Nick Frost's Danger - 50000 Volts! (DVD)

...this fairly little-known guy called Nick Frost. I remember watching it; it was quite funny, especially considering it was on Channel 5. It was even moderately successful - attracting over a million viewers at its peak. But I thought little of it.

However, after Shaun of the Dead, and more recently Hot Fuzz and my belated discovering of his sitcom, Spaced, Nick Frost came back to my attention. Luckily, his new found fame meant that ...
...Over 8 half hour episodes, Nick Frost takes a light-hearted yet informative look at various dangerous situations. From being attacked by an alligator to getting stuck in the desert with no water, and from dealing with a hostage situation to delivering a baby in a taxi, if you have a problem, any problem - Nick Frost is the man to help.

Along the way he conducts semi-improvised interviews with real-life experts in each of these rather ... more

Back in 2002, Channel 5 showed a comedy series called “Danger! 50,000 Volts”, presented by this fairly little-known guy called Nick Frost. I remember watching it; it was quite funny, especially considering it was on Channel 5. It was even moderately successful - attracting over a million viewers at its peak. But I thought little of it.

However, after Shaun of the Dead, and more recently Hot Fuzz and my belated discovering of his sitcom, Spaced, Nick Frost came back to my attention. Luckily, his new found fame meant that his TV show was released in a two disc set, complete with a special thirty minute episode entitled “Danger! 50,000 Zombies”. No prizes for guessing who pops up in this as Frost’s co-star.

Anyway, before we get on to that, let’s take a look at the programme itself. Over 8 half hour episodes, Nick Frost takes a light-hearted yet informative look at various dangerous situations. From being attacked by an alligator to getting stuck in the desert with no water, and from dealing with a hostage situation to delivering a baby in a taxi, if you have a problem, any problem - Nick Frost is the man to help.

Along the way he conducts semi-improvised interviews with real-life experts in each of these rather specialised subjects (including Bruce Parry, the explorer you might have watched on TV), and uses their tips in live demonstrations. Yes, that’s right, The Frost really does tackle live alligators, although obviously some segments, including “How to survive being impaled by a pole” couldn’t have been done for real.

For the even more dangerous situations (or more accurately, the ones they couldn’t afford to re-enact), an animated Nick Frost guides us through volcano eruptions, forest fires and parachute failures.

I think Danger! 50, 000 Volts works as well as it does because it strikes a perfect blend between comedy and seriousness. Amongst the gags and the hilariously unrealistic scenarios, the experts do actually offer genuine advice, and some segments, such as “what to do if you’re lost in the dark” or “what to do if you’re trapped in a car underwater” could actually turn out useful someday.

The second reason it works is the presenter. Obviously a show like this lives or dies by the charisma of the presenter, and Nick Frost is as good as you would expect. (Unless you don’t find him funny, in which case you’re in the minority and you won’t like this show). He’s hilarious, both in his narration and his physical on-screen presence, and you can tell he’s genuinely interested in what the experts have to say. He gets involved eagerly, even if he is a bit of a wuss sometimes, and his enjoyment is infectious.

The format itself is very funny - the more savvy experts are on the same wavelength as Nick, and share in his jokes. But when he talks to foreign people who don’t fully understand the jokey side of the programme, it’s arguably even funnier. Watching a Norwegian doctor’s confused reaction when asked whether he’s seen a man’s penis get frostbite is priceless. There are also bizarre, stupid facts about each expert when they’re introduced (see the picture), and it’s all humorously low-budget, as the commentaries will constantly tell you.

As a DVD package it’s decent rather than brilliant. The menus are animated quite well, with some little jokes tucked away there, but the only real extras you get are the aforementioned special episode and a commentary on each episode. Admittedly, these commentaries (featuring Nick, the producer Jon Riley, and on a few, researcher “Katfish” and director Matt Gillbe) are very funny, with a mixture of trivia, behind the scenes anecdotes and plain old stupid banter. But you’d maybe want a bit more in the way of extras to make this DVD worth buying.

Some of the sound and visual quality is also a bit shaky and tinny, especially in some of the outdoor scenes, although like I said, it’s all quite low-budget so you can’t really complain.

Now we come on to the special feature, which for many people will be the reason for getting hold of this DVD. An obvious cash-in on their Shaun of the Dead success, this extra episode features Simon Pegg as an Australian, Dr. Russel Fell, from the Canberra Institute of Zombie Dynamics. He teaches Nick Frost about what exactly zombies are, how to escape and shelter from them, and, most importantly, how to kill them. As we all know, the only way is to destroy the brain or remove the head!

To be perfectly honest, this isn’t as funny as you might expect, although there are some humorous references to the film (“What about spades and bats?” asks Nick. “Don’t be stupid, this isn’t the movies” comes the reply.) It’s also funny to see the format of the show spoofed (it features the same introduction to the expert, the “recap of what we’ve learnt”, on-screen captions of key words and even the animated segment - all about zombies).

But although Frost and Pegg have their usual buddy relationship (including a strange moment where they suddenly kiss each other), Dr Russell Fell isn’t very funny, and it’s like Shaun… but lower budget and with fewer laughs.

Overall, Nick Frost’s Danger! 50,000 Volts is worth buying if, like me, you’re a massive fan of his stuff. If you’re casually interested, or vaguely remember the show, it might be worth getting, but at the end of the day it’s only an amusing TV show. Perhaps rent it instead. If you don’t like Nick Frost in his other stuff, I doubt you’ll like this. Although if you remember fondly that show with Justin Lee Collins (before he was famous) called “Ten things you didn’t know about…” then you might like this, as they’re pretty similar!

Anyway, in my opinion, more Nick Frost is always welcome on our tellies - have a look at Hyperdrive, and perhaps even ManStrokeWoman, if you’re interested. Although with ManStrokeWoman, only if you’re desperate.

“And remember that most of you will probably die at some time in your life. Don’t try this at home, kids.”
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This DVD is a bit hard to find, but you can currently get it for £9.97 from www.amazon.co.uk, or cheaper in the marketplace or on ebay.

Directed by: Mike Griffiths + Matt Gillbe

Starring: Nick Frost

Running time: 8 x 25 minute episodes + 30 minute special

Year: 2004

My rating: 4 stars 

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