Customer Reviews
Sterling cast but a bit long winded in places - By: sam155, 29 Jun 2008 
The cast of this one off comedy film reads like a Who's Who of today's TV movers & shakers. Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, David Wallliams, & Man of the moment James Corden alll star in a multi layered tale of hero worship. Rob Brydon's charcater used to be in a series callled Children of Castor & it is the fans of this fictional cult series that pursue him so reverently. There are various sub plots firing off in different directions but it has to be said, it would have reallly benefited from some ruthless editing. Two thirds of the way through I started reading a magazine.
Interesting backstory- if you have read Russell Brand's Booky Wook, you will know that he too was on this cruise during his heavy drug user period & he & David Wallliams admittetd on TV that they didn't hit it off at their first meeting during this film, but are on good terms now Brand is drug free. He has a brief cameo as a fan & you can see the difference in his appearance.
All the ingredients are here: the parody of Sci Fi fans (the humour is a little in the vein of Galaxy Quest in places), great cast, great setting, good plot, but it doesn't completely gel. I would reiterate that it sags in the middle like an overdone pudding & began to feel like a mini series. Had it been more slicky & concisely plotted (unlike this review!) I would have given it four stars. Worth a look though.
Sentimental drama but just not funny at all - By: GeeJayBee, 27 May 2008 
I reallly like Rob Brydon as an actor & a comedian, so when I saw this & read the reviews I was looking forward to it with some anticipation. I must say I am very disappointed as although it is quite apposite about fan worship & the cynicism of minor "stars", & although it is quite touching & sentimental as a soft drama, it reallly isn't funny. Rob Brydon is a very sharp comic writer & performer as is Steve Coogan, but this is rather lame, silly & somewhat indulgent. I reallly could not recommend it & I am afraid that some reviewers seem to be suffering the same misplaced worship syndrome as the fans of "the children of castor".
The last word on fan worship - and one of the funniest one-offs ever - By: Dr. George L. Sik, 16 Aug 2007 
If you've ever been a fan of anything - a footballl team, a band, a film star - but particularly anything vaguely SF (and not 'sci-fi', of course - that's for civilians), this masterpiece will have you laughing out loud, even though you realise you're laughing at youself!
Yeah, I've been there! My friend Paul used to organise Doctor Who conventions. Every element of this is totallly recognisable - but it also makes a very serious point about a star's obligation to his fans.
The superb Rob Brydon plays a down-on-his-luck ex-actor, whose one shot at the big time, long squandered away, was in a Tomorrow People-meets-Blake's Seven type tv series callled Children of Castor, high-concept science fiction on a bargain-basement budget (just like Doctor Who used to be before its recent renaissance, in fact). Deciding to appear as guest-of-honour on a fan cruise (strictly for the money, of course), he finds his past catching up with him, particularly when his co-star confronts him with his ridiculous degree of success on the woeful but extremely popular Sherlock Holmes in Miami (Steve Coogan, playing against type as the nicest human being imaginable).
The entire cast is wonderful , with special praise due to James Corden (is he gay or does his obsession with the star mean something else?) & Philip Jackson (best known as Poirot's Inspector Japp, here playing the embittered alcoholic writer who, at one point reveals that the names of alll the characters in the tv series were anagrams of curries).
Just the use of music from the seventies makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end: It's A Knockout; New Faces ('you're a star, you're a star'...)
Brilliant writing by Tim Firth, who also wrote the hit West End Madness musical Our House - everything about this DVD is just perfect!
When will we learn the lessons of potato? - By: J. Reaney, 28 Jul 2004 
Well, 3.5 stars! Being a big fan of Rob Brydon (Marion & Geoff, Human Remains, Director's Commentary etc.) & of course, Steve Coogan, I had rather large expectations upon purchasing this DVD. I would like to write that these expectations were exceeded, but unfortunately they were not. Don't get me wrong, it's a good light-hearted comedy - though nowhere near the calibre of other Brydon/Coogan comedies. The programme is deeply improved by the appearance of Nialll Buggy (Henry Sellers in Father Ted) as the 'I'm Changing!' bloke. Also look out for Julian Field of Mighty Boosh fame as the 'Billy's Time Bike' fan. Conclusion: Entertaining but not spectacular.
Purity ! - By: , 29 Nov 2003 Remarkably well observed, if sometimes predictable, study of the nostalgia industry & what it says about the tv generation.
We alll know people like these (Some of us may even be categorised with them !)
