For months and months we have all known that the election will take place on the 5th May 2005. Whenever Blair finally got round to officially announcing it, the election campaign kicked off and quickly (?) we found ourselves on the eve of polling. Michael Howard is out on the streets pressing the flesh and trying to prove that he isn't out to hurt anybody; Tony Blair is struggling to drop the insincere sheen of slogans and spin, even when he is at home much the annoyance of Cherie and Charles Kennedy gets realistic about what his party can actually achieve. Meanwhile the chattering classes debate their vote and discuss their reasons over after dinner wine and cheese, politicians spin their way through interviews and the voters mostly just stay at home.
A major political event just wouldn't e the same without Bremner, Bird and Fortune lining it up to take shots at it they did it with Iraq and here they do it with the 2005 UK election. Barely 40 minutes after the polls shut, the trio started their television special with an enjoyable mix of their usual sketches and rather dry delivery. The problem with the election though is that most viewers are already cynical enough about politics that the election is not as good a target as you would have thought. With the Iraqi situation, the comedy was depressing, tragic and very funny but with the election the sheer noise and overwhelming coverage means many people see it as less than important (I voted but only 48% of people in my area did). For this reason the show is a bit funnier and more accessible even if it lacks a sharp edge that usually comes with their material. Because their approach is more of mocking than cutting, the show is pretty funny with lots of good shits summarising the key moments of the campaign.
The usual stuff is there but the stuff that relies on the absurd or the sharp is not as effective as it usually is (specifically Bird and Fortune's interview and their solo stuff). Likewise the "middle class dinner" bit wasn't that great but then I don't really like that section normally and find that the material has to be perfect for it to be good. However the rest of it is very funny, with my favourite bit being Bremner's Howard out campaigning in Runcorn at the same time as the standing Tory candidate is being helped by the real Michael Howard hardly satire but still funny. Other sections where Blair, Brown and Kennedy come clean after the polls shut are cruelly funny but convincingly true! As always Bremner's impressions are spot on and Bird and Fortune are top class.
Overall this is a funny and enjoyable relieve from the election campaign and the blanket TV coverage of vote counting (less than half the country actually votes how many people bother to watch the coverage?). The material may not be as sharp as normal and they do do slightly more mocking that satirising but it is still a lot funnier and sharper than several other impressionists who just mock. If you didn't see it in May 2005 then I'd guess it is unlikely you'll get the chance again but the trio of Bremner, Bird and Fortune are well worth checking out no matter what is going on.
