The Armando Iannucci Show

I have discovered yet another gem of British Television comedy. Armando Ianucci is a Scottish writer and comedian, son of a Naples father. He created and co-wrote the Alan Partridge shows with James Coogan as well as 'The thick of it' political parody; both are awesome. In 2001 he also wrote The Armando Ianucci shows. It is available in DVD. You must have it. It is a kind of mocked documentary on modern life, it is based on outrageous and embarrassing situations, like Alan Partridge, but goes further in the weird non-sense. It is a much more innovative, even more disturbing, personnal format (no canned laughs eg).

Ianucci himself is playing ‘himself’ in these surreal sketch show. Ianucci has something of Woody Allen and Larry David (Curb your Enthusiasm), physically and in the dark, bonkers-existentialist thoughts, mocked-metaphysical casual chats looking at the camera. Example:

'There are only two things in the world that give us absolute total happiness: one is unwrapping a newly bought DVD; the other is seeing other people fail.'

Absolutely a must of British TV with I guess a drop of remote Scottish humour that somehow seems to connect with the urban Jewish wit of Allen and David.

The official website with sketch clips