"All Rise for Julian Clary" (1996) TV series

Director:

Mark Mylod

Writer:

John Irwin (writer)

Release Date:

15 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Reality-TV

Plot:

British show set up as a 'mock court' in which "Judge" Clary reviews petty complaints people bring to him (such as a woman upset that her partner keeps snails as pets), and which he literally mocks.

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

  (Series Credited cast)

Julian Clary	...	Himself
Frank Thornton	...	Judge Geoffrey Parker-Knoll (Series 1) (1996)
June Whitfield	...	Auntie June (Series 2) (1997)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

A Good Laugh and a Great Distraction

I caught this show when it appeared on a Canadian specialty channel, and became an instant fan. Clary looked liked Nick Rhodes (of Duran Duran) and sounded like Mr. Humphries from Are You Being Served? The concept was great - a twist on Judge Judy and similar courtroom shows - and the humor was panto-plus, with Clary never missing a chance to pounce on a double-entendre or insert some saucy innuendo. Clary could easily have carried the show on his own, but his supporting cast provided some well placed gags, asides and repartee.

All Rise is one of those shows that could only have happened in the 90's. It took advantage of all the ground-breaking that occurred in the 80's and made its mark before the shallowness and simple-mindedness that would define that 90's could take hold.