HELP - genius!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Feb 27, 2005 7:56 pm

Anyone see the new Paul Whitehouse thing HELP this evening? Utterly and totally superb, and terribly funny in many places. Writer and co-actor, er, Chris Langham, or something (who is he? Don't recognise him from Fast Show or anything) is a shrink, and PW is remarkably versatile, physically and in terms of mannerisms, as all of his clients. It goes from silly gags (man who thinks he's a dog sniffing the shrink's face, ridiculous Mediterranean type who is as cliched as can be) to the dealy serious (awesome closing scene with Gary suddenly losing his front and looking like he would implode). Forget Chris Morris's vaguely funny but largely obvious and tedious Nathan Barley and watch this, Sunday, BBC2, 9.30. By far the best thing I've seen Paul Whitehouse do, and that's saying something.

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Sun Feb 27, 2005 9:45 pm

Didn't make an effort to catch this as the Radio Times said something along the lines of 'it's supposed to be a comedy but it didn't make me (the reviewer) laugh'. As for Chris Langham, he's probably better known as a writer and was the narrator on the superb "People Like Us" a few years ago. Was also one of the Giggling Guards in The Life of Brian (y'know, the Biggus Dickus bit

), and, what I know him best as, Tight-Mouthed Larry in Bottom.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:09 am

Fortunately I followed the Guardian's glowing recommendation. What do the RT know? My wife and I laughed almost controllably through large parts of it. Don't know any of those Chris L things (don't really know LOB). He's very good though.

Jackson Monk · Post by **Jackson Monk** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:07 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:Fortunately I followed the Guardian's glowing recommendation. What do the RT know? My wife and I laughed almost controllably through large parts of it. Don't know any of those Chris L things (don't really know LOB). He's very good though.

Don't know LOB???? Please tell me you're joking...please!!??!!

I enjoyed Help, although I thought it was impressive rather than hilarious. A bit like Talking Heads or that thing with Keith Barrett in a taxi. Made me smile.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:27 pm

Quite enjoyed it but didn't make me laugh out loud, feel it may grow as the series goes on. I like PW, but felt he borrowed quite a lot from FS characters. I enjoyed the sitcom Happiness that he did, and was hoping for more of that. Also enjoyed Grass the comedy that the other bloke from FS did.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:36 pm

That's a shame cos for me it knocked all of them into a cocked hat. I loved the situation, the different feel and lighting for the different characters, and thought whitehouse was amazingly versatile. The over-the-top Italianate geezer who was going to break everything in his daughter's body was such obvious humour yet still made us crack up. And I was quite amazed by the sudden change in tone at the end. Great acting. And also little things like the shrink getting cuaght singing 'Get off of my cloud' to a plant pot.

When I was at school an annoying group of boys spent their lives reciting Monty Python sketches, especially LOB. Put me off it for life.