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Not The Nine O'Clock News - The Best Of Not The Nine O'Clock News - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1979]
 
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Not The Nine O'Clock News - The Best Of Not The Nine O'Clock News - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1979]

DVD ~ Rowan Atkinson
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Not The Nine O'Clock News - The Best Of Not The Nine O'Clock News - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1979] + Not The Nine O'Clock News - The Best Of Not The Nine O'Clock News - Vol. 2 [DVD] [1979] + Kenny Everett - The Complete Naughty Bits! [DVD]
Total RRP: £47.97
Price For All Three: £16.84

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Not The Nine O'Clock News - The Best Of Not The Nine O'Clock News - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1979]
90% buy the item featured on this page:
Not The Nine O'Clock News - The Best Of Not The Nine O'Clock News - Vol. 1 [DVD] [1979] 3.9 out of 5 stars (15)
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Product details

  • Actors: Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones, Chris Langham
  • Directors: Bill Wilson, Bob Spiers, Geoff Posner
  • Writers: Griff Rhys Jones, Andrew Marshall, Andy Hamilton, Clive Anderson, Colin Bostock-Smith
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 12
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • DVD Release Date: 18 Aug 2003
  • Run Time: 98 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00009V900
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,674 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Volume One of Not the Nine O'Clock News comprises 98 minutes of early material from the sketch show that ran between 1979 and 1982. Starring Rowan Atkinson, Griff Rhys-Jones, Mel Smith and Pamela Stephenson and coscripted by Richard (Blackadder) Curtis among others, it wasn't especially ground-breaking by the standards of Monty Python or contemporary series such as The Young Ones, but it did provide some pretty blunt belly-laughs at the major social and political concerns of the era: Thatcher, Reagan, police brutality, the prospect of nuclear war. The latter makes for an excellent Question Time spoof, in which, with the four-minute warning having sounded, a panel of politicians continue bleating on their own agenda ("Three million people are going to die unemployed!").

Atkinson's stuff is among the best here, be it as a hideous young Tory, or as Gerald the Gorilla, now civilised to a fault by the captor who caught him in the wild. ("Wild? I was livid!") The much-repeated bit of him walking into a tree, however, doesn't work as he clearly anticipates the collision. While the musical elements look inevitably dated and a lengthy sketch on darts players boozing reaches the "Yeah, we get the point" mark long before it reaches its end, it's surprising how topical much of this material remains decades on--a sketch involving an agonising gay vicar springs to mind--while time hasn't eroded the quality of much of the writing.

On the DVD: Not the Nine O'Clock News on disc comes with no extra features. --David Stubbs



Special Features

English
Region 2
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (10)
3 star:
 (3)
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Praise the Lord, the Beeb are back in town, 7 Jul 2004
By J. Hammond "Big John" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Firstly, Not The Nine O'Clock news deserves a 10 star rating IMHO, as one of the best comedy shows of the last 30 years.
But this DVD release is a pretty poor effort from the BBC.

This DVD is a DVD release of the 1995 NTNOCN video "The Gorilla Kinda Lingers" The only feature apart from the quality comedy from the NTNOCN team, is a "scene selection" which allows you to skip forward in chunks, however it only allows a certain selection of the material. Very disapointed to see no other footage available! It is well worth buying to replace VHS or if you dont have the video releases, but little to justify paying full price for it, apart from the main episodes themselves!

Not The Nine O Clock news deserves a better tribute than this!

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Vintage, timeless comedy, 20 Jan 2005
I disagree strongly with any assertion that the 'Not the Nine O'Clock News' sketches are dated. They have, if anything, improved with time, and if you are new to the programme, or wish to revisit the series, this DVD is a great place to start. It contains such classics as the darts sketch (which had such an impact at the time it temporarily ruined the reputation of the sport), the racist policeman, and Rowan Atkinson's brilliant turn as a Conservative politician addressing the Tory conference. It is a reminder of what classic sketch comedy is all about, and what Richard Curtis was capable of in his early career (though he was admittedly only one of a vast number of writers - who included members of the public).
It's a shame there are no extra features - I remember watching a very good documentary about the impact of the programme a few years back, and wonder why it isn't included. However, this is still well worth buying - and better than volume two.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Comedy - Though Unfortunately Featureless, 12 Sep 2003
Although this comedy was made in the late 1970s/early 80s the writing remains fresh, the satire sharp, and the show itself hilarious. Obviously the picture and sound quality are not quite as crystal clear as recent releases, but the driving forces of inspired writing and fantastic performances (especially a youthful Rowan Atkinson)carry it along.
A minus-point is that the only special features are chapter selection (although there are only 6 chapters, and at least twenty sketches) - especially given its £15 RRP.
However, classic sketches such as 'Super Duper', 'Are You A Gay Christian?', and that one at the dinner table where everyone starts plugging products to the wall, whilst Atkinson looks on aghast (I don't know its actual name) are still hilarious and anybody that hasn't seen them are missing out.
This is obviously from the Thatcher period of British politics, however the core satire and political values remain fresh, sharp and hysterically funny - although perhaps the figureheads that it mocks have changed.
Despite it being a vanilla release, this is one of the best British comedies ever, and its stars Rowan Atkinson, Griff Rhys-Jones, Mel Smith and Pamela Stephenson have, for the most part, gone on to international fame. Sublime.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Frighteningly Funny after all these years
After almost 30 years I was concerned that this would seem somewhat dated. Whilst many of the topics undoubtedly were, the laughter wasn't just canned with the product and fresh... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Bob Grigson

3.0 out of 5 stars Some of it lasted well, some didn't
The talent of the four, especially Atkinson is without doubt. However, I had forgotten that the butt of some of the jokes was God, not the church, but God. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Censuwine

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh shut up about your bloody evening classes Gerald...
"Not the Nine O'Clock News" was comedy at it's best; intelligent, topical and hilarious showcasing the many talents of Rowan Atkinson,Mel Smith,Griff Rhys Jones and Pamela... Read more
Published 9 months ago by L. Davidson

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best ever
yes, not the nine o'clock news is one of the best ever but why oh why do we have to have the "best of" - I loved NTNOCN and would like to see the whole series and not just the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by heffalump

3.0 out of 5 stars A nostalgic but jumbled collection
Seeing Not The Nine O'Clock News again is like watching any favourite old comedy show - some bits are still funny, and others frankly haven't dated too well. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2007 by Jl Adcock

4.0 out of 5 stars another comedy from the 80`s
well written by then rising stars.it could do with the same treatment as drop the dead donkey dvds with information and the news stories of the time to help the younger viewers... Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2007 by D. abbott

4.0 out of 5 stars Thatcher Epoch Comedy
This show was practically compulsory viewing for teenagers and students in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Read more
Published on 6 May 2007 by Jay

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice comedy, shame about the DVD
I've long been a fan of Not the Nine O'clock News, even though I recognise that it's pretty dated and I'm sure I'm too young to get half the references. Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2004 by punkdizzylaa

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated but Brilliant
NTNON was brilliant in its time and still is although in a dated way..... All the classic sketches are present and as good as ever. Read more
Published on 5 Jul 2004 by S. W. Ladd

4.0 out of 5 stars It's Not The 9 O'Clock News!
The marvellous comedy that is Not The 9 O'Clock News is now on DVD. Given the state of society as it is today, quite a lot of this material is now destined to live in the... Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2004 by N. Jones

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