Have I Got News for You: The Official Pirate Video (1997) (V)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Genre:

Comedy | Game-Show

Plot Keywords:

News | Independent Film | Non Fiction

Cast

Angus Deayton	...	Himself - Host
Ian Hislop	...	Team Captain
Paul Merton	...	Team Captain
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martin Clunes	...	Himself
Neil Morrissey	...	Himself

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Hat Trick Productions

Movie Connections:

References "Countdown" (1982)

brilliant episode of brilliant program

what can you say about hignfy? a lot. this video is testament to the unparalleled wit these men show consistently on one of britain's top rating shows. practically everything is perfect about the format: a simple and humourous dissection of the weeks news by the three regulars (angus, paul and ian) as well as two guests (here, neil and martin). the hilarious banter provided is admittedly sometimes scripted, however there are enough bizarre and clever impromptu moments of brilliance to hold the show together. basically, the reason for the show's greatness is the balance achieved by the three regulars. ian plays up to his "out of touch" role in terms of pop culture, whilst also providing excellent and witty observations about,in particular,politicians and the media(no surprise given his background with private eye).angus is very droll as the compere and delivers his lines in an understated way. both are consistently and rather amusingly sent up by the superb paul merton who usually attacks their somewhat upper or middle class backgrounds, whilst bringing to the program his own wonderful blend of deadpan, bizarre observation,and inspired, if lengthy, tirades. my only complaint is that, as an australian, i've only had the opportunity to see them on two videos (this one included),once when i was in london, and once when i saw merton on parkinson. in australia we were left with the at times wonderful but generally vastly inferior local version (especially towards the end) good news week. all i can say is if anyone gets the opportunity to watch this show on a regular basis - savour it.