Review of Jimmy Carr: Live Collection

Introduction

I have previously described Jimmy Carr as a Marmite comedian, as most people either love him or hate him. Most of the people I know seem to hate him.

He arrived in the public eye as a presenter on various Channel 4 shows, following a good start to his stand up career. This box set captures 2 nationwide tours, the first tour comprised of 2 previous Edinburgh shows amalgamated into 1, and the second tour was a new show. It also captures 2 previously released DVDs, Jimmy Carr Live and Jimmy Carr Stand Up, into one handy box set, so it`s basically a quick Xmas re-release cash in.

Anyway, enough of my cynicism, let`s move on.

Video

Well these are just stand up comedy shows, but as has become the norm now, both were filmed at a ratio of 1.78:1, and are presented on this DVD in 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfers are fine, and that`s about all there is to say.

Visually this is not exciting as it`s just Jimmy on stage, with some a desk or a sofa and a microphone.

Audio

A simple DD2.0 stereo soundtrack. Everything is clean and crisp, and that`s all there is to it.

Features

There are extras on each disk.

On Jimmy Carr Live you`ll find bonus audience interview sections (from different nights), the Royal Variety performance (a cut down version of the main show), a gallery of some of the things referenced in the show (much funnier than your usual gallery) and also a commentary track, featuring Jimmy and his radio show partner. They have one or two interesting things to say, and it`s a novel idea, but in the end it`s just a bit dull.

On Jimmy Carr Stand Up you`ll find the Comedy Central Special (again a cut down version of the show, performed for American TV), Jimmy`s appearance on Top Gear (and his rather fast time in a reasonably priced car) as well as highlights from his XFM show.

The best extra here is Comedy Idol, which is pretty much what you would guess from the title. They held a competition to find a stand up comedian to open the shows, in a Pop Idol/X Factor style. There is loads of footage from the auditions, as well as backstage clips, and clips from the final held at the Comedy Store. There are some weird people out there trying to be funny, but there are also some funny people, as shown by the finalists. At least 2 or 3 are now on the stand up circuit. Worth watching.

Conclusion

This one is quite an easy decision. If you hate Jimmy Carr, you`ll be avoiding this like the plague. If you like Jimmy Carr, chances are you`ll already own these DVDs. If you don`t then this will be a must have for you.

If you`re not a fan, but not in the hate category, then you might want to check this out. I think Jimmy Carr is a very funny stand up comedian. Yes, he can be a bit sneery, with a bit of a "looking down the nose" attitude, but at the end of the day he knows about jokes, and how to pack a show with them.

A good set if you don`t already own it, and one to give a few laughs on Xmas day. Although not perhaps with all of the family gathered round in expectation, as there`s some rather adult material here.