Lets build a love state.....here in Notting Hill Gate! (Hippies: The Complete Series (DVD))

Member Name: tomflint

Product:	Hippies: The Complete Series (DVD)
Date:	04/05/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simon Pegg and the supporting cast

Disadvantages: Occasionally resorts to annoying slapstick

'Hippies' was a comedy series/sitcom of sorts shown on BBC 2 in 1999. I remembered seeing it and enjoying it, so whilst on Amazon recently I thought I'd pick it up.

The 'plot' of the 6 part series revolves around the publication of underground magazine 'Mouth', which is edited by goofy Ray Purbbs [played by Simon Pegg] assisted by his 'girlfriend' Jill [Sally Phillips] and friend Alex [Julian Rhind-Tutt]. The magazine is being produced from Ray's squalid flat in Notting Hill, the year is 1969.

Each episode of 'Hippies' takes a theme associated with the hippy movement and sends it up for comic effect. In Episode 1 'Protesting Hippies', Ray trys to find a suitable event to stage a protest at. Nothing is going on so he protests at a sandpaper exhibition!. Meanwhile, the self styled 'biggest freak in the world' Jerry Gervitz comes to stay at the flat and has a bed-in with Jill. The episode features actor Kevin Eldon, who will be familiar to many from his work with Stewart Lee and also Chris Morris in Brass Eye and Jam.

In Episode 2 'Hairy Hippies', Ray puts on a rock musical [obviously a parody of the hugely successful 'Hair'] and experiments with growing a beard. This is probably my favourite episode, as there is a superb performance by Peter Serafinowicz as an arrogant and aggressive actor who keeps threatening Ray with a series of increasingly colourful language!.

In Episode 3, 'Sexy Hippies', Ray is invited to a 'sex party' with Alex and gets seduced by Alex's mum who is played by Eleanor Bron. A nice touch having a real 60s 'it girl' play an older version of herself, its also a funny parody on 'The Graduate'.

In Episode 4, 'Dippy Hippies', copies of the magazine are stolen before publication and Ray and his friends are anxious to get them back as they are 'anti the Police!'. The police who help to recover the magazines are very kind hearted forcing Ray to change the cover and sentiment of the magazine to be in favour of the Police.

Episode 5 'Muddy Hippies', features the obligatory rock festival as the hippies go camping and take various drugs. Ray also buys a car which has got to be one of the most ridiculous props ever made for a BBC series!.

The final episode 'Disgusting Hippies', is a parody of the famous Oz magazine obscenity trial, as Ray is put on trial for having allowed children to publish the magazine, which then results in them using the 'c' word.

'Hippies' is certainly not hilarious and there have been better comedy series written, but its certainly ALOT funnier than 'My Family' and I think its a shame that a second series was never produced. The BBC did commission one but writer Arthur Matthews was dissapointed with the critical mauling the first series got and decided not to write it.

Arthur Matthews and Graham Linehan are probably the two best TV comedy writers around today, having cut their teeth in the 80s writing for 'Smith and Jones' and other sketch shows, they got their big break with the superb 'Father Ted' in the mid 90s. The BBC, falling over itself to sign up this successful writing team allowed them scope to produce both a sitcom and a sketch show. The sitcom was 'Hippies' and the sketch show was 'Big Train'.

For some reason, not made clear, Linehan decided not to write 'Hippies' and it was left to Matthews, who did a very good job working on his own. Critics seemed to dislike 'Hippies', perhaps it was seen as 'too obvious' a target. If it makes you laugh though, that's the main thing, and this frequently made me laugh at the time when it was on. I also very much enjoyed 'Big Train' and have the dvd of that also.

Simon Pegg is always very watchable, and I believe that this, along with 'Big Train' was his first TV, just before the equally superb 'Spaced'. Linehan and Matthews saw Pegg doing stand up in a club in London and so a star was born!. Pegg is now one of Britian's biggest comedy exports along with Ricky Gervais, and its quite funny to see him in this earlier incarnation. The supporting cast is also very good, Julian Rhind-Tutt went on to greater success with 'Green Wing' whilst the vastly under used Sally Phillips is probably still best known for being part of the 'Smack the Pony' cast.

There is a commentary on the dvd with a rather prosaic Arthur Matthews, who for a great comedy writer is suprisingly unfunny in conversation!. There are interesting insights to be had from this though and some bits of info, some of which I've regurgitated here!.

There is also an amusing 'where are they now' poster thing done in the style of the 'Mouth' magazine featured as the inlay for the dvd, a fine souvenir. And there's the infamous David Frost interview with hippies featured, when the 'c' word was used for the first time on British television, which puts the whole period into a nice context.

Overall, although the hippy era is easy to lampoon, Matthews does a good job of making intelligent jokes about issues of the time and also highlights the sexism in a movement which was for 'the liberation of chicks'. All in all a good purchase and certainly worth £10 of your cash.

Can be bought on-line from Amazon or Play for a reasonable price.

Summary: Funny 60s parody.