"Pulp Video" (1995) TV series 1995-1996

Director:

Ron Bain

Writers:

Mitch Benn (writer)
Rab Christie (writer)

Release Date:

18 August 1995 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Sketch

Cast

  (Series Credited cast)

Ronni Ancona	...	Various characters
Andrew Fairlie	...	Various Characters
Alan Francis	...	Various Characters
Greg Hemphill	...	Various Characters
Ford Kiernan	...	Various Characters
Fred MacAulay	...	Various Characters
Jane McCarry	...	Various characters
David McGowan	...	Various Characters
Gavin Mitchell	...	Various Characters
Julie Wilson Nimmo	...	Various characters

Runtime:

30 min (7 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Follows "Naked Video" (1986)

Excellent Comedy

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Four years after 'Naked Video' concluded, B.B.C-2 decided to try out a similar idea, a 'Comic Asides' sketch show pilot titled 'Pulp Video'. The pilot starred Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill, Jane McCarry, Andrew Fairlie, Gavin Mitchell, David McGowan, Fred MacAulay, Veronica Leer and Nicola Park. It proved successful enough to warrant a six-part series the following year, reuniting the cast (with the exception of Veronica Leer and Nicola Park) from the pilot episode. Joining the cast for the series were Alan Francis, Julie Wilson Nimmo and Ronni Ancona. Strangely, the show now seems to have been forgotten, which is a great shame as 'Pulp' was one of the funniest sketch shows of the 1990's.

'Pulp' featured some dangerously funny sketches, brought to life by the excellent performances from the cast, particularly Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill . Although as is the case with many sketch shows, there has to be one cast member who fails to get the laughs. The one in question here happens to be Fred MacAulay, who only appeared once each week as a cleaner who would deliver monologues to the camera. His appearances in the show cause me to reach for the fast-forward button on my remote control each time I watch 'Pulp'.

Some of the sketches could be gross, such as a group of pall-bearers running to the church to escape from the rain with a cardboard coffin above them, only for the body inside said coffin to drop onto the ground! The funniest sketch I can remember seeing was Ford Kiernan playing a has-been actor who lives in an absurd world of pantomime.

While 'Pulp' still remains a very funny show, I must admit that I would have liked it more had I not seen 'Naked Video' first.