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Pompidou: Series 1 (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Acorn Media Review written by and copyright: Matthew Crossman (15th October 2015). |
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The Show
 Pompidou (Matt Lucas) is a penniless aristocrat who now lives in a caravan in the grounds of his run down country estate. Living with him are his Butler Hove (Alex MacQueen) and his dog, Marion. With no food or money Pompidou turns to various methods in order to feed himself and, more often than not, with disastrous results. ‘Pompidou’ is a brave experiment by Matt Lucas. The show is basically silent, with any dialogue essentially mumbo jumbo along the lines of ‘rhubarb, rhubarb’. A situation comedy of the most extreme kind with Pompidou and Hove have many misadventures in the search of money and food. The slapstick nature of the programme will probably appeal more to those with a younger mindset, especially children between the ages of seven and twelve. There are six episodes in total which comprises the whole of the first series. These are; ‘Hunger’ (25.10), ‘The Lottery’ (25.10), ‘The Bowl’ (25.11), ‘The Date’ (25.10), ‘Hoarder’ (25.10), and ‘Cold’ (25.10). The show as a whole is pretty much a one note gig but there are still some chuckles to be had. As an experiment I turned the colour down and watched an episode in black and white and I think it worked better. It may not be Buster Keaton or Laurel and Hardy standard but the show works along those lines. For those of you who prefer their comedy to be sight gags and crazy misfortunes then ‘Pompidou’ will work for you but for those that prefer their comedy to be on the subtler side will do well to stay away. Be careful when watching though. The theme tune will, annoyingly, stay in your head for days!
Video
Presented in anamorphic 1.78:1. The picture is perfectly adequate and a good representation of what was first broadcast on BBC 1 in March 2015. The picture has a gentle, soft sheen to it but the colours are well represented (unless you turn the colour down, like I did).
Audio
The only choice of audio is English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. As mentioned sound does not play a major part in the series barring one or two annoying tunes (written by Matt Lucas). Separation is fine between the speakers. English hard of hearing subtitles are included.
Extras
There are commentaries for all six episodes. All commentaries feature Matt Lucas and he is joined by various cast and crew members for different episodes. ‘Hunger’ features Ashley Blaker (who has known and worked with Lucas for many years.) ‘The Lottery’ feature Alex MacQueen who plays Pompidou’s butler Hove. ‘ The Bowl’ features commentary with Director and Producer Charlie Hanson. ‘The Date’ has a commentary with Ashley Blaker again. ‘Hoarder’ sees Alex MacQueen returning for his second commentary whilst the final episode, ‘Cold’ sees Charlie Hanson returning for his second commentary too. As mentioned, Matt Lucas accompanies them all on all the commentaries. Creating Pompidou (7.31) - Features many cast and crew talking about the idea behind the ‘silent’ comedy Pompidou and the difficulties surrounding filming the programme and the inspirations behind it. Making Pompidou (9.00) - Matt Lucas talks about directing, along with Charlie Hanson. They also talk about the difficulty and challenges in filming a series with no real dialogue. Living Pompidou (4.32) - Cast and crew talk about the sets and effects that are featured in the serious. Marion the Woof Woof (4.07) - This segment is dedicated to Marion, the special effect, ‘puppet’ dog that appears in the series. Special Effects I (3.42) - Matt Lucas and crew talk about some of the special effects featured in the series, most specifically a scene involving Matt Lucas in a tray of chocolate! Special Effects II (4.00) - Adam Graves, visual effects, talks about many of the images such as thought balloons that appear in the show as well as the opening title sequence. Composing Pompidou (2.01) Matt Lucas talks about the music in the programme that he composed specially for it. Wrapping Pompidou (1.02) Behind the scenes footage of Lucas after filming his final scene for the programme. Bloopers (3.02) - Exactly what is says on the tin. Mainly Matt Lucas laughing when he shouldn’t be.
Overall
Anyone with a sophisticated sense of comedy will be bemused by Pompidou. It is a very childish, slapstick sort of comedy that I feel will appeal to either the quite young or the quite old. There is nothing offensive in Pompidou and so it can be viewed by the whole family and that makes for a pleasant change of pace. Pompidou harkens back to the days of silent comedies and is a brave experiment for Matt Lucas and the BBC, one that will possibly not be repeated in any great hurry.
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