Friday, October 05, 2007

Bang! And The Dirt Is Gone...

Greatly enjoyed The Peter Serafinowicz Show last night, especially the Barry Scott pisstakes.

Trouble with lime scale? Just use Toilet Grenade! Pull out the pin, throw it into the bowl and BANG the dirt is gone!

His Chris Tarrant impression was likewise very impressive, capturing both Tarrant’s infuriating smugness as well as his many vocal idiosyncrasies. Though given the nature of his voice maybe that should be nasal idiosyncrasies?

The most disturbing sketch of all though was Sherlock Holmes spooning Dr. Watson in bed due to a bout of post-case-solving lust. I know Holmes liked the occasional fiddle but even so... the clash of pipe against waxed moustache was shudderingly sacrilegious. I bet Conan Doyle was turning in his urn. Or wherever it is he’s been laid to rest.

In terms of the show’s format, there are a lot of similarities with The Fast Show – lightening delivery, a mammoth turnover of ideas and sketches – though Serafinowicz tends more to the madcap than social commentary – and more characters than you can shake a jester’s stick at, with the whole thing brought (bang) up to date with constant reference to the host of Americanized cable TV channels that infect our lives, ridiculously flashy news items and badly directed television advertising...

In many ways it’s an ideal format for Serafinowicz’s many talents and one that can only work in his favour. Sketch misses the mark? No matter. Here’s another one to try. BANG and the dirt is gone!

And onto the next one...

Here’s hoping he can keep it up.

10 comments:

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Wow - what a lot of television you watch Steve - I haven't even heard of this guy!

I can see I will have to find a window in my diary as he sounds worth a look.

Steve said...

Hi Laura, it's funny, I've been accused of being a TV addict a couple of times before but in actual fact I watch very little: a smidgeon over 2 hours a day... and that usually when I'm too exhausted to go and do something else. I guess I'm just very vocal about what I do watch!

Old Cheeser said...

I really liked it too - lots of surreal humour which I could relate to and very well-observed. I'd never seen the guy before but he's also a great impersonator with some spot-on accents - Michael Caine and as you say Chris Tarrant, amongst others...

And naturally I had no problems with the gay Sherlock Holmes sketches! Did you really think it was sacrilegious, Stevenage, or are you pulling our legs? (I mean there were all those rumours about Batman and Robin living together...)

Better than "The Vivienne Vyle" show anyway which was on before and which I found a bit disappointing.

Steve said...

Ha ha! Hi OC, I meant sacrilegious from the point of view of Sir Arthur C.D. - who from what I've read was rather stiff, uptight and a stickler for form - and most Sherlock Holmes fans (of which I'm not really one) who I imagine would be seriously aggrieved at any suggestion that Dr Watson and Mr Holmes were partaking of shared quantities of shag... I'm referring to their love of pipe smoking of course. Though personally, thinking about it maybe there always has been a valid undercurrent of love between the two...? I mean they always spent so much time together... like more intelligent versions of Morecambe & Wise. Maybe Mr Serafinowicz ought to consider a similar sketch for his next show with Eric giving Ernie a rumbustious tongue-sarnie? Or the Two Ronnies? Or The Krankies... ok, ok, I'm getting carried away now. Time to stop.

But as for Batman and Robin! How dare you even suggest such a thing, sir! Of what rumours do you speak?! Egad! Can't two men wear a pair of tights in the same room together without people questioning their sexuality?

Agree with you about Vivian Vyle by the way - some really funny moments but on the whole rather flat and, dare I say it, annoying...?

The Poet Laura-eate said...

I can assure everyone that the Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson 'rumours' have been a staple of comedy sketch shows for a very long time - remember Russ Abbot?

I must catch this cutting edge comedian soon though. I like to see things at list once before dismissing them out-of-hand!

Steve said...

Oh my God yes! I'd completely forgotten about that. Mind you, there's nothing unusual about trying to erase memories of Russ Abbott from one's mind I'm sure... but it seems I was wrong. Holmes and Watson together is not such a sacrilegious pairing up as I at first though! I even wonder if, in the early drafts of Conan Doyle's writings, there are early indications of literature's greatest untold love story even now waiting to be found... but as for Batman and Robin: I say again - pah! No chance. No chance at all! ;-)

TimeWarden said...

I don't watch much telly either, Steve, despite seeming-evidence to the contrary!

Holmes only ever admired one woman and that was because he found her mind equal to his. So, I'm not sure he had a very high opinion of what he would've, undoubtedly, described as the "gentler" sex!!

The "Holmes" stories were written in a different day-and-age, though, and the great detective always looked for a logical mind in others, whatever their gender, age, race, religion and, even, morality.

Steve said...

Hmm... yes... just loving a woman for her mind does sound rather suspect even though I recognize the apparent nobility of it.

And you're right about the different age that Doyle wrote his detective fiction within... logic celebrated above all, etc. It makes me realize what a huge downward evolutionary turn the genre had made when we had the likes of Magnum and Knightrider on our TV screen...!

Sky Clearbrook said...

I really liked The Peter Serafinowicz Show and looking forward to the rest.

I liked Kennedy St King. Micheal-6 was very eery.

Steve said...

Michael-6? That was the android presenter wasn't it? I know what you mean... reminded me of Bishop from Aliens...