Lazarus & Dingwall (1991– ) User Reviews

Very Funny, Little-Seen English Sitcom

[ad-thompson · 7/10 · 14 October 2006]

I remember this short-lived sitcom very well from when it was first screened in 1991, but I seem to be one of the very few people who saw it or remembers it. The stars of the show - Stephen Frost and Mark Arden - will be most remembered to people of my age group (30-ish) for their series of adverts for Carling Black Label in the mid-80s, though they also regularly appeared in 'The Young Ones' as well as popping up in various episodes of 'Black Adder' and other similar comedy shows of the period. I always found them to be brilliant comedy performers and it's a shame they will never be remembered in the same way as Rik Mayall, Ade Edmonson, Alexei Sayle and their ilk. 'Lazarus & Dingwall' was a silly but often very funny show following the adventures of two bumbling, incompetent police detectives, in a similar vein to the American series 'Police Squad' starring Leslie Nielsen, though it never tried to emulate that show's formula and the cast and script lent it a very English flavour. You probably need a slightly silly sense of humour like myself to fully appreciate the brand of comedy here, and I'm sure it wouldn't be to everyone's tastes, which may be why it sank without trace after one series and has never been seen since. However, anyone who appreciates the humour of 'Black Adder', 'The Young Ones', Alexei Sayle, Reeves & Mortimer, 'Big Train' etc. is sure to love this. Much of the material was very silly and corny, but the writers and cast seemed to acknowledge this, and as with most of the aforementioned shows, it was the performers' brilliantly dead-pan delivery of very silly material that made it work so well. I'm not sure how well it would have stood the test of time, 15 years later, but I'd love to see this show again. It's a shame that this little-seen gem will probably never see the light of day again - a DVD release seems very unlikely. Oh well, maybe I'll see it again one day; I can only live in hope...

Finally! I know the name!

[beowuuf · 5 June 2007]

For years I have been trying to remember the name of this show, 'diezel and pasco' putting the final nails in the coffin for me ever remembering it correctly.

As said by the other reviewer, I remember it as a very funny show (I actually noticed Steve Frost on TV and Radio afterwards because of this series) in the ilk of Police Squad, but very British and with dead pan humour.

I seriously wish I could watch it again to see if it was as funny as I remember, and wish the BBC would release this... who knows, maybe one day!