Bo Selecta! - Series 1 [DVD] [2002]

Featuring Avid Merrion as the Scandinavian stalker/host and sketches in which he plays the parts of pop stars like Craig David and Britney Spears in lurid, latex masks, Bo' Selecta! is a brilliantly surreal take on celebrity culture. This first series (originally broadcast in 2002) features a number of cameos and guest appearances from minor celebs: Boyzone's Keith Duffy, Davina McCall, Vanessa Feltz and the hapless Christine Hamilton, one of numerous guests to be interviewed by a puppet bear played by Merrion whose feverish line of questioning invariably results in him sprouting a little erection.

Another character is hauled up in a neckbrace (following an altercation with Lisa Tarbuck), but Merrion's innocent broken English can't conceal the fact that he's a psychotic sex maniac who explicitly lusts after celebs who "make me do a sex wee", keeps Craig from Big Brother locked in a cupboard and his dead mother in a wardrobe.

Merrion's pop spoofs are also masterly: rather than mimic the stars, he reinvents them--Mel B and Britney Spears--as farting, hairy-chested Northerners, slobbing out on fry-up breakfasts washed down with lager and, most improbably, Michael Jackson as a cussing, jive-talking black dude à la Huggy Bear. Bo' Selecta! doesn't so much satirise celebrities as debase them, exposing their humiliating none-dimensionality by drawing them into a vortex of vulgar absurdity, not unlike Vic Reeves' Shooting Stars. Of course, they play along--they're on television. Although initially off-putting to some, once you get into Bo' Selecta! there is, as for Big Brother's Craig, no escape.

On the DVD: Bo' Selecta! on disc features numerous extras, including a behind the scenes feature in which the production team discuss making the show ("like directing a squirrel on roller-skates"), deleted scenes including Gareth Gates as a Tourette's victim, which was deemed a little beyond the pale, some unfunny bloopers and a feature on the life story of "Craig David" with Kate Thornton, including an unmissable nativity scene in which the infant Craig plays Jesus. There's also a commentary, with Merrion as his stalker self watching himself with consternation (It's strange seeing yourself on TV"). It's a pity we don't get to hear from the "real" Merrion. --David Stubbs

DVD Special Features:

• Behind the scenes
  
• Deleted scenes
  
• Bloop Selecta
  
• Craig David’s life story
  
• Trailers
  
• Avid’s Gallery
  
• Commentary

DVD Technical Information:

• Video Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
  
• Main soundtrack: English, stereo
  
• Disc Format: Single sided, dual layer – DVD9
  
• Feature Length: 140 mins approx.
  
• DVD Extras: 57 mins approx.
  
• Colour PAL
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Subtitles: English for the hard of hearing

16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital Stereo English
Dolby Digital Stereo
Featurette
Craig Davids Life Story
Outtakes
Trailers
Avid Picture Gallery
Deleted Scenes

Get the first two series of Bo Selecta on DVD and enjoy the bizarre comic creations of Leigh Francis; from ultra-obsessive fan Avid Merrion to "The Bear" and a huge collection of rubber-faced celebrity stand-ins, including Craig David and Michael Jackson.

"It is unlike anything else on telly"

For the first time on DVD you can now enjoy Avid’s world of celebrity in his own innovative and unique style. Aided by "The Bear" and rubber-masked celebrities (from Craig David to Britney Spears, Michael Jackson to David Blaine), obsessive fan Avid Merrion plays host to this critically acclaimed series from the squalor of his bedroom, guiding viewers through an eclectic mix of celebrity stories, interviews and gossip. This release contains the complete first series and features real life cameo appearances from some well-known celebrities including Davina McCall, Geri Halliwell, Tess Daly, Liberty X, Mariella Frostrup and Christine Hamilton.