Absolute Power - Series 1 (DVD)

...is the first series of Absolute Power, originally broadcast on BBC television in 2003. It comes after three series on BBC Radio 4.

This is an incredibly well-written, well-acted and artistically filmed programme. Stephen Fry and John Bird are as brilliant as ever, being both excellent actors and also very funny. The lesser-known actors are surprisingly good too, and every episode has a cameo or two to look out for, from people like ...
...wonderful DVD. I have seen it four times since I bought it, and am always finding new things. It was an effort to think of negative aspects of Absolute Power to balance the review. It is my favourite DVD I have bought this year.   ... more

This is the first series of Absolute Power, originally broadcast on BBC television in 2003. It comes after three series on BBC Radio 4.

This is an incredibly well-written, well-acted and artistically filmed programme. Stephen Fry and John Bird are as brilliant as ever, being both excellent actors and also very funny. The lesser-known actors are surprisingly good too, and every episode has a cameo or two to look out for, from people like Angus Deaton and Mark Lawson.

Charles Prentiss (Fry) and Martin McCabe (Bird) are partners of a top public media relations office in London. They entertain contracts from the government, the church, footballers, pop stars, comedians, historians and Nazis.

For people who have listened to the Radio 4 version, it is wise to be aware that Stephen Fry, John Bird and spin are the only things taken into the television version. It has new writers, new characters and a very different feel. The radio version is lighter and more joke-orientated, whereas the television version is deeper, more intelligent, more artistic and seems to have a little more oomph.

Whether or not this change from radio to television is good is a question of personal preference. Speaking personally, while I prefer the television version, I am glad that the radio version is still running between television series.

Let's move onto a few slightly negative points. The first is that the episodes are not all written by the same writer. The feel of each episode is, however, very constant, and the writers do well at matching each other's style. I got the impression that the actors, especially Stephen Fry, contributed a great deal to the scripts too, which adds another level of continuity between episodes.

The second point, which I found slightly jarring, was that the episodes finish often when you think they should carry on, when there is still more story that needs telling. This does add to the artistry of the episodes, but can be a little frustrating at times. This is, however, a fairly minor point at just two of the six episodes on the DVD.

The episodes are very deep, and contain far too many references for most people to be able to catch on their first viewing. If you want something to watch in the background, then this is not the DVD for you. It needs a surprising amount of concentration.

On balance, I think this is a wonderful DVD. I have seen it four times since I bought it, and am always finding new things. It was an effort to think of negative aspects of Absolute Power to balance the review. It is my favourite DVD I have bought this year.  

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