SCTV Volume One Let's get a tad confused: SCTV Volume One comes from the fourth season of SCTV, the first three seasons where made and produced in Canada and lasted thirty minutes, this is the fourth season when they moved to NBC in America the show went to 90 minutes (and had to have a musical guest) but retained most of it's cast. SCTV will get many comparisons to Saturday Night Live- both have included hilarious comedy performers, but SCTV despite using a sketch show format is nothing like SNL, this show is funnier, and the less dated of the two. With at least one classic, classic sketch in each episode (consistently more then one) and excellent show running sketches or dilemma's. The cast are as follows:

• John Candy: Candy is of course beloved by many people today but not a lot of people in the U.K knew he was on this show, probably the least adaptable of the performers but so immensely likeable. His Johnny LeRue character is perfection
• Joe Flaherty: I think Flaherty is god and Count Floyd and Guy Cabbellero are such brilliant characters created by probably along with Thomas the most underrated performer from SCTV
• Eugene Levy: Most people probably know him as Jim's Dad the best thing in the American Pie movies, it's a testement to how good this show is when he is not the automatic choice for the best thing in this.
• Andrea Martin: Probably my least favourite of the performers, all her characters are OTT, a lot of people are fans of her and she does deserve credit, I do believe she is a top comedianne
• Rick Moranis: Another one of the more famous SCTV alumni- very funny, it's amazing how unfunny is stuff was post-1990 when you think at how funny is stuff is on here, great.
• Catherine O'Hara: Very funny and attractive- her impression of Brooke Shields is brilliant as is her signature character Lola Heatherton, you'd have seen her in loads of movies since she was on SCTV
• Dave Thomas: As many spot on impressions, like Flaherty probably the most underrated, his impression of Bob Hope is so spot on as is amazing British accents (this is coming from a Brit remember) round off a fine cast.

It's amazing to think there was only 9 episodes in this set (if you work it though, at 1h 5m there about the length of three half hour programs sans adverts is about the equivelent of 28 television episodes not bad really), and I'm gonna go through the episodes listing some favourites and some of the (rare) missteps: EPISODE ONE Flaherty's station owner Guy Cabbellero opens the show in a wheelchair and soon takes a tumble, you quickly find out he can actually walk and only uses the wheelchair for respect- a memorable opening to the show, you've got the hilarious "High Q" quiz show spoof- only Young Ones University Challenge is in the same league, the sketches are mostly hit, my favourite sketch is the Leaver it to Beaver 25th Anniversary and the Bob Hope/Woody Allen sketch (Dave Thomas does a brilliant Bob Hope like i've said), EPISODE TWO as the Tim Ishimuni Show possibly the most dated thing on SCTV, not politicially incorrect in this day and age, The Larry Siegel Show is an excellent spoof of Hollywood producer Joel Silver, the most famous sketch is Polynesiantown (which doesn't exactcly resemble Chinatown) and is very funny which includes musical guest Dr. John really well (SCTV always included the musical guests in sketches, a genuis way to include them) and the shows end with two brilliant sketches: The British Film Festival, with Dave Thomas playing the angry young man and Catherine O'Hara been pregnent in every film in the festival, the English accents are brilliant especially Thomas' rather amazing accents and The Gerry Todd Show end the show excellentally- EPISODE THREE and it's major weakness is the longest sketch in the episode "The Fracasas" which just falls felt, the introduction of Yellowbelly and Speaking of Talk are good, but it's the introduction of Count Floyd in the Monster Chiller Theatre and the Ingmar Bergman parody that raises the most laughs EPISODE FOUR as the excellent 50s gameshow spoof What's My Shoesize, with Flaherty doing a great impression of, Mel's Rock Pile is brilliant with a really long version of Richard Harris doing MacArthur Park (that is the joke!), this episodes also features the excellent The Man Who Would Be King of Popes and another Monster Chiller Theatre (Dr. Tongue's 3-D House of Stewardesses!).

EPISODE FIVE as a strong running story thread with LeRue coming to terms with Polyensianown's failure, Bad Acting in Hollywood is the show's funniest sketch and the Steinbeck spoof The Grapes of Mud provides laughs. EPISODE SIX actually deals with a serious issue at the time and this episodes provides the first such enterprise, as the network deals with pressure groups who try to influence programming. This thread features critic Bill Needle and his willingness to sell out. The runner gets somewhat preachy at times, but it’s still a good way to tie together the program. Mr. Falbo's Tiny Town is excellent and the Merv Griffith Show is better (Flaherty does a brilliant Don Knotts), the return of the Gerry Todd Show is again excellent, one of the best episodes in the series so far EPISODE SEVEN, is another episode with a strong runner, where the station holds a telethon after the previous episode which features the Elephant Man for some unknown reason, Farm Film Report is fun and Mel's Rock Pile 20th Anniversary which features Roy Orbison is fun, one of the weaker episodes for sketches EPISODE EIGHT as the runner of Lola Heatherton (probably Catherine O'Hara's best character) and a terrible TV special, funny moments comes from The Oscar parody The Nobel thanks to Dave Thomas' OTT performance. No real duds here, no massive stand outs here though either, the final episode of the package EPISODE NINE features the always fun Mackenzie Brothers going in search of a topic for the showrunner (I've failed to mention the Mackenzie Brothers in any other episode rundown, but there appearances are always welcome), the best sketch is the extended take on Fantasy Island, thanks to John Candy as Herve Villechaize and Flaherty and Thomas' take on Crosby and Hope, Money Talks is also great fun as is Mel Torme's take on the Star Spangled Banner. There it is the complete volume one and hardly a miss on it.

This as been my longest review by far so far, but I spent a great deal of time watching it and wanted to do it justice. The extras are great: a couple of documentries, commentaries (by Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy, Flaherty even as a major revelation in saying he tried coke in the seventies) and an Apsen Comedy Festival Reunion special. Overall a great package, which was one of the more expensive sets I brought back from the US, bring on Vol.2-4

*****