Alan Davies Little Victories

Hamer hall, Arts Centre Melbourne

Friday 14th 

Alan Davies was relaxed and in fine form at Hamer Hall last night.   Sharp observations and reflections on current day to day life as a father of young children were mixed with reminiscences of his own childhood.  His relationship with his detailed-minded father (who raised three children after the death of his wife to leukaemia) was grand fodder for comic material.  The present day picture of his father now with early onset Alzheimers created the generational book ends in the father-son relationship and we were given insights to all personalities in-between,  reminiscent of  "My Family and Other Animals"  (look it up, kids).

Boom-Boom-Bang-Bang-Baby!

Horrible Histories has again taken the big one at the British Comedy Awards! Congratulations to the whole team, both on camera and off, who put this fabulous kids show together.

Never heard of it?  Don't worry; perhaps that means you're simply not in the orbit of a child...I came across it on ABC3 by mistake last year and have been hooked ever since.

Comedy Award 2010 for Best Sketch Show

Terry Deary's award winning books are the foundation of the programme and coupled with sheer writing talent, amazing musical and lyrical composition, solid historical context and an excellent cast, they have indeed made "the funniest historical comedy since Black Adder" as declared by the Daily Telegraph.

Writer Laurence Rickard has confessed to being just slightly influenced by his obvious love of Monty Python. I can see that, but the show is not purely derivative and deserves to be thought of more broadly, and with more intricacy and depth to it than the brilliant, abstract Python.