Beast

STOP PRESS: Bothe series are now (Feb 2014) available on DVD in the UK

I can only concur with the previous reviews about Beast. It's something approaching a crime that the Beeb have not put this out on DVD -especially considering some of the dross that they HAVE put out! I have to demur from the adoration of Simon Nye's earlier "Men Behaving Badly" series -which I thought was only sometimes as funny as it thought it was. I also object to MBB on the grounds that it spearheaded the "Men are stupid, woman are clever" stereotype that was so prevalent in comedy and advertising around the millennium. I can only imagine the storm of protest that would have ensued if that stereotyping had been the other way around...

Anyway, no such problem with Beast, everyone in it is, happily - a lackwit!

This is a somewhat forgotten show it would seem - sad to say, as unlike quite a lot of the BBC's sitcom output of the late '90s and early 2000s is was actually pretty funny. It's not for nothing that there was quite a long period of abominations such as the ill-advised (to put it extremely mildly)Jasper Carrott / Meera Syal vehicle 'All About Me' which were known as s**tcoms. This at least had some jokes. Inasmuch as the concept of a sitcom involving a misanthropic veterinarian who hates animals can be, anyway.

Alexander Armstrong has always been good value for humour, whether it be in his prime on 'The Armstrong and Miller Show' or currently whiling away the twilight years of his career on the quiz show 'Pointless', and he makes a good... erm... fist of things here. The two standout things about this series that make it stick in my memory are without a doubt: a) the lovely Emma Pierson as the receptionist (my, she was gorgeous, sadly i think she was last spotted in the awful 'Hotel Babylon". Tragic.), and b) the bit where Armstrong rides naked on a pig down a street. Some memories just won't leave your brain no matter how hard you scrub.

This is brilliant comedy. The cast is perfect together, and the premise of a vet who doesn't like animals leads to many laughs. Alexander Armstrong is excellent as Nick, the animal-hating vet, bringing subtle humour out of every line he's given. The comic interplay between him and Doon Mackichan (as the receptionist) appears so natural, and is always hilarious. The other two vets in the practice provide the "weird" factor, completing a great ensemble cast. A lot of work has gone into this series, into the writing, the performing, and the sets (how refreshing to see a comedy set in which the camera can actually move around!) and it pays off.

I'm a huge fan of BBC comedy and I really think this is one of the best-although not particularly popular or acclaimed. Alexander Armstrong is hilarious and the story lines and scripts are excellent. The humour is both 'clean' and subtle but the underlying tensions and attractions between characters give this show more depth than many situation comedies. The characters work well together and are extreme versions of people we all know. I think this is as good as Simon Nye's Men Behaving Badly ( and believe me that that is high praise indeed) Sadly, this series has not been released on DVD and I've checked the BBC website and there doesn't seem to be any plan to do so.

I thought the two series of "beast" were very funny indeed, i think that Simon Nye's writing had got back on track with this programme after a couple of relative lack lustre efforts in his other ventures.

The acting from the cast is polished and professional, the story lines are very well thought out, and the characters quirky but likable, and performances from Alexander Armstrong show why he has gone on to be such a asset to comedy roles on TV.

Good supporting performances from everyone else too, i rather thought there was a third series in there somewhere, shame Simon Nye didn't come up with a third,

This programme is crying out for a DVD release, lets hope the BBC considers this, as it seems they have a wealth of material in their archives gathering dust.