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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25855 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-10-21
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 540 minutes

Amazon.com
The sleepy English village of Dibley gets shaken up when their new vicar turns out to be a woman--and not just any woman, but Geraldine Granger, played by Dawn French of the peerless comedy duo French & Saunders. With wit and warmth, Gerry swiftly trumped her parishioner's chauvinism and turned British sitcom The Vicar of Dibley into a cult favorite. Over the course of 16 episodes and specials, Gerry grappled with everything from a broken church window to getting smeared in the tabloids, from the demise of the Easter Bunny to the possible destruction of the village. While The Vicar of Dibley routinely trafficked in the absurd--pop star Kylie Minogue happens to drop by, just when she's most needed--at its best, the show found its greatest absurdity (and its greatest humor) in the everyday life of an English village and the everyday quirks of its daffy inhabitants.

While the brilliant French was unquestionably the axis on which the show happily spun, much of its success was due to the clever writing (Vicar was created by Richard Curtis, who wrote the screenplays for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually) and a rock-solid comic ensemble, including Emma Chambers as Gerry's dim-bulb assistant Alice; Gary Waldhorn as the pompous landowner David Horton; James Fleet as his none-too-bright son Hugo; and Roger Lloyd-Pack, Trevor Peacock, Roger Bluthal, and Liz Smith as maddeningly eccentric villagers. It's no wonder the show has inspired devoted fans on both sides of the Atlantic; from the clever stories to the joke that follows the credits of every episode, The Vicar of Dibley is sheer delight. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

"You were expecting a bloke... beard, bible, bad breath?"
Between 1994 and 1999, the BBC produced a hilarious television series called "The Vicar of Dibley" starring the well-known Dawn French. The plot of the series was that the small English farming village of Dibley needed a new vicar after its 102-year old vicar (played by Preston Lockwood, 1912-1996) passed away. To the surprise of many village residents, their new vicar is a boisterous woman by the name of Geraldine Granger (Dawn French). One villager in particular, the wealthy David Horton (Gary Waldhorn), is especially not pleased with the situation, but over time, his opinion changes. David and several of Dibley's more eccentric residents regularly meet to discuss various issues addressing Dibley. These villagers include David's son Hugo (James Fleet), their secretary Frank Pickle (John Bluthal), the farmer Owen Newitt (Roger Lloyd-Pack) and the stuttering Jim Trott (Trevor Peacock). Until her character passed away during an Easter special (following the show's first season), the village meetings also included Dibley's most experimental cook, Letitia Cropley (Liz Smith). Upon becoming Dibley's vicar, Geraldine is treated to having her own scatter-brained assistant, Alice Tinker (Emma Chambers).

The first season of "The Vicar of Dibley" aired in 1994 with 6 episodes. Three 40+ minute specials followed in 1996 & 1997, as well as one 11-minute special, before the second season aired in 1998 with three episodes. The third (and final) season of 4 episodes aired in 1999. The three-disk DVD collection of the series contains the 16 regular length episodes and specials, but not the 11-minute special from 1997. These episodes and specials (with my rating for each) are listed below:

Disk 1:

1. "Arrival" (5+). Dibley's aging vicar passes away, and Geraldine Granger arrives to take his place.
2. "Songs of Praise" (5+). A BBC TV program wants to feature a show about Dibley's new female vicar, and Geraldine decides to have auditions for church choir.
3. "Community Spirit" (5). Geraldine promises a huge Autumn Fair turnout thinking that she can get Elton John to appear thanks to Alice, but Kylie Minogue arrives instead.
4. "The Window and the Weather" (5). A wind storm causes a tree to fall through the church's stained-glass window.
5. "Elections" (5). Geraldine and David clash over bus service to Dibley and becomes his unintentional opponent in the race.
6. "Animals" (5+). To David's disapproval, Geraldine holds an animal church service.

Disk 2:

1. "The Easter Bunny" (5+). Letitia passes away and bequeaths her Easter Bunny duties.
2. "The Christmas Lunch Incident" (5+). Geraldine gets talked into several filling Christmas lunches.
3. "Engagement" (5). Alice and Hugo get engaged with a little help from Geraldine.
4. "Dibley Live". Geraldine is in charge of "Radio Dibley" that exists for only one week and is live.
5. "Celebrity Vicar" (5). Geraldine appears on a TV show and becomes a celebrity.
6. "Love and Marriage" (5+). Geraldine presides over Hugo and Alice's wedding and meets David's brother Simon (Clive Mantle).

Disk 3:

1. "Autumn" (5). Geraldine finally gets to spend time with Simon and Alice is pregnant.
2. "Winter" (5). Geraldine is in charge of Dibley's annual nativity reenactment.
3. "Spring" (4.5). Alice & Hugo's daughter who they named after Geraldine is baptized.
4. "Summer" (3). Dibley struggles through a hot drought and the water board wants to turn Dibley into a reservoir.

Overall, I rate "The Vicar of Dibley" with 5 out of 5 stars. The vast majority of the shows are very good, with the exception of the final episode that didn't seem as well written.

No, no ... no, no, no. Yes!
THE VICAR OF DIBLEY series must be seen if for no other reason than for the delightful eccentricity of its characters. It played on the British telly from 1994-2000.

As the first episode opens, the aged male vicar of the St. Barnabus Anglican church in the small, rural, village of Dibley dies during Sunday service. The parish council, chaired by the sensible and straight-laced landed gent David Horton (Gary Waldhorn), requests a new vicar from the local bishop. Much to the council's surprise, who should be assigned but the Rev. Geraldine Grainger (Dawn French). On her arrival by cab in the midst of a rainstorm, Geraldine, a young, single, full-figured woman, stuns Horton by saying, "I'll bet you weren't expecting a woman. Or someone with these" - while gesturing to her ample bosom.

Thus, Grainger invades the Dibley community. And, as Horton later - much later after many differences of opinion - admits, she's the best vicar the parish has ever had.

The strength of the series is in the supporting roles. There's squire Horton, of course, driven to frequent bemusement and exasperation by Geraldine and his council members. These include his own dim-witted son, Hugo (James Fleet), who's in love with the mentally challenged parish verger, Alice Tinker (Emma Chambers), who has the intellectual capacity of a brick. Then, there's Jim Trott (Trevor Peacock), who has the nervous habit of prefacing any statement with "No, no ... no, no, no." (During one episode, the viewer is introduced to Mrs. Trott, whose foible is the opposite: "Yes, yes ... yes, yes, yes". But she's never seen again.) There's Frank Pickle (John Bluthal), the council secretary who records the minutes in infuriatingly compulsive detail, and Owen Nesbitt (Roger Lloyd Pack), the profane and blunt-speaking farmer who develops a lust for Geraldine. Finally, there's Letitia Cropley (Liz Smith), killed off in the 1996 Easter special, who has a penchant for experimenting with the most bizarre food recipes, which she trys out on her hapless council colleagues.

Filmed in the quaint hamlet of Turville, just off the M40 about 20 miles west from its junction with the M25 Ring, THE VICAR OF DIBLEY is consistently amusing. For me, the funniest episodes were: "The Easter Bunny" (disc 2), wherein each member of the parish council must decide what to give up for Lent, which, for Geraldine is chocolate; "The Christmas Lunch Incident" (disc 2), wherein Geraldine bites off more than she can chew, literally, by rashly accepting several Christmas lunch invitations; "Autumn" (disc 3), wherein Geraldine is seduced and abandoned by David Horton's hunky brother Simon. And, there are a couple of celebrity guests in brief appearances: Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and Johnny Depp. You know, the Duchess is a Babe.

I can't award five stars because there are a couple of clunker episodes. But, on the whole, THE VICAR OF DIBLEY is top drawer British comedy, and certainly superior to the ubiquitous garbage sitcoms on American TV nowadays.

The Lord Is My Shepherd...
"The Vicar of Dibley" is one of my all-time favorite Britcoms. It centers around the arrival of a new vicar to the small town of Dibley. Unlike the previous frail & elderly head of their congregation, the people of Dibley are treated to a fun, buxom, invigorating younger woman named Geraldine Granger (played wonderfully by the always funny Dawn French). Gary Waldhorn stars as David Horton, head of the town council, and all-around dissenter to Geraldine's enthusiastic and modern approach to the church. Over the course of the first season, David starts to warm up to the new vicar, and things really start to click.

Two things which are needed to make a successful comedy are the right actors and the right script, and "Vicar of Dibley" has both in abundance. Richard Curtis & Paul Mayhew-Archer have created some of the most unique and funny characters to ever grace a television screen. These characters are in-turn portrayed by a great group of actors, most notably Emma Chambers as Alice Tinker, and Roger Lloyd-Pack as Owen Newitt. But they are just my personal favorites. The others are great, as well.

The humor of this fantastic Britcom is rather bawdy and broad. It has its own cozy charm, due in part to its village setting, quaint characters, and episodes dealing with nice holiday dinners, but this is not cozy along the lines of "As Time Goes By" or even "Good Neighbors". If you're more a fan of the slower-paced, gentler Britcoms, then this may not be your cup of tea. Personally, however, I think it a perfect blend of both broad and gentle humor.

At a short and sweet length of 16 episodes, the show knew when to quit (although I'm not a huge fan of the last episode). Over the course of the series we get to see the vicar arrive in Dibley, overcome the initial hostility of the townfolk, to eventually become welcomed and accepted, by the community and its endearing inhabitants. There are marriages, celebrities, romances, and babies. All of these things are handled with a deft comedic touch, and it helps to make "The Vicar of Dibley" one of best Britcoms ever.