Spaced fans would be mad to miss it! (Asylum (TV series))

Member Name: l-m-n-o-p

Product:	Asylum (TV series)
Date:	16/04/08 (174 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's sporadically funny, and has curiosity value

Disadvantages: But really, it's nothing special

As any Spaced fan will probably know, Asylum is significant for being the project which brought together the makers of that show. Aired on the Paramount Comedy channel in 1996, it was directed by Edgar Wright, co-written by him and David "I'm a lady!" Walliams, and starred Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, as well as Julian Barratt, now famous for The Mighty Boosh.

Set in a mental institution, we are introduced to its owner, Dr Lovett (played by Norman Lovett) who is somehow both sinister and friendly. When one of the staff orders a pizza, the delivery boy (played by a baby-faced Simon Pegg) turns up, only to find that they're not letting him out again! When he protests to the Doctor, he is drugged and placed in a cell.

The other patients in the asylum include a pompous artist who calls himself Victor (played by Barratt), but whose actual name is Julian, and what appears to be his strange little sidekick, who doesn't speak but plays the guitar.

Jessica Stevenson plays Jessica (you're beginning to see that the characters are just named after their actors), a woman who at first appears to be the sanest of them all, but is actually paranoid and convinced that she is being pursued by the government. Stevenson also plays one of the staff, a sex-mad Irish nurse very reminiscent of the Catherine Tate sketch.

Finally, stand-up comedian Adam Bloom plays a wannabe stand-up comedian called Adam. He constantly annoys his inmates by telling stupid jokes, followed by canned laughter that he's recorded on his tape player. If you're not insane already, this guy would tip you over the edge.

Only one series of Asylum was made, comprising six episodes, and in truth, it's probably because it didn't really have the legs to continue being funny. It's essentially just a series of stand-up performances held together by the flimsy overall story of Pegg's pizza delivery boy wanting to be let out, with a single throwaway storyline in each episode.

There is some funny stuff here, particularly Stevenson's performance, which is essentially her Spaced routine but a little more crazy, and the nature of the show ensures that there's a non-stop stream of gags, most of them funny. If you're looking for a show that blends comedy with storyline, this isn't for you - imagine the recent BBC sitcom "Not Going Out", but with less story and fewer quick-fire gags, and you've got Asylum. Just sit back and watch Julian Barratt with a stuck-on paper beard.

In all honesty, this show is only going to be of interest to fans of Spaced and The Mighty Boosh, and most of the entertainment value comes from seeing them when they were younger (although Barratt looks just the same). It's clear that Pegg and Stevenson had a good on-screen partnership even back then, and Julian Barratt plays a character very similar to Howard Moon, and almost as funny. In fact, his artist character was originally the inspiration for Spaced's Brian, although Mark Heap decided to make him more likeable. Bit of trivia for you there, courtesy of the Spaced DVD!

There's a lot of geeky internet fanboy talk about trying to get a release of this on DVD, especially considering the success of Wright, Pegg and Barratt since this was made. At the moment I don't think it's going to be available any time soon, so the only way to watch it is on Youtube, and even then, I couldn't find any more than clips when I looked. Better than nothing though, I suppose!

In short, this isn't a great sitcom, and probably won't appeal to the general public, but if you're a fan of those involved it's definitely got a lot of curiosity value, and there are still plenty of good jokes to make it worthwhile!

So search for it, and let me know if you find it and what you think!

Summary: A series of stand-up sketches with a flimsy plot