Till Death... DVD review

Fans of Till Death Us Do Part may end up a little disappointed by Till Death..., which definitely isn't how they would choose to think of the immortal Alf Garnett. However, for completists and those interested in forgotten television curiosities, Till Death... is worth a look.

While some comedians are lionised after they've stopped appearing on TV, others are quietly forgotten. Nicholas Parsons spends more than Just a Minute with Paul Merton recalling his partnership with one of the latter - Arthur Haynes. Viewers of a certain age will recall the partnership that pulled huge audiences to ITV in the 1950s and 60s. It's the comedy of a simpler, slower age; Parsons remembers how depicting a vicar in a sketch was considered disrespectful. There's nostalgia and curiosity value, not least with a priceless archive interview with writer Johnny Speight. Plus, rewarding glimpses of Wendy Richard, Patricia Hayes, Michael Caine and the Rolling Stones.

Dandy Nicholls and Patricia Hayes strike the right note of vulnerability but the first episode was flawed by the weakness of the situation around which it was built. Its predictability was embarrassing.

Comedy of character may need the minimum of plot but what there is should, at least, be deftly contrived.