Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Warren Mitchell | Written by Johnny Speight | UK certification 15
UK RRP £9.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 75 minutes | Directed by Robert Garofolo
Recorded in 1994 at the Back Theatre in Hayes, The Thoughts of Chairman Alf has become a bit of a period curiosity. Yes, the bite and bile of Mitchell's characterisation and, particulrly, Johnny Speight's clever script are still obvious but the targets — Fergie, John Major, The Common Market, etc — aren't exactly topical. It's also arguable that Al Murray's Pub Landlord character has now trumped Alf Garnett in terms of apparently racist comedy that's actually sending up racism. That's a very difficult line to steer and Murray and Mitchell are both excellent at it. The catch with this 94 performance is that Mitchell might be sending up the real Garnett-esque characters but it's damn hard to sit and watch his dissection of Othello — of "Ofellah" as Alf calls it — when he dots the rant with liberal use of the word "coon". There comes a point where even the deliberate irony of character can't make that any more bearable.
As an illustration of how the country has moved on (just with new, similar problems) The Thoughts of Chairman Alf has some curiosity value and much of the 75 minutes is beautifully observed character comedy. But, for the most part, it's not as funny as it once was and you can't help but think a new slice of Garnett's wisdom would be more worthwhile than this reissue. Alf tackling Gordon Brown, or the X Factor, or the war in Iraq? Now, that would be something to see.
DVD EXTRAS ** Another missed opportunity. There's a nine-minute interview with Mitchell about the origins or Alf Garnett which is fascinating and funny but painfully short.