Product Description

The sleepy village of Dibley has a new vicar, but it's not your standard order bloke with beard, bible and bad breath - it's Dawn French, of the hilarious comedy duo French and Saunders. Armed with a sharp wit, a double dose of double entendre and healthy supply of chocolate, she brings the town's lovable - though rather eccentric - inhabitants a hysterical new outlook on life, love and the Church of England that will leave audiences in stitches!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8735 in DVD
• Brand: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2003-10-21
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 175 minutes

Amazon.com
The most British of British sitcoms, The Vicar of Dibley has well earned its success, which had nothing to do with the whoops-mind-my-bosoms potential in casting Dawn French in the role of a female vicar foisted upon a sleepy and ultra-conservative English village. Rather this series, set in a rural, largely middle-class environment, is essentially the flip side of, say, Inspector Morse. It's resolutely un-dumbed down, with scalpel-sharp dialogue and a standard of humor that owes more to Tom Stoppard than to mainstream primetime comedy. This release includes the entire first series, in which the vicar has to deal with the inevitable bemusement caused by her arrival and her well-intentioned involvement in the affairs of the community, together with the superbly funny episode in which she realizes she's accepted several invitations to Christmas lunch and can't bring herself to disappoint any of the hosts (never before has a sprout-eating contest provoked so much mirth). Above all, though, watch out for the episode that features Kylie Minogue giving the kind of hands-on performance usually associated with classic Morecambe and Wise or Ab Fab--when stars of this stature are happy to send themselves up in a television comedy, you know it's a good sign. --Roger Thomas

Customer Reviews

the hilarious first season; with the "heavenly" Dawn French!
THE VICAR OF DIBLEY finally makes it to DVD, with the hilarious first season. Join Dawn French & Co. for six superb episodes of the BBC comedy hit written by Richard Curtis (FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL).

Welcome to Dibley, filled with some perfectly-peculiar characters like Letitia Cropley (Liz Smith), Frank Pickle (John Bluthal), Jim Trott (Trevor Peacock) and Owen Newitt (Roger Lloyd Pack). Governing Dibley with an iron fist and a sealed wallet is snooty David Horton (Gary Waldhorn) and his young dimwit son Hugo (James Fleet). Last but not least is the truly-terrifying Alice Tinker (Emma Chambers), the resident verger of the church.

"Arrival" - After the 102-year-old Reverend Pottle carks it, the town of Dibley awaits its new vicar for St. Barnabus Church. When the totally-unexpected Reverend Geraldine Boadicea Granger (Dawn French) arrives in town, no-one is prepared for what is to follow.

"Songs of Praise" - Geraldine discovers that the BBC wish to film an episode of 'Songs of Praise' at the local church. There's only one problem: there's no choir. Whilst Gerry and Alice quickly arrange auditions for the prospective choir, the rest of the town quickly starts becoming stage-struck...

"Community Spirit" - With the annual Autumn Fayre looming, Gerry decides to get some more publicity for the event by getting a big celebrity to open it. An idea more easily said than actually achieved. When Alice casually mentions she has a long-lost cousin called Reg Dwight, Gerry puts two and two together and thinks she is referring to Elton John...

"The Window and the Weather" - A big storm, arguably the biggest the town has ever known, has destroyed the beautiful stained-glass window of the church. While the jury's still out on what Biblical scene the window actually depicted, Gerry decides to canvas all the rich people she can for donations to get a replacement.

"Election" - David Horton and Gerry find themselves competing in the local elections, and two guesses who everyone is voting for...

"Animals" - Unwittingly, Gerry finds herself performing a mass for all the animals of the village. When the national press gets wind of the event, Gerry starts thinking twice about her actions...

If you love BBC comedy in the best sense of the word, you'll adore Dawn French and a superb cast in THE VICAR OF DIBLEY. Single-sided, dual-layer disc.

Clever comedy with a good heart
"The Vicar of Dibley" is a standout even in a genre (British comedy) distinguished by original plot lines and hilariously wacky characters. Dawn French invests Vicar B. Geraldine Granger with warmth, vivacious personality and sufficient backbone to deal with the bizarre assortment of individuals who make up her parish's council. The program handles its religious theme lightly but with a good heart, highlighting the ability of the church at its best to reach out with love and acceptance (even as some on the council would take a more circumscribed view). The supporting cast is composed of a delightful assortment of talent, with each actor taking full advantage of their character's pecularities. Experienced "Dibley" fans will understand when I say, "no, no, no, no, YES, I know you'll enjoy this program!"

a fun series
The BBC seems to be able find complete villages of eccentric oddballs that blend into a lovable ensemble that can sustain a delightful series. The Vicar is a salty, sometimes bawdy, character that I think most of us would like to know. The message isn't heavy one or particularly resonant one, but you do learn to care for each and every one of them.