One of the best comedy series ever to emerge from England, Black Adder traces the deeply cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Mr Bean triumph, British comic actor Rowan Atkinson played all five versions of Edmund, beginning with the villainous and cowardly Duke of Edinburgh, whose scheming mind and awful haircut seem to stand him in good stead to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury - a deadly occupation if ever there was one. Among tales of royal dethronings, Black Death, witch-smellers (who root out spell-makers with their noses), and ghosts, Edmund is a perennial survivor who never quite gets ahead in multiple episodes. Jump to the Elizabethan era and Atkinson picks up the saga as Lord Edmund, who is perpetually courting favour from mad Queen Bess (Miranda Richardson) and is always walking a tightrope from which he can either gain the world or lose his head. Subjected to bizarre services for her majesty (at one point, Edmund is asked to do for potatoes what Sir Walter Raleigh did for tobacco), Edmund - like his ancestor - can never quite fulfill his larger ambitions. The next incarnation we encounter is in late-18th-century Regency England. This time, Blackadder is a mere butler to the idiotic Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie in a brilliantly buffoonish performance) and is caught in various misadventures with Samuel Johnson, Shakespearean actors, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and William Pitt the younger. With a brief stop in Victorian London for a Christmas special, the series concludes with several episodes set during the Great War. The new Edmund is a career army officer, but a scoundrel all the same. Shirking his duties whenever possible and taking advantage of any opportunity for undeserved reward, this final, deeply sour, and very funny Blackadder negotiates survival among a cadre of fools and dimwits. [+]

Appreciating that the title does the film few favours, Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging nonetheless emerges as a really quite pleasant surprise. Based on the book by Louise Rennison, and directed by Bend It Like Beckham helmer Gurinder Chadha, Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging centres around the character of Georgia Nicolson, played by Georgia Groome, and her trials and tribulations as a 14-year old. There are boys, to start with, namely two brothers who have just started at her school, that should help in her quest for a boyfriend. There’s her rival, Lindsay, along with her friends in the ‘Ace Gang’. And let’s not forget too Angus the cat. It’s a mixture that naturally sends Georgia’s head spinning, and it’s the basis of a strong film. Far more than the teen Bridget Jones it threatened to be, Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging is actually a neatly layered, well-played film, that slots easily into the teen market that generally American cinema targets the best. Mixing some very funny moments in with the more dramatic (and it’s the quieter moments that ultimately impress the most), its young cast do themselves proud, helped immensely by the guiding hand of the ever-improving Chadha behind the camera. What’s more, it’s rare to see a film that talks to a teenage target market as well as Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging, without the need for liberal dollops of gloss. It’s entertaining without being patronising, and shows that British cinema has more breadth to it than many may give it credit for. [+]

As light and frothy as the Vivienne Westwood wedding gown that's an unofficial fifth star, the film version of Sex and the City is both captivatingly stylish and sweetly sentimental. Viewers who loved hanging with Carrie Bradshaw and her three pals during the series' TV run will feel as though no time has passed. Except that it has: Carrie and Big are poised to make a Big Commitment; Miranda and Steve are facing the breakup of their wonderful family; Charlotte and Harry have added to their brood; and Samantha (are we sitting down?) has been devoted to hunky Smith for five full years. Still, in all that time, the women's style, conviviality, and appetite for bons mots have only grown. When practical attorney Miranda learns that Carrie is considering moving in with Big (in possibly the coolest apartment in Manhattan), she can't help but frown in that but-you-might-lose-everything way. Carrie's retort: "For once, can't you feel what I want you to feel-jealous?!" The cast is spot-on, as always. Sarah Jessica Parker is effortless as the angst-ridden yet practical, stylish yet vulnerable Carrie. Kim Cattrall is deliciously decadent as Samantha, but she's wiser now and knows herself and her needs for a real relationship. Kristin Davis, as Charlotte, has quietly become the most gorgeous among the beauties, her sleek presence both winsome and sophisticated. And Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) shows nuance as a woman torn between betrayal and grudging hope. [+]

What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior-one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) -Tami Horiuchi.

Pixar genius reigns in this funny romantic comedy, which stars a robot who says absolutely nothing for a full 25 minutes yet somehow completely transfixes and endears himself to the audience within the first few minutes of the film. As the last robot left on earth, Wall-E (voiced by Ben Burtt) is one small robot-with a big, big heart-who holds the future of Earth and mankind squarely in the palm of his metal hand. He's outlasted all the "Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class" robots that were assigned some 700 years ago to clean up the environmental mess that man made of earth while man vacationed aboard the luxury spaceship Axiom. Wall-E has dutifully gone about his job compacting trash, the extreme solitude broken only by his pet cockroach, but he's developed some oddly human habits and ideas. When the Axiom sends its regularly scheduled robotic EVE probe (Elissa Knight) to earth, Wall-E is instantly smitten and proceeds to try to impress EVE with his collection of human memorabilia. EVE's directive compels her to bring Wall-E's newly collected plant sprout to the captain of the Axiom and Wall-E follows in hot pursuit. Suddenly, the human world is turned upside down and the Captain (Jeff Garlin) joins forces with Wall-E and a cast of other misfit robots to lead the now lethargic people back home to earth. Wall-E is a great family film with the most impressive aspect being the depth of emotion conveyed by a simple robot-a machine typically considered devoid of emotion, but made so absolutely touching by the magic of Pixar animation. Also well-worth admiring are the sweeping views from space, the creative yet disturbing vision of what strange luxuries a future space vacation might offer, and the innovative use of trash in a future cityscape. Underneath the slapstick comedy and touching love story is a poignant message about the folly of human greed and its potential effects on earth and the entire human race. [+]

One of television's best kept secrets, Mock The Week stands aside from the ongoing collection of panel quiz games by being both very, very funny, and consistently keeping its standards high. The format certainly helps. Based on the principle of two teams going head to head in a quiz based on the week's happenings, Mock The Week then promptly rips up the textbook by introducing all sorts of madness. Improvisation? Yup. A bit of role play? Yup. Lots of laughs? Absolutely. In short, take something like Have I Got News For You, mix in some elements of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and add in some incredibly funny panelists, and this gem of a show is the end result. What really makes it though is not just the format, but the panelists themselves. Hosted by one of the funniest men on the planet, Dara O'Briain, Mock The Week then brings in the likes of Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard and the gut-wrenchingly funny Frankie Boyle. The mixture is perfect, and the show simply superb. [+]

Pixar genius reigns in this funny romantic comedy, which stars a robot who says absolutely nothing for a full 25 minutes yet somehow completely transfixes and endears himself to the audience within the first few minutes of the film. As the last robot left on earth, Wall-E (voiced by Ben Burtt) is one small robot-with a big, big heart-who holds the future of Earth and mankind squarely in the palm of his metal hand. He's outlasted all the "Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class" robots that were assigned some 700 years ago to clean up the environmental mess that man made of earth while man vacationed aboard the luxury spaceship Axiom. Wall-E has dutifully gone about his job compacting trash, the extreme solitude broken only by his pet cockroach, but he's developed some oddly human habits and ideas. When the Axiom sends its regularly scheduled robotic EVE probe (Elissa Knight) to earth, Wall-E is instantly smitten and proceeds to try to impress EVE with his collection of human memorabilia. EVE's directive compels her to bring Wall-E's newly collected plant sprout to the captain of the Axiom and Wall-E follows in hot pursuit. Suddenly, the human world is turned upside down and the Captain (Jeff Garlin) joins forces with Wall-E and a cast of other misfit robots to lead the now lethargic people back home to earth. Wall-E is a great family film with the most impressive aspect being the depth of emotion conveyed by a simple robot-a machine typically considered devoid of emotion, but made so absolutely touching by the magic of Pixar animation. Also well-worth admiring are the sweeping views from space, the creative yet disturbing vision of what strange luxuries a future space vacation might offer, and the innovative use of trash in a future cityscape. Underneath the slapstick comedy and touching love story is a poignant message about the folly of human greed and its potential effects on earth and the entire human race. [+]

Often hailed as the greatest ever British sitcom, Fawlty Towers is closer to the more elaborate tradition of farce. Comprising two series made in 1975 and 1979, the total of just 12 episodes were painstakingly constructed by writers John Cleese and Connie Booth. Unlike most British farces, however, Fawlty Towers deals with the big themes-death, psychology, xenophobia and even sex-o-phobia (Basil's marriage to Sybil is the most sterile ever depicted in a sitcom). Basil's contempt for his guests is, of course, legendary. It takes little from patrons to unleash his sledgehammer sarcasm: "Rosewood, mahogany, teak? Sorry, I was wondering what you'd like your breakfast tray made out of," he sneers at a guest who dares request breakfast in bed. Like every Englishman, he wants to be king of his own castle and resents having to take in lodgers to maintain the place, especially the open-necked younger generation, whom he regards as sub-human. Mostly, though, Fawlty Towers is comedy of exasperation-who can forget the "damn good thrashing" Basil gives his clapped-out car, or the nervous breakdowns he almost suffers trying to make himself understood to Manuel? It's also comedy of embarrassment. The very fear of losing his dignity generally leads Basil into the most spectacularly undignified of predicaments. His inevitable misery is our sheer delight. -David Stubbs.

The first series of Gavin and Stacey brought the show richly-deserved BAFTA recognition, and left the two title characters married by the time it came to an end. Series two picks things up from there, as they settle into married life, and the challenges that ultimately brings. Never forgetting its comedic roots, Gavin and Stacey now follows the pair, and the collection of characters around them, as they adjust to married life. It doesn’t take, for instance, for Stacey’s homesickness to kick in, while the programme also takes time to spend time with their friends, Nessa and Smithy, as they too evaluate their relationship (and impending baby!). In lesser hands, Gavin and Stacey’s ingredients could easily go sour. But thanks to some terrific scripting, and quite exceptional performances, it gels superbly well. Much of the credit should go, of course, to Mathew Home and Joanna Page’s endearing performances in the title roles, as well as James Corden and Ruth Jones for their exceptional writing work (the pair also play the aforementioned Nessa and Smithy in the show). Eschewing gimmicks and cheap lines in favour of three dimensional characters and genuine laughs, Gavin and Stacey is a television gem, and one that deserves to find a wider audience. Hopefully, this DVD release will help to redress that. -Jon Foster.

Hancock turns the standard superhero movie inside-out. The titular character, played by Will Smith, can fly, has super strength and is invulnerable. But he's also a sloppy, arrogant alcoholic who causes millions of dollars in property damage whenever he bothers to fight crime. When he saves the life of a PR agent named Ray (Jason Bateman, Arrested Development), Ray decides to improve Hancock's image-starting by having Hancock surrender himself to the authorities and go to prison for his lawless behaviour. The idea is that once he's in prison, the crime rate will go up and people will start realising Hancock might be of value after all. This is only the first act of Hancock though-from there, the film takes several surprising turns that shouldn't be revealed. Hancock isn't a great movie, but it is an extremely entertaining one. The script, which holds together far better than most superhero movies, has a propulsive plot, good dialogue, some compassion for its characters, and even an actual idea or two. The spectacular action at least gestures towards obeying the laws of physics, which actually makes the special effects more vivid. The three leads (Smith, Bateman, and Charlize Theron as Ray's wife, Mary) deftly balance the movie's mixture of comedy, action, and drama. [+]

"Master of the cruel one-liner"-Evening Standard "His eye for absurdity is as sharp as his suits"-Guardian Critically acclaimed comedian Frankie Boyle presents his hotly-anticipated first live stand-up DVD. Recorded live during his sell-out shows at London’s Hackney Empire, Frankie’s unique brand of observational comedy and brutal but perfectly constructed one-liners prove he is one of the best gag writers in the business. As the stand out act on top-rated satirical comedy show Mock The Week, the sharp-suited Scotsman shows us just a slice of what he’s capable of. In this DVD he unleashes his razor-sharp wit upon the audience with jokes that are too near the knuckle for TV, constantly venturing onto thin ice with outrageous jibes that could be utterly offensive if not delivered with equal measures of visceral cheek and sarcasm, demonstrating the full force of his comic prowess. Extras: F**K You Scotland – behind the scenes tour diary Sketches from BBC3 comedy Rush Hour Drug experiment – additional audio material Check out the dates of Frankie's 2008 tour: 01-Oct-08 Crawley - Hawth Theatre 03-Oct-08 Edinburgh - Festival Theatre 04-Oct-08 Edinburgh - Festival Theatre 05-Oct-08 Sheffield - Lyceum 06-Oct-08 Harrogate - Harrogate Theatre 07-Oct-08 Lincoln - Engine Shed 08-Oct-08 Leamington Spa - Royal Spa Centre 11-Oct-08 Halifax - Victoria Theatre 12-Oct-08 Birmingham - Alexandra Theatre 13-Oct-08 Derby - Assembly Rooms - The Great Hall 16-Oct-08 Kendal - Lakes Leisure 17-Oct-08 Preston - Guildhall Grand Hall 18-Oct-08 Aberystwyth - Arts Centre 19-Oct-08 Port Talbot - The Princess Royal Theatre 21-Oct-08 Northampton - Royal & Derngate Theatre 22-Oct-08 Bedford - Corn Exchange 23-Oct-08 Brighton - Dome 24-Oct-08 Colchester - Charter Hall, Leisure World 25-Oct-08 Winsford - Civic Hall 26-Oct-08 Buxton - Opera House 28-Oct-08 Dunstable - The Grove Theatre 30-Oct-08 Peterborough - Broadway Theatre 31-Oct-08 Carlisle - The Sands Centre 01-Nov-08 York - Grand Opera House 02-Nov-08 Salford - Lowry 03-Nov-08 Hull - City Hall 07-Nov-08 Newcastle - City Hall 08-Nov-08 Bradford - St Georges Concert Hall 09-Nov-08 Southend - Cliffs Pavilion 11-Nov-08 Hayes - Beck Theatre 12-Nov-08 Cardiff - St David's Hall 14-Nov-08 Torquay - Princess Theatre 15-Nov-08 Taunton - Wellsprings Leisure Centre 17-Nov-08 Leicester - De Montfort Hall 18-Nov-08 Cheltenham - Town Hall 20-Nov-08 Chatham - Central Theatre 21-Nov-08 Stoke-on-Trent - Victoria Hall 22-Nov-08 Cambridge - Corn Exchange 23-Nov-08 Bristol - Colston Hall 25-Nov-08 Basingstoke - The Anvil 26-Nov-08 Dorking - Halls 28-Nov-08 Skegness - The Embassy 29-Nov-08 Oxford - New Theatre 03-Dec-08 Telford - Oakengates @ The Place 04-Dec-08 Portsmouth - Guildhall 06-Dec-08 London - Hammersmith Apollo 12-Dec-08 Worthing - Assembly Hall 13-Dec-08 Wolverhampton - Civic Hall.

A US sitcom behemoth with a global brand, Friends shot out of the gate in 1994 with snappy writing and an attractive cast. The exploits of sensitive paleontologist Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), his obsessive-compulsive sister Monica Geller (Courteney Cox); Monica's roommate Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), a spoiled rich girl trying to live on her own; earthy aromatherapist/masseuse Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow); and Monica's neighbours across the hall - sarcastic Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and his struggling actor roommate Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) became a nationwide obsession, a pop-culture icon (remember "The Rachel" haircut?) and a ratings hit for its entire run. The first two seasons were mostly centered on the on-off saga of Ross and Rachel, and while their relationship remained a strong presence through romantic rivals and even a baby, the other characters eventually moved from sideshow players into a shared comedic lead. But Friends was not without its heart. Most of the cast had dysfunctional relationships with their parents and went through loss, divorce, marriage, parenthood, and love triangles. The emotional pregnancies of Rachel (by Ross) and Phoebe (surrogate to her half-brother's triplets) won the actresses Emmy Awards, and Joey's tender feelings for Rachel in Season 8 won LeBlanc, the most improved actor in the series, a nomination. Most sitcoms run out of ideas by the fifth season, but Friends gave itself a refreshing jolt the minute Monica and Chandler wound up in bed together. Their budding romance was not only the one of the funniest arcs of the series, but one of the most sentimental, as they planned a wedding, struggled to have a child and eventually turned to adoption. By seasons seven and onwards, the characters had each "grown up" from young singletons to thirtysomethings finding permanence in their careers and love lives but never losing the laughs. Friends featured a parade of celebrity guests, but utilised most of the stars as more than mere cameos: The sextet's parents were all brilliantly cast, particularly Kathleen Turner as Chandler's drag-queen father and Teri Garr as Phoebe's dizzy mom. [+]

The adventures of the Griffin family continue apace with this latest Family Guy boxset, which once again delivers many hours of quite brilliant animated comedy. The show, for those new to it, follows the wonderful Griffin family, headed up by the daft but loveable Peter and the happily oblivious Lois, through to their teenage kids Chris and Meg. But as any seasoned Family Guy viewer will happily tell you, the gold of the show lies with the two characters who are the brains of the family. On the one hand there’s Brian the dog, and then on the other is the little baby Stewie. He, surely, is the absolute highlight, a maniacal evil genius of a child, who in this season seven set finally manages to kill Lois. Insert your own evil laugh here. The 12 episodes on offer in the Family Guy season 7 boxset aren’t all vintage, but there are some cracking inclusions. The 100th episode special is a good place to start, and then there’s the small matter of President Bush’s underwear going walkabout. Throw in a bit of time travel for Peter, and it’s the usual oddball mix that helps make the show so strong. With plenty of rewatch value and a continued ability to generate laughs, Family Guy is a show that’s still thriving on the evidence with this set. [+]