Zapped

Came across this show because watching Dave one day. This is truly wonderful and deserves a real following. Paul Kaye and James Buckley are brilliant together. It's like a mix of Red Dwarf and Terry Pratchett. Paul Kaye is my favourite character so far playing the slightly useless but eccentric wizard Howell followed closely by Sharon Rooney's Soothsayer Barbara.

I fell in at the first episode of the second series and immediately knew I had found something great. Went back and watch the first series. It's hilarious from the start. It's an easy going, well rounded comedy, following a wonderfully kooky fantasy story with 6 foot burly fairies and a plethora of other creatures.

A definite must watch for a lazy night in.

I found this program purely by chance, while channel hopping. It's totally bonkers and I love it, I have a fairly well developed off beat sense of fun, and it tickles my funny bone. I'd found yonks ago not to analyse comedy, just go with the flow. I made a cardinal sin of actually wondering why I was laughing, approximately half way through a comedy sketch. Once I'd got the notion in my bonce I couldn't dislodge it from my mind. So now I try and simply go with the flow, as I had always tried to do with new comedy programs hitherto. I actually recognise some of the actors in it from previous programs, I knew the blokes face that plays Brian, though I've never seen the TV show he was in. I recognised the bloke playing the bar keeper Herman, but couldn't remember where from. Then I looked on IMDb for reviews, and saw a picture of him in Last of the Summer Wine, as a local copper. I'd seen the local wizard Howell before as the TV character Dennis Pennis. I've also seen Steve Koogan who appears as the circus Ringmaster. I'd say to any doubting Thomas's give it a go, and watch it for more than the odd episode. Of course the entire show is totally Odd, which for me gives an excellent reason for watching it. It's original a real one off, weird and zany. With what I found to be an interesting premise, especially seeing its development in later episodes. Of the action taking place across different dimensions and realities, between London and Munty, present time and prehistoric.

There comes a point on a TV series when it takes its overall stupidity and just plain senselessness and works with it. Its purely mindless and doesn't aim to have a fully coherent story line because that's not the point! I can't believe people would rate it lower purely on the fact that they want the plot to be better when that isn't the whole point of watching the show!

Overall, quite nicely made.

This show reminds me of the Mighty Boosh. It's not quite as funny, but the characters are funny and well written. The show improves a lot after season one.

It took me a little while to warm up to Zapped - but there's just something charmingly silly about the whole thing.

It's got a touch of the Red Dwarf magic about it; a genre rarely explored in sitcoms, a cast of slightly pathetic but oddly endearing characters, a small-scale, low-budget adventure each episode, and undeniably British humour.

All of the cast hold their own. James Buckley is the perfect fit for our ordinary 'hero' Brian; Paul Kaye is stand-out fantastic as hyperactive, geezerish wizard Howell; the ever-lovely Sharon Rooney is endearing as the naïve, aspiring seer Barbara; Louis Emerick is great as the affable warrior-turned-pub owner Herman; and Kenneth Collard is excellent as the half-giant, half-dwarf with delusions of grandeur, Steg.

The supporting cast also hold their own; I particularly liked Sally Phillips (Slasher), Rufus Hound (Kevlar) and Ricky Grover (Hawthorn).

With its format, I'm not sure it could have lasted that much longer beyond its 15 episode total without a loss of quality; as such, it probably ended at the right time - and definitely on a high. I really enjoyed it.