Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

RaspberryLucozade 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' set the ball rolling for alternative comedians when it first arrived in 1979. As was the case with 'The Young Ones' after it, the impact 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' had on viewers was unbelievable. Nothing like it had been seen before on British television, not at least since the arrival of 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' a decade earlier.It was a satirical show, and by that I mean much of the humour concerned topical issues of the day. The first episode kicked off with John Cleese as Basil Fawlty from 'Fawlty Towers' introducing the show as a 'tatty revue'. In the cast for the first series were Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson ( wife of Scots comedian Billy Connolly ), Mel Smith and Chris Langham. The first series was patchy at best though it went down well enough to be awarded a second series a year later, with Griff Rhys Jones replacing Chris Langham.One of my favourite sketches featured a hilarious spoof of 'That's Life' entitled 'That's Lies!' which featured Stephenson as Esther Rantzen ( ''this has got nothing to do with us!'' ). Another item saw Mel Smith on a woman's doorstep claiming to be collecting for charity on behalf of deaf karate experts. ''We don't give to charity!'' says the woman before closing the door on him, to which he kicks the door down and then enquires: ''Pardon!''. The best of all featured Mel Smith as a professor being interviewed on behalf of his experiences on living with a gorilla called Gerald ( which was Rowan Atkinson in costume ).PROFESSOR: When I caught Gerald in the jungle in 1968, he was completely wild! GERALD: Wild? I was absolutely bloody livid! 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' was not in my view a classic show but it certainly had its fine moments and its influence on later shows such as 'Naked Video' and 'Spitting Image' cannot be ignored. Pamela Stephenson, apart from appearances on 'Saturday Live', did not do another comedy show though Rowan Atkinson moved into sitcom with 'Blackadder' while Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones stuck together for the long running 'Alas Smith & Jones'.

bretttom This is without a doubt the funniest sketch show ever made, the sketches still remain fresh today, time after time. The quality of acting is superb and being a huge Rowan Atkinson fan i have to say this is some of his finest work, even alongside Mr Bean and Blackadder. Mel Smith also stands out as a fine comic actor as well, look out for the drinking game in the style of a darts match...wonderfully inventive! Rowan Atkinson only has to look at the camera in one of the sketches to make you laugh as his style is so unique it has people in fits of laughter, simply every time he's on screen. An absolute comic genius in a cutting edge comical sketch show!

Nick Cox What a pity that the comment that is visible on the front page puts down one of the best sketch shows of the 1980s and completely misses the point. It reminds me of the time when someone wrote to 'Points of View' to complain about the racism in 'Goodness Gracious Me' after the 'Indian teenagers visit Britain' and 'Going for an English' sketches. As the writer of the comment was Scottish I wonder if he finds 'Chewin' the Fat' offensive to people with throat cancer! Not the Nine O' Clock News was equally capable of hilarious comedy and biting satire. I remember Rowan Atkinson's monologue as an alien with a faulty translator being the first thing that ever made me laugh uncontrollably, long after the sketch had ended; The series' songs were clever parodies of such pop stars of the time as Sheena Easton, Blondie, Kate Bush and Motorhead; and the 'Gerald the Gorilla' sketch was superb. There was also excellent satire as well, directed at police racism (the 'Constable Savage' sketch), religious outrage over 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' (the 'Life of Christ' sketch) and patronising Hollywood attitudes to issues in other countries (the 'Hollywood Salutes Lech Walesa' sketch). Perhaps our negative reviewer found the 'Coca Cola' sketch offensive to fat people instead of a comment on the fact that a so-called 'cool' drink is actually fattening and unhealthy. It's a pity that this series is only available on 2 'Best of' DVDs (why the hell do the BBC do that?) as it was the launchpad for the careers of Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys-Jones, all of whom are still entertaining us (to a greater or lesser degree) today. And furthermore it shows us that Pamela Stephenson was a talented comedienne who need not have given up performing (though to her credit she has achieved a great deal in the years since her 'retirement'). A much-missed gem.

sixstringscouser I have recently been watching the repeats of NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS and I've really enjoyed them. I didn't see them the first time around, but I really enjoy the range of subjects that this comedy show embodies. These include music gags, political humour and a whole lot more! The stars include Rown Atkinson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhyss-Jones and if you are a fan of any of these people I would advise you to check out this show. Very enjoyable with a great cast. 8/10