The Kumars at No. 42, a BBC series that is one of BBC America's top three shows, is coming to DVD this Fall. This offbeat Britcom is part talkshow, part improv, and inspired a number of similar programs around the world which reproduced the concept (including Fox's
The Ortegas, starring Cheech Marin, which was produced in 2003 but never aired on the network). For those of you not familiar with
The Kumars, here is a description on the BBC's website:
The Kumars - a typical (albeit exaggerated) Indian family living in Wembley, north of London - have hit upon a unique method of 'Keeping up with the Joneses': they have bulldozed their garden and erected a state-of-the-art TV studio, wherein they host their very own chat show. The son, Sanjeev, pops the questions while his mother (Madhuri), father (Ashwin) and mischievous granny (Sushila) sit and interrupt from a nearby sofa.
...The guests include a number of prominent celebrities - Richard E Grant, Michael Parkinson, Graham Norton, Art Malik, Warren Clarke, Minnie Driver, Melvyn Bragg, Leslie Phillips, June Whitfield, Jonathan Ross, Jerry Hall and Stephen Fry among them - all sportingly accepting the gentle ridiculing.
The award-winning (2005 Peabody Award and the International Emmy Award) is brought to DVD in North America for the first time on
Nov. 8th. The BBC and Warner Home Video has the single-disc release list-pricing for $24.98. Extras include Writer's Commentary Tracks, Deleted Scenes, a "Tour of No. 42" featurette, and a Photo Gallery.
