Birkin, John

French & Saunders Collection

French & Saunders: Living In A Material WorldLook out Hollywood! Watch your back TV-Land!The silver screen will never be the same once it's been processed through the mad minds of Britain's best comediennes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.It's never safe to go into the water when these hilarious hotties throw on their swimsuits to join the cast of Baywatch...and that's just the beginning. French and Saunders puncture pretensions with sketches based on Fellini and Bergman and mock the material girl and mopping up the floor with Batman and Braveheart.French & Saunders: Gentlemen Prefer French & SaundersGentlemen prefer blondes but when Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders parody Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe it's proof enough why comedy fans prefer French And Saunders. And ever wondered what the Queen has for a mid-morning snack? Of course not. But that won't stop breakfawn from hilariously reporting on this and other topics of equal importance. Stunning highlights include the meeting of the minds behind the book Rock Stars and Their Toilet Seats a special Opera Classics recording session an outrageous look at the magazine industry with Womanly World and the original Absolutely Fabulous skit.French & Saunders: At The MoviesWait till you see what these funny femmes do with movies that range from A to uh T - from Alien to Thelma and Louise plus Misery (watch out for the sledgehammer dearie) and Silence of the Lambs. Also in French and Saunders' comedy sights are Shakespeare's England the royal family stuffy costume dramas music videos and those sex-crazed dweebs who deliver the inter-office mail in a company just like yours.System Requirements:Length: 440 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794051221025

Chef! - The Complete Series One

Meet Britain's finest -- and most ill-tempered -- chef Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry) of the prestigious Le Chateau Anglais restaurant. Each meal is a masterpiece. Just don't ask for salt. Chef Blackstock rules his kitchen with an iron ladle and puts up with no slacking. The trouble is that his underpaid and overworked kitchen staff is littered with slackers. Tuck in and prepare to double over in laughter with this hilarious and much loved comedy series from the BBC!Running Time: 210 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794051222527

Hungry for a laugh? The BBC serves up more than a few chuckles in this engaging sitcom about imperious chef Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry), a stern taskmaster who runs his kitchen with an iron fist, a lightning tongue, and a silver palate. The show combines some of the best elements of episodic drama and zany comedy, generously seasoned with sensual splashes of fine French cuisine. (Picture Julia Child crossed with Fawlty Towers' John Cleese following a script by the creators of thirtysomething and you get the general idea.) The first series introduces Blackstock as a brilliant, egotistical black chef running an all-white kitchen--until, that is, his wife maneuvers him into hiring an old school chum. Challenges mount as the restaurant faces bankruptcy and Blackstock decides to risk everything to buy it. Could fulfilling his dream wind up costing the king of the kitchen his home and savings? Supported by a talented ensemble cast, the dramatic story arc develops gradually enough to keep viewers wanting more, while individual episodes rest on more traditional sitcom gags--like when the new apprentice chef loses a Band-Aid somewhere in the kitchen but can't tell which gourmet dish it landed in. Later, Blackstock, the ultimate perfectionist, devises his most perfect mouthwatering meal and scours the shady underside of England's green and pleasant countryside for the perfect closer... the king of cheeses, an illegal unpasteurized stilton. Gradually the supporting characters are given more room to grow--especially charming young Everton (Roger Griffiths), the bumbling, insecure prep cook. When Blackstock's boorish Jamaican father (Oliver Samuels) browbeats the "serious professional" into abandoning haute cuisine for a night featuring Caribbean food, it's Everton's legendary dumplings that save the day. (Watching him carefully prepare his Guinness punch might be worth the price of the disc alone.) Those expecting the surreal hysteria of Monty Python or similar classic British comedies might not care for Chef's subtleties, but those interested in quality television mixed with fine food and sprinkled with a few decent laughs will be more than satisfied by what this show has to offer. --Grant Balfour

Chef! - The Complete Collection (Series 1-3)

Hungry for a laugh? The BBC serves up more than a few chuckles in this engaging sitcom about imperious chef Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry), a stern taskmaster who runs his kitchen with an iron fist, a lightning tongue, and a silver palate. The show combines some of the best elements of episodic drama and zany comedy, generously seasoned with sensual splashes of fine French cuisine. (Picture Julia Child crossed with Fawlty Towers' John Cleese following a script by the creators of thirtysomething and you get the general idea.) Blackstock is a brilliant, egotistical black chef running an all-white kitchen--until, that is, his wife maneuvers him into hiring an old school chum. Challenges mount as the restaurant faces bankruptcy and Blackstock decides to risk everything to buy it. Could fulfilling his dream wind up costing the king of the kitchen his home and savings? Supported by a talented ensemble cast, the dramatic story arc develops gradually enough to keep viewers wanting more, while individual episodes rest on more traditional sitcom gags--like when the new apprentice chef loses a Band-Aid somewhere in the kitchen but can't tell which gourmet dish it landed in. Later, Blackstock, the ultimate perfectionist, devises his most perfect mouthwatering meal and scours the shady underside of England's green and pleasant countryside for the perfect closer... the king of cheeses, an illegal unpasteurized stilton. Gradually the supporting characters are given more room to grow--especially charming young Everton (Roger Griffiths), the bumbling, insecure prep cook. When Blackstock's boorish Jamaican father (Oliver Samuels) browbeats the "serious professional" into abandoning haute cuisine for a night featuring Caribbean food, it's Everton's legendary dumplings that save the day. (Watching him carefully prepare his Guinness punch might be worth the price of the set alone.) Those expecting the surreal hysteria of Monty Python or similar classic British comedies might not care for Chef's subtleties, but those interested in quality television mixed with fine food and sprinkled with a few decent laughs will be more than satisfied by what this show has to offer. --Grant Balfour

Meet Britain's finest -- and most ill-tempered -- chef, Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry), of the prestigious Le Chateau Anglais restaurant. Each meal is a masterpiece. Just don't ask for salt. Chef Blackstock rules his kitchen with an iron ladle and puts up with no slacking. The trouble is that his underpaid and overworked kitchen staff is littered with slackers. Tuck in and prepare to double over in laughter with this hilarious and much loved comedy series from the BBC!

DVD Features:
Biographies:Cast bios
Interviews:Interviews with Lenny Henry and Caroline Lee Johnson
Other:Appearance by Lenny Henry on "The Good Food Show"

Chef! - The Complete Series Two

Meet Britain's finest -- and most ill-tempered -- chef Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry) of the prestigious Le Chateau Anglais restaurant. Each meal is a masterpiece. Just don't ask for salt. Chef Blackstock rules his kitchen with an iron ladle and puts up with no slacking. The trouble is that his underpaid and overworked kitchen staff is littered with slackers. Tuck in and prepare to double over in laughter with this hilarious and much loved comedy series from the BBC!Running Time: 210 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794051222626

French & Saunders: At the Movies

Ab Fab creators Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders star in this highlights program of the best skits and spoofs from their fourth season. Includes send-ups of Alien, Misery, Silence of the Lambs, stuffy costume dramas, and of course the royals.

Chef! - The Complete Series Three

Meet Britain's finest -- and most ill-tempered -- chef Gareth Blackstock (Lenny Henry) of the prestigious Le Chateau Anglais restaurant. Each meal is a masterpiece. Just don't ask for salt. Chef Blackstock rules his kitchen with an iron ladle and puts up with no slacking. The trouble is that his underpaid and overworked kitchen staff is littered with slackers. Tuck in and prepare to double over in laughter with this hilarious and much loved comedy series from the BBC!Running Time: 180 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794051222725

Gentlemen Prefer French & Saunders

For Americans not familiar with the comic machinations of the oddball collaborative duo of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, this video is the perfect introduction. Taken from one season of their British sketch-comedy television series, this video contains a great variety of their work. Dawn French is probably best known in the U.S. for her PBS appearances on The Vicar of Dibley and Murder Most Horrid. In addition, she cowrote the disturbingly funny series Absolutely Fabulous, which is usually associated solely with Jennifer Saunders (who plays Edina).

French and Saunders excel at movie spoofs. Their talent for parody, combined with their excellent eye for wardrobe (notably the million hairstyles of Dawn French), make even their portrayals of Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe realistic. They also include non-parodying sketches, two of the most hilarious being the original Absolutely Fabulous scene and a women's-magazine publisher sketch. Although sometimes their humor includes decidedly English gags and British personalities, the entertaining nature of the show is not truly compromised. Those who are familiar with the show will delight in the duo's talent at its best, and those not familiar will have a great entrée into the fantastically funny, bizarre world of French and Saunders. --Amanda Powter

The comic duo behind Ab Fab bring their unique sense of humor to movies, music, magazines, and mid-morning television in this collection of classic spoofs. Includes Rock Stars and Their Toilets, Opera Divas, Womanly World, and the original Ab Fab sketch.

French & Saunders - Back with a Vengeance

Look out Hollywood! Watch your back TV-Land! The silver screen will never be the same once it's been processed through the mad minds of Britain's best comediennes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (creator and star of Absolutely Fabulous). In series 6 French & Saunders pay hilarious tribute to Cold Mountain Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Passion of the Christ.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794051220929

The comedy duo of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders return in full splendor! Each has gained greater fame individually (in The Vicar of Dibley and Absolutely Fabulous, respectively), but delightfully ridiculous things happen when they combine their powers--crazed and surreal humor they could never fit into any other forum. In one sketch they play Renaissance stylists, sullenly assisting Boticelli with the costume and hair design for his classic painting of Venus; in another, they're a pair of retired Englishwomen in Florida, ecstatic to the point of madness over the abundance of American food. Rather than simply mocking Cold Mountain, they mock the movie and Nicole Kidman's vapid audio commentary on the DVD. Weaving in and out of the comic routines is a meta-sketch about the creation of the entire special, in which the pair depict themselves as lazy, fatuous, arrogant narcissists whose only redeeming feature is that their producer is even more ignorant and incompetent than they are. French and Saunders skewer female excess like no one else--in a holiday special included as a bonus, French does a devastating version of Catherine Zeta-Jones giddily reveling in her success, giving a Christmas speech as the Queen of Wales. The loopiness of the best bits defies description; their rapport and timing are simply exquisite. It's a pleasure to be in their company again. --Bret Fetzer

French & Saunders - Living in a Material World

Only Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders could possibly bring a humorous light to Ingmar Bergman: "Oh, God, is it going to be another Bergman day?" asks French in the bleak black-and-white takeoff, complete with Death coming to call. Even if you've never seen a Bergman film, you'll know enough to find this skit hilarious. In Living in a Material World, French and Saunders make fun of Madonna (Madonna Jennifer is dared to pretend she's blow-drying her hair), Fellini, Baywatch, Dr. Quinn (remade as Dr. Quimn, Mad Woman), Björk (French does a rhinestone-studded impersonation), young brides planning weddings, art galleries, and so much more. The dynamic duo behind Absolutely Fabulous star in this sketch-format series that succeeds like no other. --Jenny Brown

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders take on American television, pretentious foreign films and Madonna and that's just in the first fifteen minutes of this hilarious collection from their fifth series.

French & Saunders - On the Rocks

Look out Hollywood! Watch your back TV-Land! The silver screen will never be the same once it's been processed through the mad minds of Britain's best comediennes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (creator and star of Absolutely Fabulous). Celebrate the holidays French & Saunders style as they sink the Titanic spear Britney Spears enter The Matrix and more!Running Time: 131 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794051220820