Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Reviews
Product Description
All six episodes of the camp BBC sitcom starring Alan Cumming which followed the crackpot antics of the crew of a Scotia Airways charter jet. Episodes are: 'Feart', 'Birl', 'Winch', 'Choob', 'Dug' and 'Dunk'.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
72 of 73 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
Written and performed by Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson, The High Life tells of Air Scotia's most useless cabin crew twosome, camp alcoholic Sebastian (Cumming) and insecure sex-obsessed Steve (Masson), and their various escapades. This six-part series was a product of a pilot (pun intended) for Comic Asides, which was eventually reworked as Episode Four in the series (Choob). This is not everyone's cup of tea, but if your thing is pantoesque quickfire dialogue, bitchy quips and much alliteration aplenty you will LOVE it.
Highlights include the gorgeously camp Batman spoof in the final episode, the Eurovision Song Contest entry "Pif Paf Pof (I Want To Have It Off)", complete with black lycra cycling shorts, and the hilarious opening titles and theme song, also written by Cumming and Masson. Siobhan Redmond is also fabulous as head air steward Shona Spurtle - "Hitler in tights".
A truly original comedy gem that should have been given a second series, before Cummings went Hollywood-bound.
Dearie me!
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By qtvxzplr
Format:DVD
I saw this hilarious Scottish comedy around 10 years ago on BBC America. If I'd known I would never see it again (until the new release date), I would have recorded it then. It was never released on DVD in America and the discontinued British release was too expensive. So I've just kept checking for a new release. Huzzah! Words can't really describe the twisted hilarity and (for some) impenetrable Scottishness of this show. Too bad they didn't make more episodes, but at least it's finally available again.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Ms. Felicia Davis-burden
VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
There are many barmy moments of deranged genius in this series. I watched it both times it was aired on the BBC, loved it to pieces and was delighted to find it finally on DVD at a VERY low price.
Wonderful characters: Captain Hilary Duff - part-Volcan, lamenting his marital difficulties 'she didn't understand me, she's from Sri Lanka', and always having to be reminded that he's meant to be piloting the plane to Heathrow. Shona Spurtal - Chief Stewardess - aka Mussolini in Micromesh, Hitler in Tights or Goebals in a Gossard. Steve McCracken - ginger haired, sex-starved with a passion for finding ever elusive passion. Sebastian Flight - Bitchy fellow steward with Eurovision stardom pretension, composer of that fabulous null-point corker 'Piff Paff Poff'. Cameo roles by such luminaries as Guy Wersh - Scottish rock star 'Pushing 30.... Years in showbiz, babe!', composer of classic albums such as 'Badger Ma Tadger' by the Ganting Screechs. And so on.
Really hilarious, perfect viewing for those evenings when you need to recover from your soul-destroying job. Just think, it could be worse - you could be a trolley-dolly driven to cabin-aisle performances of Bolero in a cleaning pinny to liven up the early hours... Oh deary me!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Gracie
Format:DVD
I bought this DVD when it came out, due to the fact that Siobhan Redmond was in it - and I'm SO pleased I did! If you're looking to cheer yourself up after a miserable day, THL is the way to go. Although explicitly Scottish, anyone can enjoy its "camp" humour & enjoy all the characters flaws which make them hilarious.
Definitely worth it!
Definitely worth it!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
I almost wet my undies with excitment when I found this on DVD! After years of watching an increasingly poor quality taped off telly video this DVD was Heaven sent.
Camp and hilariously funny, with a theme tune so catchy you'll be singing it for weeks, this wonderful comedy never really got the attention it deserved, each episode is 30 minutes of non-stop laughter you'll not regred buying.
There were rumours of a 2nd series being written, but alas that never got made... the cast are now stars of Eastenders, Holby City, The Smoking Room and even James Bond films!
Watch it and feel how much you're friends get anooyed with you when you keeping quoting "Oh deary me!" every five minites - excellent.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By "chimpanay"
Format:DVD
At long last, the BBC has finally come to its senses and has decided to share one of its funniest (and most underrated) sitcoms of the nineties with the DVD-owning public. I have even ordered TWO copies in case one should get ruined. And at least I won't now have to spend hours on my computer (illegally) transferring my precious, but ropey VHS copies of the series to MPEG files!!
The High Life somehow manages to combine pre-school-age humour, playground sexual innuendo, amusing tongue twisters Ronnie Barker would be proud of, surreal visual jokes (often involving the equally surreal Captain Duff), Blackadder-style sarcasm (spewing from and more often directed towards chief purser, Shona Spurtle) and camp song-and-dance numbers. It all sounds a horrible mess - but it isn't, mainly due to the convincing and intelligent dialogue, highly inventive storylines and the superb comic acting of the main cast.
Written by and starring Alan Cumming & Forbes Masson, the show's central characters Sebastian Flight & Steve McCracken were based heavily on their famous (in Scotland anyway) comedy alter egos, Victor and Barry. Along with Naked Video, Chewin' The Fat and Absolutely, the High Life further illustrates the rich vein of Scottish humour that is all-too-often ignored by the television schedulers south-of-the-border.
I think the greatest strength of this show however is that it doesn't have any feeling of nastiness and cruelty that many other modern British comedies seem to leave the viewer with. And it doesn't take itself too seriously either like American comedies are prone to with their heavy moralising.
All the six episodes are equally funny.... Read more ›
The High Life somehow manages to combine pre-school-age humour, playground sexual innuendo, amusing tongue twisters Ronnie Barker would be proud of, surreal visual jokes (often involving the equally surreal Captain Duff), Blackadder-style sarcasm (spewing from and more often directed towards chief purser, Shona Spurtle) and camp song-and-dance numbers. It all sounds a horrible mess - but it isn't, mainly due to the convincing and intelligent dialogue, highly inventive storylines and the superb comic acting of the main cast.
Written by and starring Alan Cumming & Forbes Masson, the show's central characters Sebastian Flight & Steve McCracken were based heavily on their famous (in Scotland anyway) comedy alter egos, Victor and Barry. Along with Naked Video, Chewin' The Fat and Absolutely, the High Life further illustrates the rich vein of Scottish humour that is all-too-often ignored by the television schedulers south-of-the-border.
I think the greatest strength of this show however is that it doesn't have any feeling of nastiness and cruelty that many other modern British comedies seem to leave the viewer with. And it doesn't take itself too seriously either like American comedies are prone to with their heavy moralising.
All the six episodes are equally funny.... Read more ›
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very very very funeeee!
I remember this on tv many years ago. It was hilarious. Alan Cummings and the rest of the cast were wonderful. So great to be able to watch whenever I want. Money well spent.
Published 6 days ago by Moywa1
4.0 out of 5 stars
Birthday Present
I bought this for my daughter who is new to cabin crew. I think they are very funny but I think the humour is a bit old for my daughter. Read more
Published 11 days ago by A. E. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alan Cumming at his best
Very funny, well written and the best opening number I've seen in a long time. Alan Cumming, from The Good Wife and Cabaret (on stage on Broadway and in the West End) stars
Published 11 days ago by Jazzie_marie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still Love these two
Never forget this series. All episodes are magic apart from the last one, which feels as if its been cobbled together with no real idea behind it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Aleppo
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent comedy
scottish comedy at its best great cast well written helps to know scottish may not be for kids [ adult themes]
Published 2 months ago by s henry
4.0 out of 5 stars
Camp as it gets!
I loved this in the 90s - very funny and silly.
If you like bitchy camp humour, delivered in Scottish accents, and dwelling on Scottish themes/names (ie tablet recpies,... Read more
If you like bitchy camp humour, delivered in Scottish accents, and dwelling on Scottish themes/names (ie tablet recpies,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Pearly Queen
4.0 out of 5 stars
Memories
First saw this show while visiting Britain in 1996. Had flown there with an airline whose livery was very similar to Air Scotia with an in flight magazine the "High Life"... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R M Bound
5.0 out of 5 stars
The High Life
Brilliant DVD - Alan Cumming is hilarious and the whole DVD is funny. Shame they didn't make more - brilliantly observed details about passengers and the other crew members - you... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr N Bridger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hahahah !
A true Scots comedy classic, so so so funny, the one liners just keep (Alan) Cumming - highly recommended !
Published 5 months ago by Stuart Davidson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Never quite as good as you remember
...having said that, The High Life, with all of its 6 (plus pilot) episodes, reminds us of how mid-90s comedies were: jaunty, colourful and somewhat repressed in terms of language. Read more
Published 5 months ago by phatboi
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
