Review for The New (In) Complete Complete and Utter History of Britain

The Complete and Utter History of Britain was written and starred Michael Palin and Terry Jones. Made before they went on to form the iconic Monty Python team, it would be easy to dismiss this series as a test run for that show. However, there is still much to be enjoyed in this series and though it doesn't have nearly the jokes and quotable moments, it certainly is an interesting set for fans of the team.

It should be stated that the Blu-ray is actually titled The New (In)complete Complete and Utter History of Britain, as four of the six episodes created have been lost. Here we have almost an archive of everything that could be salvaged from the shows. This includes a fifty minute compilation feature which has new linking material performed by Palin and Jones. This is great and if it was trying to be a 'best of' then it did succeed as most, if not all, of the sketches where enjoyable.

Also included are two versions of the first two episodes. These are the only episodes that are complete (no pun intended) with one version in front of an audience and one without and with a few different sketches. This is both a good and bad thing. The audience version is a little awkward at times with sketches barely getting a laugh and though I would be amused by them it was almost an indication as to why the series was not successful. Some sketches start off well with the audience laughing as you would expect and then you have moments when punchlines barely get a reaction.

The general idea of the show is what the news would have been like if they had done broadcasts on monumental moments in the past. It's a nice idea and one that the Pythons would return to multiple time throughout their four series. Here the jokes are simple, the almost advert-like interludes may well have been an influence on the spoof ads that would appear in Saturday Night Live, but here they are simple things such as a washerwoman who spits on the floor to clean it being told 'Why not try water! It is great and you can drink it too!' Also an almost Public Service Announcement on the subject of witches, which is silly, but fun.

Sketches include the Battle of Hastings being treated as a game of football, with an interview with the victorious William the Conqueror in the tub with the rest of the team. A look at some of the kings and how the Magna Carta was actually signed. Henry VIII is an easy target to be spoofed with his lackeys helping him win all manner of athletic competitions. Walter Raleigh's silly explorations, Robin Hood, Geoffrey Chaucer's Love Guide and a look at King Arthur's Knights who have to file paperwork before they can save a damsel in distress. With such a focus on the middle ages, you can see where a lot of the humour for Monty Python and the Holy Grail came from.

One problem I do have with the set as a whole is that because some sketches are repeated in the various sections they do not hold up well to repeat viewing. The sketch of the estate agent trying to sell off Stonehenge was funny the first time, but by the second or third time I saw it for the juvenile humour it was. It's not nearly as clever as it would like to be and even the introductions and 'news' spoofs are very hit and miss. Though, despite being a huge Python fan, you could say the same about that or indeed any sketch show.

Apart from all the versions of the shows, an extra fifty minutes of material is included as just random sketches that apparently Terry Jones has kept safe for the past forty years. These are fine, but they do bring up one thing that is sorely missed from this set: Comments from Palin and Jones. There is an interview with Producer Humphrey Barclay, which is fine, but I would have preferred to have heard some more from Palin and Jones. It is strange they don't seeing as they were willing to contribute new performances and yet couldn't stay for ten minutes for a short interview? This is the kid of set that yearns for a commentary and the lack of such is a shame.

If you are a fan of Palin and Jones or Monty Python then The New (In)Complete Complete and Utter History of Britain may be of interest to you. It is not exactly comedy gold, but it is certainly great to see the evolution of the pair as writer/performers and I would say there are enough funny moments to warrant a look.