Five Go Mad in Dorset
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Five Go Mad in Dorset was the first of the long-running series of Comic Strip Presents... television comedy films. It first aired on the launch night of Channel 4 (November 2, 1982), and was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens, and directed by Bob Spiers.
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[edit] Plot and satire
The film is an extreme parody of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books, in which the titular Five - children Julian (Richardson), Dick (Adrian Edmondson), George (Dawn French), Anne (Jennifer Saunders) and their dog Timmy - investigate the disappearance of their Uncle Quentin (Ronald Allen). Daniel Peacock and Robbie Coltrane also made appearances, the latter in his first television role.
The satire on display was seen as particularly brutal, parodying established aspects of Blyton's books in addition to placing newer, sinister overtones onto them. Examples of the former include repeated demeaning reference to Anne as a "proper little housewife", the gang's propensity for overhearing shady conversations between criminals (portrayed in the film by burly thugs muttering "Blah blah blah, stolen plans, blah blah blah, missing scientists" and so on) and their taste for outdoor picnics of "ham and turkey sandwiches, bags of lettuce, heaps of tomato, hard-boiled eggs and lashings of ginger beer". However, the film also portrayed Uncle Quentin as a "screaming homosexual" and his wife Fanny as an "unrelenting nymphomaniac", as well as strongly implying a homosexual relationship between Dick and Julian and a bestial one between George and Timmy. In addition, much was made of the children's apparently racist and extreme right-wing views - a reference to the controversy that has retrospectively haunted Blyton's work. Despite all of this, however, Blyton's estate were said to have "loved" the film.[1]
[edit] Controversy
Upon transmission, the film attracted some controversy among the British press for its treatment of the well-loved books (although much of the satire, particularly the Five's apparent racism and extreme class-consciousness, could be said to be a reflection on wider perceived 1950s prejudices rather than a specific attack on Blyton's characters), particularly as it had come from a set of comedians who at this point were not hugely well-known. However, the film also received a large amount of critical praise, and was instrumental in launching the successful careers of many of the team - and to this date, it remains among the most well-known of all the Comic Strip Presents... films.
[edit] Five Go Mad on Mescalin
A sequel, Five Go Mad on Mescalin, was produced for the second Comic Strip series in 1983, but was seen as a poor imitation of - and unworthy successor to - the first, despite being created by the same writer/director team. Notably, it infers that the Five might have sympathised with Nazi Germany because the Nazis were not as "vulgar" as Americans. For some, this was a comparison too far.
[edit] Cast
- Julian — Peter Richardson
- Dick — Adrian Edmondson
- George — Dawn French
- Anne — Jennifer Saunders
- Uncle Quentin — Ronald Allen
- Aunt Fanny — Sandra Dorne
- Toby — Daniel Peacock
- Shopkeeper / Gypsy — Robbie Coltrane
- Dirty Dick — Ron Tarr
- Fingers — Nosher Powell
- Police Inspector — Raymond Francis
