But sometimes it’s good to watch older films or a complete television series all in one go!  For this you have always had to buy or rent the DVD.  But now there is another way to watch films and TV series that have been released on DVD, on your computer.  With faster and better quality broadband services available across the UK you can watch your favourite comedy classics with an online streaming service.

There is a wealth of British comedy past and present, currently available to stream online including television series The Inbetweeners Series 1 & 2, Phoenix Nights Series 1 & 2 and Fawlty Towers; as well as great British comedy films such as the hilarious Four Weddings & A Funeral, Monty Python & The Holy Grail, Life Of Brian and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels to name but a few.

John Cleese and his then wife Connie booth wrote and starred in Fawlty Towers, the best British Sitcom of all-time, in my opinion.  They only recorded twelve episodes over two series.  The first series was in 1975, followed by a second series in 1979.

Fawlty Towers is based on a fictional hotel in the south west of England though the proprietor and main character, Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, was apparently based on a real-life rude hotelier in Torquay where John Cleese stayed with the other members of the Monty Python comedy team in 1970.

The sitcom follows Basil as he struggles not to be rude to guests and his attempts to hide trouble from his dominatrix wife Sybil, played by Prunella Scales.  The other main characters are Polly the maid, played by Connie Booth, and Manuel the Spanish porter and waiter, played by Andrew Sachs.

The scripts were brilliantly written and the interplay between the four main characters and the guests is hilarious.  In 2000 Fawlty Towers was voted number one in a list of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled by the British Film Institute and voted by industry professionals.

Another brilliant British sitcom that is available to rent or watch online is The Office which was written by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant.  Gervais, who also starred in the show, has referred to Fawlty Towers when asked why he refused to make a third series.

There is thousands of comedy DVD’s now available online to stream at a time of your choice, in the comfort of your own home.

As Cleese explains it is fairly elemantary really, why would football be known as anything else?

John Cleese – Soccer v Football

Not The Messiah ( He's A Very Naughty Boy) DVD

On October 23rd 2009, to celebrate Monty Python’s 40th anniversary, a very special one night only event took place at London’s famous Royal Albert Hall.

Recorded for posterity the incredibly ambitious musical version of Monty Python’s Life of Brian was brought to the stage in a 90 minute production and is now released on the unsuspecting public through Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Never were those immortal words uttered by John Cleese so many years ago more apt..’And now for something completely different…’

How different can you possibly get? While Cleese himself is the only surviving member of the team not to be involved in Not The Messiah, the production does bring together Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam.

Eric Idle and John Du Prez who were responsible for the amazing success of Spamalot join force once again, creating a unique masterpiece of a show that combines all the unforgettable bits of Life of Brian with the overblown grandeur of operatic soloists, a full blown orchestra and chorus.

Despite being a life long Python fan I must admit to having reservations prior to watching the DVD, musicals are not really my thing and the trailer suggested something more akin to opera anyway, so with trepidation I pressed play.

The always cheeky Eric Idle put me at ease and by the start of the show I had a pleasant grin plastered on my face, amused and relieved to see ‘Mrs Betty Palin’ appear on stage as narrator.

For the first twenty minutes or so, while there were a few laughs, I imagined that once I had reviewed the disc I would not care to watch it again.

But fair to say the show picks up comedy wise as it goes on and half way through I found myself enjoying an art form that I had previously had no experience of.

The laughs come thick and fast in the second half of the show and there are some excellent non Life of Brian moments thrown in, such as Idle’s impression of  that other Messiah, Bob Dylan, with the full choir suddenly appearing with harmonicas and playing for laughs.

From the start it is obvious that this is a very special show and it is very evident that the entire cast, orchestra and chorus, who remain on stage throughout, are bang up for it and are going to have the night of their lives whatever.

It really works and there are some magical performances from all involved including some rather unexpected moments from members of the band.

By the end I no longer felt that the DVD would be tossed away after this review, instead I felt that I wanted to watch the whole thing again, a remarkable achievement for this production of Not The Messiah.

Not The Messiah – Trailer

Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) is released on June 14th and will be available on Blu-ray for RRP £22.99 and DVD for RRP £15.99.

DVD Special Features Include:
“The Road to the Albert Hall” Featurette – A 30 minute behind the scenes documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew rehearsing and preparing for the show.
“Showtime!” Featurette – A unique look at the fascinating backstage mechanics of the show including last minute nerves and excitement, backstage near misses and mayhem and hasty moustache adjustments.
“The Bright Side…” Featurette – Composer Eric Idle talks us through writing this surprisingly upbeat comedy classic song!
6 Sing-A-Long Songs including “You’re the One,” “Take Us Home” and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”
Blu-ray Disc Exclusive:
movieIQ+sync and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie. Once connected, movieIQ+sync will display all of the great information movieIQ offers on a computer screen or iPhone instead of onscreen, all while staying synchronized to the movie!
The Blu-ray Disc version of Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy)isBD-Live enabled, allowing users to get connected and use the disc as a key to unlock exclusive content and features via an Internet-connected Blu-ray player. Download exclusive content and give feedback through our survey and more!

Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy) has a running time of approximately 91 minutes and is rated 12.

I still love the line,  ‘as much imagination as a caravan site’! Brilliant stuff from the unsung comedic genius songwriter!!

Neil Innes – How Sweet To Be An Idiot

Mony Python – The Lumberjack Song

Monty Python – Office sketch

I’ve told you once!

No you haven’t.

And so it goes, the brilliant Argument clinic sketch from Monty Python.

Monty Python – Is this the right room for an argument?

Monty Python – Bicycle Repairman

Monty Python – Dennis Moore – Part Three

Monty Python – Dennis Moore – Part Two