VividSimon Simply Perfect

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

RaspberryLucozade Clearly envious by the success of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' and 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' on the BBC, Granada Television in 1982 pitched together some of the freshest comedy talent around of which consisted of Ben Elton ( who wrote much of the material ), Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Siobhan Redmond and Paul Shearer and placed them into a three part comedy show entitled 'There's Nothing To Worry About!' ( broadcast only in North West England and which was also intended to be a vehicle originally for Rik Mayall ). The following year, Granada screened nationally 'Alfresco', which retained the cast from 'There's Nothing To Worry About!' save for Paul Shearer, who was replaced by Robbie Coltrane.The sketches had little or no logic to them. It seemed to exist purely in its own world. The first episode contained a sketch in which a nervous young man ( played by Hugh Laurie ) attempts to buy a bottle of perfume from a department store as a gift for his mother. ''I'd like some scent, please.'' says the young man to the sales girl ( played by Emma Thompson ), to which she replies ''Sorry, we don't deliver!''. A 'Tales Of The Unexpected' spoof saw Hugh Laurie dancing to the theme of said show. A very funny 'University Challenge' spoof saw Ben Elton answering a question about MI5 spies, only then to be shot dead.The first series was overall very dark in tone. Each week, it would open with an animated set of opening titles which saw a busker playing on a saxophone 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'. The second series was more upbeat and featured a catchy tune provided by the late David McNiven which played over a comic-strip style set of titles. It was also in the second series that 'The Pretend Pub' ( an obvious send-up of 'Crossroads' ) was introduced, a patently obvious mock-up of a pub peopled by strange characters such as Ezzer, Bezzer, Lord Stezzer, Huzzer and Bobzerr.Despite its many plus points, 'Alfresco' sadly just did not gel. Critics slashed it to pieces and after the second series it simply vanished into the open air. Perhaps it was just too weird for Granada audiences. The cast certainly did their very best with what they were given. In particular, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson ( who looked particularly sexy in some of her guises ) and Robbie Coltrane managed a few guffaws but overall the 'Python' feel was not suited to this stable of comedy.Despite its unremarkable reception, 'Alfresco' has still proved influential in some respects. For instance, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie later made their own BBC series 'A Bit Of Fry & Laurie', Siobhan Redmond landed many straight acting roles such as Maureen Connell in 'Between The Lines' whilst Robbie Coltrane and Emma Thompson went on to become Oscar award winning stars. In 2009, 'Alfresco' was released on DVD, with all three episodes of 'There's Nothing To Worry About!' included as a special feature.

Robert Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie gave us the flawless characterizations of "Jeeves & Wooster", and the often hilariously clever silliness of "A 'Bit' of Fry and Laurie". Throw in the talented Emma Thompson and Robbie Coltrane, and what could possibly go wrong? Just one thing: the writing.This is sketch comedy at its absolute worst -- self-indulgent, unfocused, under-developed and instantly dated. "A 'Bit' of Fry & Laurie" (not to mention "Monty Python's Flying Circus") worked because they relied heavily on absurdist humor, apportioned out in very brief sketches. "Alfresco" sketches wander on and on, with no punch line in sight, just one obnoxious character, potty joke and petering-out plot after another, all propped up with a pathetic laugh track.They savage "new-agers" (ooh!), the class system (how brave!), and those wacky pop musicians (oh, Alfresco -- you shouldn't have!). They wear madcap wigs and wacky make-up! They affect goofy accents! Every aspect of the show is turned up to eleven, without it raising the humor one tick. Honestly -- I really wanted to like this series, but found it impossible.

sopqc I loved this when I saw it when it was first aired. I had then never heard of Emma Thompson Hugh Laurie or Stephen Fry. I now still think of them as Ezzer, Huzzer and Lord Stezzer. Alfresco sank without trace at the time (I seemed to remember it was aired mid-week and late) and I was therefore delighted to see it released on DVD. It is just as funny as I remember. I know some others do not like it, but comedy is such a personal thing. I am not easily pleased by comedy sketches. All I can say is I watched a couple of episodes randomly yesterday with my husband and teenage daughter and we all literally cried with laughter. All the principals (also Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton-who did most of the writing- and Siobhan Redmond) were excellent, but Emma Thompson's ability to take on a character is up there with Peter Sellers. Brilliant!

tonyuk This excellent programme is being released on DVD in the UK today 2nd February 2009. The two-disc package contains both series of 'Al Fresco' and the three-part pilot series 'Nothing To Worry About', which was only shown in the Granada region.The shows are well worth watching - they contained many funny ideas and were generally innovative for their time. As others have mentioned, the acting was also top notch and foreshadowed the talent inherent in the cast.I was Floor Manager/1st AD on the pilot series and the first series of Al Fresco. The location scenes of the pilot were shot on 16mm film but a decision was made to shoot the entire first series on location, using what was then revolutionary lightweight location video equipment. It was also this decision which prompted the name of the series.At the time, most comedy shows were studio-based, shot multi-camera on video, with location inserts shot on film. Attempting to shoot the entire series on location and on video was challenging, to say the least! Up until then, to shoot location drama on video necessitated taking out an entire outside broadcast unit and an army of crew and vehicles. It was very rarely done, with film being the preferred format. With the new lightweight mobile video unit that Granada invested in we could go on the road as a much smaller unit and shoot scenes like a traditional film crew. That was the theory anyway! There were many logistical difficulties and technical breakdowns but we got it done.However, the first series turned out to be very expensive, not least because of the post production. Video editing at the time was expensive, slow and labour intensive and we were shooting a lot of the scenes film-style using a single camera. This necessitated a lot of editing.Granada requested a second series but with a reduced budget. The new producer decided to shoot it like a traditional studio-based sketch show, hence the birth of the 'pretend pub' concept to link it all together.I have many fond memories of working on Al Fresco. I was very young at the time (most of us were!) but even then I knew that this coalescence of talent, coupled with a new way of doing things, was something remarkable and special.I hope a new audience and a new generation will enjoy Al Fresco and that those who were in their teens and twenties in the mid 80s will enjoy rediscovering this lost treasure.