Reviewed by: Marlene

Name of the dvd/series: Pheonix Nights Series One
Episode Number: One
Episode Name: Opening Night
Length of the episode: 24 mins 15 secs
Overall rating out of 5: 5

Main Characters? Peter Kay as club boss Brian Potter, who was disabled after being crushed by a fruit machine in a flood, and doorman Max and Chorley FM's mullet-haired DJ Paul Le Roy. Dave Spikey as resident compere Jerry St Clair (real name - Jerry Dignan), who won the 1992 Talent Trek (presumably for singing, but if he won that night..what on earth were the other singers like??..) Archie Kelly as Kenny Senior
Justin Moorehouse as Kenny Junior Janice Connolly as Holy Mary, Beatrice Kelley as Marion, Steve Edge as Alan, the keyboard player with resident band Les Alanos
Toby Foster as Les, the drummer with resident band Les Alanos, Patrick McGuinness as Paddy, Neil Fitzmaurice as Ray Von, Daniel Kitson as Spencer.

What’s the episode is about: As we open I am pretty sure that Brian (Peter) is coming up through the place where he was brought up.

See the opening shot and also Peter Kay, The Early Years. Even the telegraph poles look the same, so again using places he knows and people he has a connection with.






I see Nana Kay was in the audience again.



Following a fire and a flooding with previous clubs, Brian is eager to open the Pheonix and get it right this time. Opening Night begins with the promise of Roy Walker to open the new club, and at the bargain price of £15 a ticket for a pasty and pea supper and free bingo he feels he can fill the newly opened club. This episode sees him discard the glass to put his drink in as a vase reaches the optic so much better. We watch as he is persuaded to have the German fruit machine Das Boot on free trial for a month and the arrival of his builders who turn up looking like the Village People (as Brian calls them).



Spencer, ever eager as a disc jockey from the local youth club is told he can’t play his cd’s and has to stick to records and I love it when he does his best “Let’s get ready to rumble….” To ‘Walking in the Air’..




Max and Paddy play with their headsets and Max tests them out to see if he can still hear Paddy on the bus and also at the local chip shop. Hassle has set in at the club when the folk band Half a Shilling start to get racist with their rendition of “Send the Bugg..s Back” and Paddy does his best to cope without Max who is still on his way back from the chippie. The electrics breakdown and Ray Von saves the day by linking the electrics to the local lamppost. Brian is so impressed that he offers him a job only to find out later that he is a gypsy and worse still just got out of prison after killing ‘Tracey with the hula hoops.’

What extras does this dvd have? You are spoilt for choice with the extras, and whilst you are deciding which to click on, there is a blissfully mellow northern soul arrangement of the theme tune playing in the background.

Commentary
The writers/actors provide a commentary to each episode which is both insightful and amusing. What comes across very strongly is the amount of care and pride they have taken with the detail in every scene.

One scene, where Max the bouncer has a slapstick moment running in to a door that is closed, turns out to have been an honest mistake by Kay, and he cracked some ribs in the process!

Out-takes
Episode by episode on view here. A bit of swearing as well, but if you are easily offended there is a swearing on/off option.

Deleted Scenes
Always interesting.

Are the extras good? I always think so.

What made you laugh out loud.? The builders Brian has been waiting for and Brian saying “just get the rest of the Village People”

What was your favourite part? No faves sorry, I loved all of it.

Available to buy at:
www.asda.co.uk
www.tesc.co.uk
www.play.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk

great reveiw marlene (thumbs up) love all the pics
'I'm on the bus!!' haha love that!

great review! well done marlene (thumbs up)
you remeinded me of that moment that peter runs into the door as an honest mistake and kept it in (good call!)
and also the wonderful ' can you hear me now' lol and of course the begining of'baldy bouncer' hehe love this episode! im sure more moments will come to me throughout the day now! lol

brill review marlene, love this ep "kenny get me zantac, what about me get me an'all!!!!"

Excellant review Marlene, loved all the detail you have put there. Never noticed the connection between the early years and brian coming up the streets before.

Fantasitc Review marlene! I have to say we should give you a prize because i love the detail you put into them!

Well what can i say, the first ever episode of pheonix nights! And its a corker let me tell you! We have the ever famous 'can you here me now?' :lol: The racist pholk band send the buggers back, which i believe is still a hot download! If you can find it!

My favourite Line has got to be 'eyeball, eyeball, i think i've got meself of convoy here, 10/4 rubber dick. :lol: :lol:

LESS OF THE RUBBERDICK BALDY! :lol:

Such a brill episode! And i also have to say i love the way rayvon is introduced as a gypsy serial killer! :lol:

I think thats one of the best quotes ever :lol:

"My favourite Line has got to be 'eyeball, eyeball, i think i've got meself of convoy here, 10/4 rubber dick.

LESS OF THE RUBBERDICK BALDY! "

great review Marlene there are so many classic bits in this episode.

"are my eyes deceiving me Jerry or have you got 2 of my builders up there singing acapulco" :lol: and of course the introductions of Das Boot :lol:

I just remembered another quote which makes this episode a classic!

'Can you speak english, your sending me over the edge'

Always gets me that line! (lmaorolls)

Ahhh the first episode... the start of a legend !!

Love the bit when brian switchs from the eletctic wheel chair to the normall wheel chair so fast :lol:

They had a little storyline where he could walk but they scrapped it, i would of loved to of seen the outake of it!

yeh i like that, its funny on the commentry aswell! lol
have to say i'm glad peter didnt make brian walk, and peters always said that he regretted making brian walk on 'in the club' of that peter kay thing, shame it was kept in :(

Yer but he did say it was totally out of his hands! Your honour! :lol:

"Stranrar? Today? You're killin' me! Do you wanna sing at me funeral lads, coz it's comin!" :lol:

Just looking at that scene reminds me of the fundraiser! :) Just because we can point out where we were sat lol

"Paddy, can you hear me now?"
"Yeah... where are you?"
"I'm on the bus, look! I'm on the bus!! WAHEY!!"

Gotta love that scene.

:D

If i was on that bus i'd of been a bit worried if a nutter like that started waving at the window :lol:

I'm sure I saw a couple of shocked faces when I watched -- surprised they didn't shout "Sit down and stop being a **** you *****!!!" :lol: :lol:

i bet they didn't even tell the passengers it was being filmed! :lol: I bet they laughed when they saw it on tv!

I can see some of them doing a Terry-esque "Are we getting paid for this??? Standard Equity rates surely!!!!" ;)

you know i bet your not wrong their han! But pheonix nights had so many members of the public involved and that (the pheonix scenes) I wonder how many of them rang channel 4 up for a cheque! :lol:

I want a copy of that arrangement without Brian Potter shouting over the top of it!!!!! :lol:

Funny you should say that because whilst I've been screen capping for the banners I've also been saving shots of the club that remind me of the Fundraiser! When I've got them all ready I'll post a link to them all. (thumbs up)