In this video there are 24 fcuks.... (Paul & Pauline Calf's Video Diaries)

Member Name: bertbaxter

Product:	Paul & Pauline Calf's Video Diaries
Date:	18/10/01 (314 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: LOL funny, not politically correct, could be addictive

Disadvantages: not in front of the kids

Without doubt Steve Coogan at his best.

This video has scenes which still make me laugh out loud and even cry after 10 viewings.

For anybody with experience or appreciation of northern life this is a sgood as TV comedy will get.

Even the trailer for the video reduces me to tears every time. There a some tribute websites where you can sample video and audio clips to see if ths is for you.

http://www.stevecoogan.freeserve.co.uk/
http://listen.to/partridge
http://currantbun.tripod.co.uk/paulcalf/
http://members.tripod.co.uk/DaviesM/

Characters
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Paul Calf (Steve Coogan)

Self appointed hero and hard-man. Lists hobbies as "smoking, drinking in pubs, Man Citeh, birds....guess I just like life really". Paul is a working class bum with no job and still lives with his mum, father has died. Paul has only one mate, Fat Bob who is always the butt of paul's humour. He had a girlfriend Julie, who has recently dumped Paul for another guy. This increases Paul's hatred for "fookin students", who he attempts to intimidate - if they are weedy blokes or impress - if they are attractive and intelligent. He succeeds in the former and dies on his arse at the other.
Paul Calf is such a grotesque character you really should hate him, although he is the classic british downtrodden underdog. In the end we secretly side with him and hope he comes out on top, knowing that it will never happen. The character is so beleivable it is easy to forget that this is Steve Coogan. Still regarded by many as the sharpest characterization by Coogan to date.

Fat Bob (John Thompson - Cold Feet, Fast show Jazz Club)

Plays the classic role of fall-guy to perfection. John Thompson has gone on to be one of the best Comedy actors in Britain at the moment. Bob is the classic "fat guy", low self esteem allows him to be dominated by Paul. He is however fond if Paul and w
ill always be there to support him when he (inevitably) fails. Later in the programee we see his character grow in confidence when his relationship with Pauline Calf (Paul's tarty sister) blossoms.

Plot
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Paul and Bob are up to the usaul stuff, drinking, smoking, loafing around the house and chasing women. They decide to make a video diary to capture new year's eve. Paul has just beeen dumped by his girlfriend Julie, which leads him to the act of revenge against the "new man" in Julie's life.


The only problem is that it cannot be done again. Paul Calf is every northern git rolled into one. He has the worst of every one-dimensional small time "hard-man" so cannot really be developed into a character for a TV series.
I think that a paul calf TV series would attratct more viewers than many modern crap sit-coms, even if Steve Coogan wouldn't feel good about resurrecting Paul. Maybe Paul Calf would outshine some ot his newer characters, I am sure there are lots of fans willing to watch a new series.


All in all this is a seminal piece of british comedy, compared to the Royle Family this is a masterpiece.

Summary: