Harry Hill’s TV Burp Gold DVD

This was a slightly different  entry in the 2008 Christmas comedy DVD stakes.  Most of the releases aimed at the Christmas market are recordings of stand-up performances (Dara O’Briain, Russell Howard, Frankie Boyle, Michael McIntyre and loads of others not connected with “Mock The Week”), while this, not surprisingly, is a compilation of the best of “TV Burp”.

If you like Harry Hill and “TV Burp”, you’ll like this DVD.  If you don’t like Harry Hill or the show, then this won’t change your mind – that was nice and easy.

The main content of the DVD is structured like a normal weekly show featuring all of the regular Harry Hill send-ups and routines in the form of highlights from the series.  The extension of the idea of the viewer shouting at the TV (don’t we all do that?) works well, particularly when it continues logically into Harry actually taking part in the clips he satirises.  So far, so good.  

For me, the comedy wears little thin when Harry takes a good idea (ear cataracts, for example) and bludgeons it to death to milk every last sliver of a laugh out of it. Maybe that’s what fans of the show really love – if it is, then they’ll love this DVD.

The extras on the disc also work best if you’re already a fan – if you haven’t seen the series, then the “Freaky Eaters” and “Fights” sequences probably won’t do anything at all for you, while the out-takes and unseen sections might appeal to the casual viewer.

If you’re already a fan of the show and you’ve got some Christmas money or vouchers to spend in the sales, then this is a pretty good investment.  If you’re not a fan, then the guys mentioned above all have DVDs out which are well worthwhile if you haven’t already seen them on tour this year.

Happy New Year.