Amazon.co.uk Review
Les Dawson was one of the last practitioners of a comedy tradition that had its roots in variety, pantomime and the hard knocks school of Northern working-men's clubs. Right up until his death in 1993, he saw no need to revise or modernise his material in the face of the "alternative" comedy revolution--"I'm not saying she was fat, but they used her knickers for hang-gliding", "the mother-in-law got on a chair and sang all the songs she'd learnt as a stormtrooper"--because the enduring charm of his performances depended less on the material than his delivery. Dawson was the master of the deadpan and, coupled with a flexible face that lent itself to hilarious gurning, he could transform the longest shaggy-dog story with the weakest punchline into a comedic masterpiece. On this video a selection of his monologues, sketches (including, of course, several doses of
double entendre queens "Cissie and Ada" with fellow drag artist Roy Barraclough) and notorious attempts to play the piano are interspersed with some variety performances and--arguably his finest hour--his stint as host of
Blankety Blank ("This is the first time I've hosted a quiz show and I feel about as comfortable as a lame turkey sat on a pile of paxo listening to Christmas carols"). Taking over from genial but bland Terry Wogan, Dawson transformed this trivial BBC quiz show into a sublime send-up of the format. Excerpted here are a handful of his set-piece jokes, but some of the most priceless moments were his ad-libs to the minor celebs on the panel or his sarcastic reflections on the show's prizes. If the selection here seems haphazard, it's probably because there is no such thing as a "classic" Les Dawson sketch: his very presence was the essence of his comedy. --
Mark Walker
Synopsis
Classic moments from one of Britain's best-loved comedians.
