Fans of Monty Python will have a sense of deja vu watching "Rutland Weekend," since Python Eric Idle carted over the same mindset and writing style to the tiny studio in BBC2 where all 14 episodes of Rutland Weekend were recorded. This is probably Eric's best work. Even though many of the sketches fail, the easy wit of Eric's writing sees the audience through. You kind of have to retrain your ear to deal without the laugh track, more like watching a feature than a sitcom. It's not a show that insults the intelligence. It insults, certainly, and gets away with murder -- much of what's done in series 2 would have to be cut for American TV -- but it still works. Basically the show consists of Eric talking a whole lot, as a sketch comedy budget doesn't allow for much else. But that's what he did on Python too. The supporting cast, especially David Battley, Henry Woolf, Neil Innes, Gwen Taylor and Terence Bayler, are great, and Python fans will regard this as a rare treat. However, they're not likely to ever see it. As of this writing, these shows are almost impossible to find ...
Review of Rutland Weekend Television
