Hippies

Had this series on tape from its first airing as a fan of Mathews/Linehan and Simon Pegg and rewatched all six episodes recently and found it to be great.

Father Ted was too hard an act to follow and maybe the premise of a group of hippies didn't capture the zeitgeist of the time but compared to a lot of the so- called 'comedy' around today - and in the past - this is a treasurable gem.

The spirit of Neil from the Young Ones is evoked in the hippy adventures that take place and it's a chance to gaze upon the pre-Spaced Peggster in all his youthful glory.

Underrated and deserving of more than one series - this comedy troupe could have been involved in a Blackadder type comedic study of other social groups in subsequent six episode series.

I often wonder why this series was slammed so much. I thought it was brilliant and also very cleverly written and performed. I think in time to come it will be seen in the light it deserves, that is if they ever issue it. Many up and coming young comedy actors appeared in this and all went on to greater things. Maybe this fact will make people aware of its value and it will have to be issued. Sally Phillips, Simon Pegg, Peter Serafinowicz and not least Julian Rhind-Tutt of the hugely successful Green Wing. The writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews are two of the finest comedy writers of the modern age. Anyone that can produce comedy like Father Ted couldn't be capable of writing something not worthy of publication. If it is ever issued I will certainly buy it.

Let's face it - the actors were just too old too be playing young hippies in the sixties. For me this just ruined the whole premise of the sitcom. Also while we're being honest, it wasn't very funny either, just writers living off there reputation for creating the much funnier Father Ted.

It leaves me thinking where have all the good sitcoms gone and will we have to put up with repeats of "Only Fools and Horses" and "Fawlty Towers" to remind us of how good situation comedy can be?

Hippies is possibly one of the funniest programs ever shown on TV. Rays East German car in Muddy Hippies almost gave me an asthma attack I was laughing so much. How cack like Two Pints of Lager... can be on almost constant rotation when Hippies doesn't even appear on DVD beggars belief. Julian Rhind Tutts effortlessly cool Alex is the perfect foil to Simon Peggs spokesman of a generation, Ray, while the rest of the cast are also excellent, especially Rays silently suffering father. Try and catch this on the late night comedy channels - its worth not being able to get up for work the next morning.

I hated the first episode of this show ( 'Protesting Hippies' ) so much in 1999 that I shunned the rest. However, when it came on 'The Paramount Comedy Channel' I watched it in full and, to my surprise, found it absolutely hilarious ( Motto: never judge a comedy series in its first week )!

Set in 1969, 'Hippies' stars Simon Pegg as 'Ray Purbbs', editor of an 'Oz'-like underground magazine called 'Mouth'. His friends are the feminist Jill, laid-back Alex, and the half-wit Hugo. Back in the late '60's, there was a feeling of incredible optimism amongst the young, that they could change the world through the printing of magazines nobody read. Rather than sneering at the hippies' naivety, 'Hippies' is affectionate towards it. Arthur Mathews' scripts cheekily parody a number of that era's icons - 'Hair', 'Woodstock', 'The Graduate', even the infamous 'Oz' obscenity trial of the early '70's. Excellent performances from the cast; Julian Rhind-Tutt's 'Alex' strangely put me in mind of the Richard O'Sullivan character from 'Man About The House'. Its a shame that there was never a second series, possibly because of people like me. If you missed 'Hippies', give it a try. Once you get past the dire opener, you're in for a treat!