Bo' Selecta!

Bo Selecta is a Channel 4 comedy classic that has never ceased to make me laugh. It's great fun for fans of absurdist comedy, if you like stuff such as Reeves and Mortimer then I'd imagine you'll like this too. Much of the humour is derived from the deliberately absurd and over-the-top impressions of celebs, though some are spot on like the impressions of Ant and Dec. Leigh Francis did a brilliant job here and he can be proud after all these years. Series 3 is still very funny but a bit weaker than the other two as the format change meant the guests were in on the joke. In the first two Avid Merrion meets real celebrities who believe he is a real stalker, the part where he interviews Meatloaf is hilarious! Well worth a watch even all these years later.

Avid merrion is the creation of Leigh Francis, a gifted comedian. Avid first appeared in adverts for Big Brother last year, and built up a cult following soon after. Bo' Selecta! is Avid's first show, and it's crude, juvenile and cheap, yet very very funny. The best bits of the show are with Avid Merrion and his celebrity stalking activities; British R'n'B sensation Craig David, who is now from Leeds, is incontinent and has kestrel called Kes; his Michael Jackson, which is nothing like the real Jacko - he is hyperactive, ladens every sentence with profanity ect. And last but not least: Bedtime with the Bear. This is Francis dressed as a little bear, children's TV-style, yet with a distinctly adult twist! First time I saw his "tail" I had the giggles for the next couple of days. It's not all perfect though - The Week in Bits by Jordan's/Jodie Marsh's T*ts, Ricky Jervais, Mel B and Marilyn Manson are pretty darn unfunny most of the time.. Either way, I like it at the moment, but as I'm only 18 I'm still in it's target audience. Give it a few years and we'll see...

Comedian Leigh Francis satirises celebrities and celebrity culture. The show is hosted by Avid Merrion, a celebrity stalker. There's also Michael Jackson, Craig David, The Osbournes, Mel B, Britney Spears, Posh and Becks, to name bit a few, plus a host of temporary, generic celebrities and hangers-on.

A series that pokes fun at celebrities and does so in absurdist fashion. Absurd in that the personalities and mannerisms (and often even appearances!) of the celebs aren't necessarily based on their actual traits. Michael Jackson is a foul-mouthed jive-talking alpha type who does Jackass-type stunts, Craig David walks around with a bird of prey on his arm and has a strong Yorkshire accent, Britney Spears is lager-drinking slag who also has a strong Northern accent, Ozzy Osbourne has incredibly long arms (and is unintelligible - some traits are true-to-life).

This all makes for some hilarious moments without actually having a go at the stars themselves, as the traits they're imbued with are so ridiculous it would be stupid to think that's actually meant to be them.

Holding this all together is Avid Merrion, essentially the host of the show. His antics show up the insanity of fandom and the lengths some people go to.

It is a bit hit and miss though. You do need to know some of the minor celebrities in order to figure out the gag and some are so local and temporary that unless you're an avid watcher of British TV in the early-2000s you won't get who they are or what is being parodied. This isn't always a problem: the vacuousness and genericness of celebrities is highlighted: it doesn't matter what they do as they're pretty much like the next one.

The show also ran out of steam after two seasons. Season 3 felt formulaic and flat: all the best gags had been used and Francis was now just retreading the same old stuff.

Season ratings: S1&2 8/10, S3 6/10.

Bo Selecta is notable for a number of reasons. It doesn't conform to standard 'set-up, punchline' routines. It's the raw, random nonsense most young men have in their heads. It's the basic things you laugh at when drunk or with a group of mates. 99% of it revolves around sex. Most of the sketches seem to be thought up on set just before they are filmed, although repeating cathphrases is also a large part of the show. There is atleast one laugh-out-loud scene per episode, but too much of it is so, so basic - a man in a rubber mask shouting obscenities - that it wears out it's welcome fast. Worth seeing atleast once just to wonder how such a weak premise has become so popular (in the UK).

Bo Selecta is brilliant. If davideo even watched this show he would know that in the 2nd series the michael jackson character carries around blanket and is always followed by Martin Bashir. Secondly the fact that the characters based on famous people don't actually sound like them makes Bo selecta even more fresh and funny. (Check out Britney, David Beckham and the hilarious Mel B). It is true i do find it hard some times to watch Avid Merrion's transilvanian stalker but he is still very funny.

So Schamone Mother F***er