Wild On TV!

Note: This review is from 2001

Review by Steve Bennett

Go to Wild On TV in search of comedy, and you'll be surprised at what you'll discover.

For this is not just, as it superficially appears, just another Edinburgh sketch show - but good old-fashioned variety.

And you'll be blown away, not by the comedy, but the truly amazing singing talents of Jason Woods.

He brings the show to an astounding close with a perfectly straight demonstration of his stunning repertoire, ranging from Gabrielle to Pavarotti, which is so incredible it takes a moment to register that he's not miming to a backing track ahead of some comic effect.

A Stars In Their Eyes performance is certainly not what was expected, and it's a tribute to the power of his talents that he wins over an initially bemused audience.

As for the comedy elements, well, they're patchy.

The characters this skilful four-strong team creates are well-developed, interesting and brilliantly performed, and the meticulous attention to detail in both live sketches and filmed inserts gives the show an undeniable ring of quality.

Scripts, though, are a problem - and the humour very much a hit and miss affair, though worse has made in on to TV.

Delia Smith concocting a recipe using only alcohol, a funeral makeover service that makes corpses look like stars, and an old phoney fire-eating trick are, at best, one-joke ideas that cannot sustain a sketch.

However, there are moments of inspiration - Anne Robinson transformed into Eminem being a particularly memorable image - and you just cannot fault the execution.

Review date: 1 Jan 2001
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett

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