Review of Paul Merton In Galton and Simpson`s...: The Complete Series

Introduction

If there should be an unwritten law of comedy - like the one about never appearing with animals or children - it should be "never second-guess a classic". Do an homage in your own style by all means, but never ever think you can improve on the original. Mark Lewisohn in the Radio Times Guide To TV Comedy makes an analogy with music - making a cover version of a classic. You can do a cover version, but you`ll inevitably be in the shadow of the original.

In 1996, Paul Merton did just that and received less-than-glowing reviews and disappointing viewing figures for his interpretation of a number of Galton and Simpson scripts. His heart was in the right place. As an admirer of the writers, Merton reckoned that Ray Galton and Alan Simpson were the finest writers of tv comedy there had been, and was eager to work with the duo when the opportunity arose. For their parts, Galton and Simpson were admirers of Merton`s deadpan delivery and encyclopaedic knowledge of British comedy, and Merton had been their first choice of performer when they instigated the project to re-imagine fifteen of their classic scripts for a modern audience.

Unfortunately, six of the scripts had originally been vehicles for Anthony Aloysius St.John Hancock, and that was one shadow it proved well-nigh impossible for Merton to emerge from. Merton recognised he would probably come off second-best in comparisons with Hancock, and watching those episodes sadly Merton does not take the lead over the man from East Cheam.

The recognisably Hancockian stuff "Stone Me!" was of course excised from the scripts, but otherwise Merton played a fictional version of himself as Hancock had done. Sam Kelly (from `Allo `Allo) took the Sid James role, although in one episode the lines are taken by Merton`s then wife Caroline Quentin.

Merton recreates the Hancock classic Twelve Angry Men with the support of Peter Jeffrey, Gary Waldhorn and David Daker. The half-hour episode is a spoof of the classic Henry Fonda movie of the same name, where a single member of a jury convinced of the innocence of the accused sets out to change the minds of his fellow jurors. Of course, the Galton and Simpson version eschews arguments about evidence for various mind games.

The Radio Ham was a triumph for Hancock back in 1961. Paul tries his hand at amateur "ham" radio. The normal chatter of fellow radio enthusiasts is broken when Paul picks up a genuine Mayday call. In this day of internet chatrooms and forums, the storyline dates the script beyond the point where it can really be updated. The Missing Page has Merton driven bananas by the missing last page of a whodunnit while The Lift almost entirely takes place within a lift stuck between floors. The Bedsitter is a one-man show as Merton keeps himself entertained on his own in a bedsit. The final Hancock hand-me-down is The Wrong Man, where Merton finds himself prime suspect in a robbery. Standing next to Paul in the line-up is Ray Galton.

The remaining scripts are also, of course, second-hand. Impasse was a Comedy Playhouse script originally starring Bernard Cribbins and Leslie Phillips as two motorists, neither of whom will reverse back along a narrow lane. Reappearing as one of the "sin" sketches in the movie "The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins" (with Ian Carmichael and Alfie Bass), it was the idea at the core of the 1998 series "The Last Salute" with Paul Bown and Philip Jackson.

Sealed With A Loving Kiss started life as a 1962 Comedy Playhouse with Ronald Fraser and was reused in the 1970 series "The Mating Machine" with Norman Rossington.

Don`t Dilly Dally On The Way came from the 1969 series "The Galton and Simpson Comedy", and had starred Jimmy Edwards and Pat Coombes.

The Clerical Error and Being Of Sound Mind had originally been scripts for Les Dawson, while I Tell You It`s Burt Reynolds was a 1977 vehicle for Leonard Rossiter. Bernard Cribbins, Betty Marsden and Wilfrid Brambell had starred in the original Visiting Day while The Suit had been owned by Leslie Phillips. The final entry, Lunch In The Park had been written for Stanley Baxter.

With the exception of the Hancock episodes, of course, most of the other originals are long forgotten and/or highly unlikely to see the light of day again. This gives Merton an advantage, but in viewing the episodes with the knowledge of their hand-me-down nature, one can`t help wondering what the original actor or actress might have done with the dialogue.

Sadly, Merton is Merton is Merton throughout the enterprise. Try as he might, he`s no actor and while Hancock was always Hancock, he really was a fine actor. Merton nearly manages to convince in The Suit, but there`s always a slightly stilted element to his performances, especially when juxtaposed against seasoned artistes like Sam Kelly, Gary Waldhorn or Josie Lawrence.

Video

Presented in its original 4:3, the show is recent enough to look pretty much immaculate. However, this is another set of DVDs that looks as though the bitrates have been skimped upon. Throughout Twelve Angry Men, the fake wood grain of the walls of the jury room pulsates red and green. Other episodes don`t have such bad problems, so I wonder if that particular episode caused any problems in mastering for the DVD.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround

Features

None. Not even subtitles.

Conclusion

Paul Merton is a fine wit. He`s brilliant on shows like Have I Got News For You, and his recent documentary series on silent comedy was one of the finest in years. As an actor, however, he`s no great shakes but that didn`t stop him re-making fifteen Galton and Simpson scripts - six of which were originally performed by Tony Hancock and are among the finest tv comedies committed to videotape. The results are watchable, but overshadowed by the ghosts of the original performers. I would have preferred to see Galton and Simpson write material specifically for Merton than saddle him with hand-me-downs.