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"My wife left me...." From the pen of acclaimed writer Steven Moffat (Coupling, Doctor Who, Press Gang) comes an award-winning, painfully funny farce about divorce. Comedy writer Mark Taylor (Robert Bathurst - Cold Feet, My Dad's the Prime Minister) knows he has found the woman of his dreams when he meets Becky Johnson by chance, in highly embarrassing circumstances. Becky (Fiona Gillies - Peak Practice, Mother Love) is won over by his non-stop, quick-fire one-liners, and, following a brief but ever-eventful romance, they giggle their way up the aisle. But five years down the line, Mark hasn't noticed that the joke has worn thin and the laughter track run out. When he arranges a surprise party for his wife, little does he realise that it will truly turn out to be a night to remember for everyone. Now, for the first time since it was broadcast, you can experience the joy and the pain, the laughter and the tears with this digitally restored version of the complete first series of Steven Moffat's bittersweet masterpiece............................ Special Features: Commentaries on four episodes with Robert Bathurst, Fiona Gillies, Tracie Bennett and writer Steven Moffat plus "Fool If You Think It's Over" - a look back at the making of Joking Apart.
Special Features
Commentaries on four episodes with Robert Bathurst, Fiona Gillies, Tracie Bennett and writer Steven Moffat plus "Fool If You Think It's Over" - a look back at the making of Joking Apart.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Why isn't this better known? It's very much like Steven Moffat's other sexy comedy, Coupling but with more punch to it: all the same Moffat trademarks of great jokes and extraordinary tension but when these characters fight, it's really wounding. It's hard to think of another sitcom that manages to be so funny yet simultaneously have you utterly into the drama of the situation.
I actually thought I was the only person who remembered this from when it was on BBC but since I got the DVD friends have been snatching it off my table. Some are Coupling fans, true, but most say Joking Apart is that great comedy they thought only they had loved.
So pleased that it's out, so much more pleased that the series is as good as I remembered. And the extras are great; looks like everybody involved in the show loves it as much as I do.
William
I actually thought I was the only person who remembered this from when it was on BBC but since I got the DVD friends have been snatching it off my table. Some are Coupling fans, true, but most say Joking Apart is that great comedy they thought only they had loved.
So pleased that it's out, so much more pleased that the series is as good as I remembered. And the extras are great; looks like everybody involved in the show loves it as much as I do.
William
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Sordel
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Pretty much ever since it first aired, I've counted Joking Apart as one of the top five British sit-coms ever, but that claim has to be seen in the context of some of its weaknesses. Unlike One Foot In The Grave or Spaced, for example, Joking Apart is not perfectly made, and is not perfectly cast. The studio audience is often slow to get the jokes, meaning that there is an odd creakiness about the episodes. Robert Bathurst, whose character holds up the entire series and gets most of the dialogue, never quite persuades us that he is a bitter, sarcastic stand-up comedian. In the light of its flaws, you might wonder whether this sit-com is even good, let alone great.
What elevates Joking Apart into the first rank is the scriptwriting from Steven Moffat whose brilliance (here as with the later Coupling) shines through the flaws in execution. No one writes farce like Moffat, whose complex, improbable situations build from careful, logical setups to pay-offs more ingeniously constructed than a classic whodunit. Along the way, the dialogue is razor sharp and bears comparison with some of the better US comedies.
The BBC never knew what it had with Joking Apart and still don't: this DVD was meticulously prepared by an independent company and even has commentaries on four of the episodes. Fans of the series tend to be protective of it, knowing that there are things here that have probably never been bettered by any other sitcom. Not everyone will see past the admitted problems, this DVD provides a second chance to catch one of the neglected gems of British television.
What elevates Joking Apart into the first rank is the scriptwriting from Steven Moffat whose brilliance (here as with the later Coupling) shines through the flaws in execution. No one writes farce like Moffat, whose complex, improbable situations build from careful, logical setups to pay-offs more ingeniously constructed than a classic whodunit. Along the way, the dialogue is razor sharp and bears comparison with some of the better US comedies.
The BBC never knew what it had with Joking Apart and still don't: this DVD was meticulously prepared by an independent company and even has commentaries on four of the episodes. Fans of the series tend to be protective of it, knowing that there are things here that have probably never been bettered by any other sitcom. Not everyone will see past the admitted problems, this DVD provides a second chance to catch one of the neglected gems of British television.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By P. Dubois
Despite the novel concept of each episode being introduced by the main protagonist (a very young, pre Cold Feet Robert Bathurst) doing a stand up act, this is very old fashioned farce, with a lot of physical hiding-in-the-wardrobe style scenes.
However, while the same writer's "Coupling" series varied from very so-so to pure comedy gold (eg. the "wooden leg" in the train episode), I very much enjoyed every episode of Joking Apart. I would have liked to share my enthusiasm with others, but like the previous reviewer found I don't know a single person who saw or even heard about this show.
To sum up, if like me some you particularly enjoyed episodes of Frasier involving mistaken identity and other elements of classic farce, then buy this DVD. If you much prefer "The Office" then maybe this isn't for you.
However, while the same writer's "Coupling" series varied from very so-so to pure comedy gold (eg. the "wooden leg" in the train episode), I very much enjoyed every episode of Joking Apart. I would have liked to share my enthusiasm with others, but like the previous reviewer found I don't know a single person who saw or even heard about this show.
To sum up, if like me some you particularly enjoyed episodes of Frasier involving mistaken identity and other elements of classic farce, then buy this DVD. If you much prefer "The Office" then maybe this isn't for you.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
How the hell can I have missed this?
I only found out about this series recently from an online Robert Bathurst fan community I belong to. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Elinor Carlisle
5.0 out of 5 stars
Award Winning Comedy from BAFTA Award Winning Writer
On Sunday, writer Steven Moffat deservedly received the BAFTA Special Award for his remarkable career. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ssorg
4.0 out of 5 stars
Joking Apart
Although at times a little uneven this is still an excellent programme and a good example of Moffat's early writing, it is interesting to compare it with the later and more... Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every bit as good as I remembered
This is an hilarious comedy and well worth watching. And in series 2 it just gets better. Why oh why no series 3.
Published on 8 May 2009 by Mrs. J. A. Spinks
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