The Kenny Everett Video Show The Complete Series DVD Review
Summary: This was ground-breaking for the time & now shows its age (in terms of the comedy) offered. But the musical guests are top-notch and worthy of the price of admission.
3.5
Imaginative mayhem!
This special DVD release collects all four series of The Kenny Everett Video Show and The Kenny Everett Video Cassette plus three New Year specials that Kenny made for Thames Television. It is also a collection for the true fans or nostalgic because the humour of Kenny Everett is far from political correct and really highlights a different era of comedy.
Erupting onto television in the summer of 1978, The Kenny Everett Video Show was an instant ratings grabber propelling the subversive, impish DJ to the stardom he had always deserved! Kenny’s anarchic mix of manic sketches, musical guests and dance routines courtesy of raunchy booty-shakers Hot Gossip created must-see TV, his comic genius running riot as he unleashed a line-up of much-loved, much-mimicked characters including gobby rocker Sid Snot, Gallic sophisticate Marcel Wave and the improbably-handed evangelist, Brother Lee Love!
Let’s go back in time…
The late Kenny Everett loved music and comedy. The former radio DJ fused both of these things together in his madcap program, “The Kenny Everett Video Show”. The series is now rather dated, but there are some absolute gems to be found in the mix if you’re willing to go digging.
The DVD’s notes describe how difficult it was to obtain all the necessary musical clearances for this release. Just like the makers of “Daria,” it was hard for every song to be cleared and as a result, some numbers had to be cut. In Everett’s case, the makers kept very little paperwork at the time and the acts were often booked at the last minute. To say this production was fly by the seat of your pants is an understatement.
The anarchic nature of the production is also evident on the screen. Everett takes his comedy influences from the likes of “Monty Python” and “The Goon Show”. He often breaks down the fourth wall and like the creators of “The Simpsons,” he revels in poking fun at the TV network that hosts his craziness (in this case, Thames Television).
This show reminds me at times of “The Young Ones” in that it can be shambolic and zany in its presentation. The humour can be quite bawdy and crude at times. It is not recommended for viewers who only enjoy politically-correct humour. In fact, some of it is now considered unfunny (think: blackface and cheap shots of Everett dressing up in women’s underwear, to name a few).
Where this show excels is in its musical guests. The inclusion of David Bowie in two numbers is worth the price of admission alone. Then you get artists like Elton John and Cliff Richard, who appear and are also happy to poke fun at themselves. And when you add to that mix: Rod Stewart, The Pretenders, The Police and Freddie Mercury, to name a few, you’re in for a real treat.
Viewers who dislike Everett’s rough and ready humour and idiosyncratic nature may not enjoy the comedy sketches. There are interludes featuring animation like Captain Kremmen and Carla. There are also musical spoofs (these are probably the funniest of all the jokes) as well as a TV evangelist with giant hands. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but it was unique and imaginative for the time, especially when you consider that this was pre-MTV.
Lastly there is the classic Bloodbath at the House of Death that is a spoof of all the classic horrors and channels its inner Frankenstein with Kenny Everett as the mad scientist Dr Mandeville with the Pamela Stephenson as Dr Coyle who are investigating the paranormal and things that go bump in the night. Unfortunately they stumble on the Sinister Man played the enigmatic and legendary Vincent Price that creates this true bloodbath of laughs in classic Kenny Everett fashion. Way over the top but still enjoyable.
Final Thoughts?
“The Kenny Everett Video Show” is a self-indulgent and riotous mix of late seventies and early eighties music. The comedy is controversial and cringe worthy at times, but it’s obvious that Everett was being his own authentic, idiosyncratic self. It is wild, it is zany, and ultimately there are some excellent diamonds to be found among the rough.
DVD Details
Genre: TV Comedy
Label: Via Vision
Audio: English (Mono)
Running Time: 935
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region Coding: 4
TV Standard: PAL
Rating: PG
Consumer Advice: Mild Sexual references, Mild coarse language, Mild themes, low level violence
Year of Release :1978
About the Author
Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.
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