cut off their goolies" sketch discussing how to curb soccer hooliganism :) One other very amusing highlight is the "seven toilets" sketch ("Let's stick a toilet in the shower shall we, kill two birds with one stone as it were") :D Plenty of material to laugh at here, it's kind of ironic really that Atkinson is dressed up here in various roles that he would later go on to do for real, such as being in charge of a police force in one sketch. 16yrs later and we have The Thin Blue Line.Chapter selection is pretty bland and doesn't seem to bear any relation to the individual episodes so feels pretty random. No special or extra features but there is an extra "bonus" at the end of the disk after the Super-Duper melody. I shan't say what it is - you can buy the DVD for that. :-)4 stars then for this, one point deducted for the chapter selection thing which really could have been better executed and the chapters marked in a better way so far as the cut-off points are concerned. But a minor niggle really. :)

A true classic from the days when comedy was allowed to be funny

I hadn't seen this since it was on TV and so wondered if it would still be funny. It is - or, at any rate, it's funny enough. It's difficult to choose one outstanding performer above another, but I think honours have to go to Rowan Atkinson. His semi-moronic judge is an especial delight, easily matching Peter Cook's 'Biased Judge' (and bringing it off in a fraction of the time). A special mention, too, for Mel Smith's Frances Morrell.I ordered a huge amount of comedy on DVD last year and this was something of an afterthought. It ought not have been.