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7 February 2011
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Superhero Spike.Kim: "Batter-pudding-meister"

Well, blimey! Bemusing, helter-skelter comedy from the batter-pudding-meister himself.

Watching this you can�t believe that it is thirty years old - it has a verve which is rare, and a succession of characters that can only be the imaginings of a demented genius. The sketches are unruly, irreverent and a huge amount of fun.

Q took the comedy ball and pitched it out of the court , hitting a small dog and killing it, which was found by Mrs Wolsten-Casawary and later cooked into her finest stew. Spike Milligan was a comedy god. Anyone who disagrees can meet me outside, now.


Stephen: "Genre-bending Invention"

If you ever felt that you weren't quite sure what the phrase 'inspired lunacy' means, watch this show. Unlike other pretenders to the throne, this is truly surreal.

The gags are bizarre but ingenious. The artist colouring over the 'Mona Lisa' with a painting-by-numbers grid is a classic.

It is clear that Monty Python were inspired by this format, though didn't quite capture the frenzied pace and confused logic of Milligan's genre-bending invention.

It's almost too much to follow. It makes you realise how surprisingly conservative and formulaic the genre is now. Even 'The Fast Show' seems restrained compared to 'Q'.


James: "Cute Bits of Streets"

Q is a celebration of ... well, anonymous bits of West London. Lots of the random location work features cute bits of streets and parks around Television Centre. Some sketches even take place a little further down the street than the last one, almost as though Spike Milligan was just starting to head back, and then had another idea.

But the Punjabi Dalek who gets back after a hard day in the office: pure class.

VIDEO CLIPS

VIDEO CLIP:Exterminate The home life of Daleks

VIDEO CLIP:Handy In a crisis, this one.

VIDEO CLIP:Painting By numbers

VIDEO CLIP:That One! The idiot scout troupe

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