John Cleese on How to Irritate People (1968)

TV. Skip this disc (born in 1968) if it is older than you. Heck, skip it if you are older than this disc -- you have less time to spare! This very early John Cleese only hints at his later work esp. his corporate training material in the same vein. In a word, these sketches are, well, sketchy, though they clue us to his future promise. Several sketches are over-the-top and overlong (esp. John's fawning twit of a dinner date with Connie Booth). The Indian restaurant owner scene may strike modern viewers as offensive and the prankish airline pilot bit no longer seems funny either. Still there is a kernel of the best of British humor here, preferably sought out by Monty Python completists. The best bits are the daft elderly game show contestant ("I'm 94! ... I'm 743!") and the movie-theatre "pepperpots" ("Well, I never!"). 2 stars.