The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff

"The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff" is a four-episode British series which pokes gentle fun at Charles Dickens and his style of telling stories. Considering that Dickens' stories can be a bit dated to read or dramatize, I was thrilled to see the tales inspire this very weird comedy. It's in some ways like the Blackadder shows...but not nearly as mean-spirited (I actually LIKE the mean-spirited aspects of Blackadder). It's all amazingly silly and enjoyable...but less so if you've never read any of Dickens yourself. I especially like how the show made fun of "Great Expectations", the god-awful story they forced us to read in 8th grade! However, I am sure that Dickens purists would be shocked and hate seeing all this...but as for me, I loved it all.

I don't know if it's just the vast wasteland of American TV that makes my opinion so different from the last two reviewers, but I thought this was pretty gently funny and fairly clever. The cgi effects were lovely, the actors may be old hat to the Brits, but are delightful for those of us across the pond to watch. And I just love Stephen Fry. I found it family entertainment for anyone whose kids have passed 9th grade English. It was a lot like the recent Terry Pratchett specials (Color of Magic and Hogfather). Not hilarious, not award- winning writing, but an enjoyable effort, and well worth a cup of hot chocolate and a few laughs.

I was quite surprised to come on here and see bad reviews... but I guess if you watch this program expecting it to be a thoughtful satire of Dickens then you might be a little disappointed. This program is, in a word, silly- and it is fantastic at being silly! Someone mentioned that it has the 'usual suspects' of the Beeb getting together- something they saw as a bad thing. Now, I am a fan of Mitchell, Webb, Fry etc, but putting that aside- this program seemed to me like a group of people getting together and having a laugh. So yes, the actors seem to be typecast... but they're playing the roles they love to play.

I don't think they were trying to be clever or make a new classic, they're just having fun. There are lots of shout-outs to Dickens (and our modern conceptions/interpretations of Dickens- Mitchell's character literally swelling with joy being a good example).

No, there's not much substance. There's a hearty nod to the Dickensian plot, a liberal smattering of caricatures and a mob of cannibalistic urchins. There are false moustaches and clockwork hats. There are silly ideas, and clever ideas (the three clocks).

Don't watch this expecting a serious film. Get some popcorn, relax and enjoy an hour of pastiche. You'll get to see Webb in a leading role, and you can play 'spot the comedian' with the supporting cast. Stephen Fry makes a fun villain with a stunning selection of hats. Robert Webb gets cooked with onions and arrested for not being manly. Parkinson gets addicted to treacle. Watch it, you'll enjoy it. ;)

I thought it a smashing success in so far as it managed to uncover our expectations towards these oldy-timey-feely Christmas programs and build up a not-altogether-unpleasant-to-the-eye caricature or formula of the whole business. In our silly and trusting ways, we incline towards taking that, which is portrayed in a more serious manner, as trustworthy representation of actual fact, or indeed merely more likely to convey 'the way it really-really was', the selling of dodo-crisps or what have you is perfect in so far as it exposes the core of the genre (and of the entire medium, while we're on the subject) as something that is wholly constructed and artificial. One wasn't 'sucked in' as with films that are more tightly woven, but the characters, albeit superficial, were still entirely charming on an as-is basis and as the unnaturalness disturbed the viewer, it also set off a thought process thereby also including the them, which is something that these mini-holidays usually don't succeed in doing. So nods to Messrs Mitchell, Webb and Fry.

1. Think of a wacky and innovative new idea for a sitcom based in Victorian England. 2. Knock together 6 half hour long scripts containing witty dialogue which can instigate genuine reactions of laughter from an audience. 3. Assemble a cast of experienced successful comedians and comedy actors and some new faces. 4. Hand them scripts and ask them to act out the scenes in full costume.

Sounds like a perfect plan.

Until you watch the show and realise that the Emperor has no clothes.

Will it improve and become more coherent as the episodes accumulate? One can only hope so.