The Best of British Comedy

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After two critically lauded runs on BBC Three (cable) built it a huge fan base, Little Britain moved up to BBC One, the U.K.’s top over-the-air network, for Series 3 in November 2005. All of the amazing characters brought to life by comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams return, including favorites Vicky Pollard, the fast-talking juvenile delinquent; personal assistant Sebastian and the man he lusts after, the prime minister (played by a wonderfully straight-faced Anthony Stewart Head); Andy and Lou, the wheelchair-bound slob (he's faking it) and his caretaker; Emily Howard and Florence Rose, two "not very good" transvestites; Daffyd, the "only gay in the village"; Bubbles DeVere, the corpulent health spa fan, and many others. Series 3 also welcomes new characters, Roman (Rob Brydon) and Desiree DeVere, Bubbles' ex-husband, and his new, larger wife; Sir Norman Fry, the conservative M.P. who is constantly giving press conferences about "accidental" homosexual trysts; and a Thai mail-order bride, Ting Tong, and her new husband, Dudley. The best of the new characters is definitely Desiree, who in almost every sketch winds up in a hysterical (and nude) physical battle with Bubbles at the health spa. In addition to the clever ViewMaster-style menus, the third series offers plentiful bonus features, such as deleted scenes from sketches; a behind the scenes at Little Britain production that aired on The South Bank Show; an interview with Richard & Judy (a U.K. Regis & Kelly); David Walliams driving a test car on the automotive-themed Top Gear TV program; an interview with Rob Brydon called "Little Britain Night"; and the audio-only Heresy radio discussion program hosted by David Baddiel. Top-notch writing from Lucas and Walliams keeps this series of Little Britain from becoming stale, and is a required addition to any Britcom fan's collection.