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Who thought retirement could be so chaotic? Certainly not
cantankerous Victor Meldrew and his long-suffering wife Margaret.
But there's one thing to remember in the Meldrew household
- whatever can go wrong always does...
I
have to admit to being a little bias in my review. I've been
waiting ages for these classic episode to be released on DVD,
having bought the video releases years ago. For value for
money this collection can't be beat - it is cheaper than the
video release was and you get the Christmas Special as an
extra treat. But, I would have gladly bought this collection
for more money if someone had thought to add some extra value
content. While there is an audio commentary with Richard Wilson
and the writer David Renwick on The Beast in the Cage,
that's your lot as far as extras go. And, as the second disc
in this collection only contains the Christmas Special (which
I suppose is technically an extra), it's not as though there
wasn't any room for more features.
A
word of advice, watch the Christmas Special first, as chronologically
it was the first episode to air. It also helps if you've recently
watched Series
2, as there are a couple of gags that are reliant
on you remembering that the Meldrews had several hundred garden
gnomes stored in their house and that Victor and Margaret's
first (or technically second) meeting with their neighbours
Patrick and Pippa resulted in some confusion in which the
Meldrews thought they were relatives who had driven over to
see them. It was only when they insisted that they stay in
their bed for the evening that Patrick pointed out they'd
much rather sleep next door in their own bed.
The
Beast in the Cage, which also has this collections only
additional audio commentary, is one of the third series' funniest
episodes. It's also the oddest, being set entirely in the
Meldrews car while they are stuck in a traffic jam.
Other
highlights in this series include the Meldrews taking out
Mrs Warboys's relative to the theatre - only to discover that
they've taken a complete stranger; Victor constructing a new
teddy, for a christening present, out of bits from old stuffed
bears - the result being a creation that Frankenstein would
be proud of; Victor having to check his Chinese takeaway for
rats; and when Margaret vanishes off the face of the earth
and her coat is discovered in a local lake, everyone fears
the worse.
The
Christmas Special (which I haven't seen since it was originally
broadcast) stars Monty Python's Eric Idol as a council
official. It also has one of the best running gags in this
collection, as Victor mistakenly believes that Mr Swainey
has entrusted him to look after his mother's ashes. The Urn,
he so lovingly attempts to keep safe, is in fact a new tea
urn that Margaret has been given by Pippa. And when he drops
the contents all over the living room carpet he spends ages
trying to replace them by burning toilet rolls in the back
garden and then tipping the charred remains into the urn.
Another
cracking collection of classic comedy.
Darren
Rea
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