Mr Don & Mr George

I was an avid watcher of Absolutely as a kid at secondary school and this spin off was also a must watch. Jack Docherty and Moray Hunter managed to continue the surrealism of these frankly bizarre flatmates into full half hour episodes with some aplomb. I'm not sure how the production values will have dated, but the humour still hits the mark. This series has been absent from retailers for a good while now, but happily Channel 4 have seen fit to release it on iTunes. It would have been nice to have been able to get it on DVD like the rest of the Absolutely stuff, but it's better than having to peer through the snow of VHS recordings.

There's something incredibly endearing about this show. It only ran for 6 episodes but it's so silly, so extremely silly that you just have to laugh. I had this on a VHS tape and in 2024, having no way to watch it, I was over the moon to find each episode on an archive of the internet. An internet archive if you will. It's also been featured on All4 in the UK. It hasn't dated at all since the 90s because it was so unique anyway. Truly a brilliant show and there's been nothing like it since, gloriously silly.

You can run. But you can't hide. Your legs.

No wasps! Did I mention it's really silly? Yes.many times.

The basic premise is that George lives in a abandoned warehouse trying to make his way in the world by taking on risky and rather strange jobs. His recklessness is counterbalanced by his brother Donald's caution, who is on hand to give advice, but usually ends up as a victim of George's schemes.

This could have been 'The McGoodies' as it took surreal comedy into another street, in fact to a derelict house ( with a piano) down the road. Visually it was nicely put together and certain props such as the shape of the butler's bag are quite memorable. Jack Doherty went on to be a talk show host, but he belongs back here in comedy with his pal Moray. It didn't last long, maybe a wee bit before its time and perhaps it deserves a re-appraisal?

My family regard "Mr Don and Mr George" as one of the funniest programs ever, and I find it hard to understand how little success it achieved. Admittedly, the humour is very quirky, and often surreal, but I've seen little, before or since, that was just so funny it made you ache with laughter. The chemistry between Hunter and Doherty is perfect. With a low-budget set, and few other actors involved, it had to be. And this is one of its charms - no expensive production or smart locations - just two brilliant, and incredibly funny men playing it for all it's worth. Had it gone out on BBC1, I reckon it would have been massive. Anyway, we were fortunate enough to purchase the two VHS tapes (3 episodes each) during the short time they were available, but we've now virtually worn them out. I don't suppose these gems will ever make it onto DVD, but we can always hope. A true comedy classic if ever there was one.