The Piglet Files (1989)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Paul Minett and Brian Leverson
Directed by Robin Carr
Starring Nicholas Lindhurst, Clive Francis, John Ringham, Michael Percival, Steven Law, Serena Evans, Guy Standeven, Paul Cooper

Features:

• Cast biographies
  
• A history of MI5
  
• Filmographies
  

Released by: BFS Entertainment
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: At least rent it.

In the best tradition of British television, The Piglet Files combines slapstick with surrealism and comes up with something that’s both irreverent and amusing: Peter Chapman (Lyndhurst), codename "Piglet," is MI5’s newest recruit, chosen for his teaching ability to instruct operatives in the use of the latest in surveillance and intelligence hardware. The problem is that while the James Bond-style spy gear works perfectly, the brains of the spies themselves do not. This show is all about how "covert intelligence" is an oxymoron: a spoof of all government intelligence programs all in one funny, tidy package. In one of the episodes, for example, the operatives sent to watch for the arrival of a well-known Communist agent are watching the wrong house--twice. Chapman tries to redeem the situation, but his inexperience and sincerity get in the way of being a master spy.

The acting on this show is rather good. Nicholas Lyndhurst is wonderful as Agent Chapman--naive, well-intentioned, quick-witted, but not really cut out for the dangerous work of intelligence. Francis and Ringham are also marvelous, mugging for the camera and feeding off of each other’s lines to create a solid ensemble cast that makes the most of each other’s comic timing and cleverness. The show suffers from slow writing in places, but the actors make the most of that too, allowing for moments of something approaching police procedural drama, thereby making the jokes all that much funnier.

The features are a nice selection of biographies of the principal leads and filmographies of several of the actors. The brief history of MI5 is in text format and is truly fascinating; if you’re a fan of the spy genre, James Bond, or just politics and government in general, you won’t want to miss reading this. It also make some of the show’s in-jokes make more sense to non-British audiences.

The audio and video quality are what you would expect from a late-1980s TV show. The colors are a little washed out and the sets and costumes are dated, but that can be part of the show’s charm. It’s not the height of digital technology, no, but it works well enough for a casual viewing, and fans of the show will be pleased with how relatively good it really does look. Besides, if you’re watching a comedy spy show for the cinematography or are waiting for Kurosawa-esque fantasias of color and light, then there’s something wrong with you anyway.

In short, if you like witty humor with some gentle farcical attributes, spoofs, and parodies, then you will enjoy The Piglet Files. Fans of British humor will appreciate the primarily family-safe and genuinely amusing comic writing, as opposed to the formulaic genital-based humor found on televisions everywhere. Lyndhurst’s take on a secret agent is touching and funny, allowing this show to be endearing, funny, and clever, all at the same time.