Drop the Dead Donkey was a Channel 4 production and regarded as cutting-edge humour in its time. It broke new ground in its current affairs satire and its office-based sitcom, and was a frequent allusion in newspaper columns and conversations round the coffee machine. I enjoyed it at the time, and having missed the re-runs, thought it was worth another look.
It is set in the newsroom of an independent TV station. In the first episode the characters are established and delineated. George the editor, anxious and lacking in authority, Alex the thrusting professional deputy editor, Damian who would mug his grandmother for a good story, Dave, a bit of a lad, Gus the smooth corporate spy, Henry the lecherous old hack turned newsreader, Sally the posh airhead newsreader. The new ingredient in the standard sitcom mix is the current affairs background which the team is reporting on. Each episode's script was left open until the last minute to let breaking news be incorporated into the storyline. Art reflecting life. On the DVD there is a voiceover before each episode saying when it was first broadcast and what was happening in the world in that week. This first series started in August 1990 and events covered are Iraq, French farmers' blockades, sleaze, Margaret Thatcher. Nothing changes.
So how was it second time round? Disappointing. I didn't laugh nearly as much as I remember doing when it was first broadcast. At times I struggled to raise a giggle. Have times changed, or was it never really very funny? Both, I think. There are two separate strands of comedy here, pasted together, but which don't often gel. The first is the current affairs commentary. The barbs are witty and sharply observed but the problem is the delivery. One character lobs up a comment such as: "How are we going to cover such-and-such a situation?"; another character bats it away with a pithy and funny put-down. And there it ends, the gag is not developed, and we move on to something else. Or, à propos of nothing in particular, a character will make a remark about an item in the news, again witty, but it's left lying. The material is not the problem - it may be 16 years old but much of it is still topical. It's just that this kind of thing has been done much better in "Have I Got News for You" or the Radio 4 "News Quiz" where the comedians can pick up an idea and run with it, and a theme gets funnier as it's developed and embellished. Against this background another strand of comedy is developing among the characters, a more traditional sitcom of personal relationships and clashing personalities within an organisation, but again it has been surpassed by "The Office". The characters as described above are very stereotyped, and the prat-falls which inevitably come are therefore stock-in-trade and you can see them coming a mile off. There are no real rounded individuals or surprises which are the stuff of ground-breaking comedy.
Having said that, when the two strands do come together it is very funny, when what is happening in the outside world, and how the news team is handling it, meshes with the action between the personalities or within the corporate structure. It starts to happen, intermittently, about the middle of this series, which of course, indicates a comedy working itself in as the writers and actors grow into the situation. So perhaps I remember laughing at the second or third series. Certainly I recall characters who don't appear in these episodes - Joy the nihilist office assistant for instance. So I think the verdict would have to be that it needs time to settle down.
The acting itself is first-rate. There are no big stars or household names in the cast, although you may recognise Stephen Tompkinson from "Ballykissangel" and Haydn Gwynne from "Peak Practice". No-one gets all the best lines, there is a good balance between the actors and the comic timing is excellent.
This package is rated "12" and comprises 2 DVDs with 10 half-hour episodes, an unaired pilot and interviews with members of the cast and the two writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. I am a great admirer of Andy Hamilton, who is a regular on Radio 4's "News Quiz", and parts of his interview were funnier than Dead Donkey.
On the whole, if there's nothing better to watch, I might be persuaded to have a look at the second series. I just hope I'm not flogging a dead horse.
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Soundtrack
Average
How does it compare to others by the same director?
Not applicable
Value for Money
Satisfactory
What format are you reviewing?
DVD
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