DVD review by Steve Bennett

Outside of his native Scotland, Chic Murray is one of the most overlooked greats of comedy. With a career spanning from music hall to films, his absurd one-liners and obtuse manner made him a comedian’s comedian with a heavy influence that persists today.

What doesn’t seem to have survived is huge amounts of him doing what he does best: stand-up. This tribute DVD is not a performance, but a documentary, splicing together a few clips from his career with talking heads such as Billy Connolly, Elaine C Smith and, strangely, a number of priests, all discussing how great a comic he undoubtedly was.

A word of warning to Murray’s fans. The DVD sleeve says this release ‘incorporates the documentary A World Of His Own’. It would be more accurate to say this IS that 50-minute 1998 documentary, which was released on video at the time, plus about 15 minutes of odds and sods collected together as the ‘Funnyosities’ extra.

It is a good introduction to the man and his work, though the format can be frustrating. We see, for example, a clip of Murray building up to a punchline – only to cut to Connolly delivering it in reminiscence. What was wrong in letting the genius finish his own joke?

The footage we do get of Murray’s act does give a clue to the man’s talent, though. He was a man with funny bones and a mind wired to make daft connections. He could – and does, based on this video evidence – get a laugh just from clearing his throat, while the wit in his writing is self-evident.

Even though he died in 1985, his material could be included in any modern stand-up set without jarring, as you can tell from the clips here of his set, an hilarious appearance on Jokers Wild – the Mock The Week of the Seventies – and a bit of knockabout farce from a 1972 episode of Sykes.

But too little of his stage act appears to have been captured on film, which means a fair bit of filler: a guest appearance in a Dick Emery sketch, a clip from a dreadful Eighties Hogmanay show cakked Scotch Myths, and video of him singing an old variety hall number – none of which would give you much of an indication of his genius.

The documentary also gives a glimpse into the man behind the act. Madie, Chic’s wife and partner of many years, is interviewed, and anecdotes from Connolly paint a picture of an unpredictable outsider, who could behave just as oddly offstage as on it. There’s a clip here of him appearing on Jimmy Tarbuck’s chat show, in which he’s a difficult, headstrong interviewee who refuses to answer any questions with anything more than single syllable, if that, yet still it’s funny.

The Big Yin gave the eulogy at Murray’s funeral, footage of which is included here, but he’s by no means the only comic to have been influence by him. Just Daft is a fine introduction to this significant talent – but will leave you yearning for more of his material, which isn’t so readily available.

Main feature: 49min
Extras: Funnyosities, 14mins
Released by: Berlinn on October 12
Price: £12.99. Click here to buy from Amazon at £8.58

Published: 10 Nov 2009