This second instalment of Peter Kay's cult sit-com is more upbeat than the first, with some genuine success coming to the characters and club, but it still has its hilariously subversive undertones: a botched hit job; an inflatable castle with an extra appendage; and Brian stuck on his stair lift for a day after a power cut, to take just three examples. The script remains brilliantly surreal and incredibly funny. All the favourite characters remain, with club bouncers Paddy and Max featuring in a couple of the meatier storylines (perhaps setting them up for their own spin-off series?) and Jerry continuing to wow the crowds with his original vocal stylings, the highlight being the grand Stars in Their Eyes final in which he offers his own unique clubland take on Eminem. It's brilliantly original stuff: roll on Series 3. --Kristen Bowditch

The story starts with the Phoenix Club in ashes, courtesy of arch-villain Den Perry, and Peter Kay's wheelchair-bound impresario Brian Potter vainly trying to reassemble the Phoenix Club crew to rebuild his dream. By way of a family fun day, a guest appearance on "Crimewatch", and conning the hapless Gerry St. Clair into being the new licensee, the Phoenix rises from the ashes once more, and the villainous Den Perry gets his come-uppance thanks to one of the oldest tricks in the book. Meanwhile bouncers Max and Paddy breathe new life into the theme from "Minder" and have an abortive shot at a career change into contract killing; the ubiquitous Bernard Wrigley offloads his most dodgy merchandise yet; and a host of jokes about elderly Asians, malfunctioning stairlifts, illegal immigrants, vibrators and the inevitable Chorley FM ("where the listener always comes first") continue the Phoenix Nights tradition of pulling off bad-taste humour without, miraculously, offending anybody.

There are so many highlights that it's hard to pick out the best moments. My personal favourites have to include Young Kenny's star turn as Meat Loaf (complete with motorbike) during "Stars in Their Eyes", Stuart Maconie's improbable cameo appearance presenting "Crimewatch", and the wonderful Max and Paddy rendition of "Is This the Way to Amarillo?" (trust me when I say that the moment they turn round to cue in the chorus will have you laughing for weeks...). The DVD out-takes show only too clearly how infectious the humour is; normally a sequence of corpsing actors doesn't make for my kind of television but Max and Paddy's attempts to describe the fate of the hapless Tommy Dick-Fingers are still hysterical on the thirtieth failed attempt.

We need more of this!


Not quite as good as the first series   April 5, 2004
 3 out of 6 found this review helpful

One of my fellow reviewers says he never watches this DVD because of the sycophantic comments made by the fellow cast members whenever Peter Kay says anything. Well, here's a message for him - turn the commentary off!
In short, this is all six episodes from the second series of one of the funniest TV comedies ever made. Yes, the extras on the DVD include a commentary by Peter Kay, Paddy McGuinness, Archie somebody (who plays Kenny Senior) and Steve Edge (who plays Alan, the keyboard player). The commentary on this DVD is not as good as the commentary on the first series (where Peter and Paddy were joined by Dave Spikey - Jerry St Clair - and Neil Fitzmaurice - Ray Von), but that isn't all that surprising. The first series was the four people who actually wrote Phoenix Nights, the second series included a cast member who only spoke about four lines during all six episodes.
However, ignoring the commentary issue, there are other extras, including loads and loads of deleted scenes, bloopers, and the like, plus two extra songs sung by Paddy and Max while they are driving the minibus around. And "You Spin Me Round" has never been sung better, believe you me.
Just in case you don't know, the second series starts with Brian Potter trying to restore the Phoenix Club, after Den Perry burnt it down with a carefully discarded cigar butt at the end of series one.
The first episode has Brian tracking down all his old staff, including Jery and Alan who are now encouraging people in Asda to buy black bin bags and corned beef with really bad songs. The second episode concentrates on the grand re-opening, including a gala/fete to encourage punters, but ends up with an exploding inflatable "love length", and Young Kenny having his face permanently painted to look like a tiger. The third episode is a parody of Crimewatch, with Brian and team doing their best to gain free advertising for the Phoenix Club, and to point the finger at Den Perry as the arsonist. The fourth episode, the best in my opinion, is quiz night, plus Jerry overdosing on drugs and Saki for during his Free And Easy Night. The fifth episode is ladies night, with an Ann Summers style party, Paddy performing as a stripogram for the ladies, and Max accepting a job to kill one of the punters' husbands. And the final episode continues the story started in the fifth, with the angry punter coming back to Max because her husband isn't dead, and Den Perry landing himself in it by admitting over a radio-microphone that it was indeed he who burnt down the club.
A great programme, some superb jokes, a stellar cast (except Daniel Kitson - just ask Peter Kay). Only series one is better...


A disappointment   January 8, 2004
 2 out of 17 found this review helpful

I just loved Phoenix Nights 1 and 2 on video and so bought the DVD as I was promised commentary on the series. Unfortunately it was an absolute disappointment. Each time Peter Kay tries to give a snippit of information about the filming etc., Paddy or one of the other cast members start laughing and swearing and creeping around Peter Kay. The only good thing about the DVD is the deleted scenes which are in the main hilarious. I dont watch the DVD now as it has spoiled it for me and my family. Such a pity as Peter Kay is a true genius and the star of the show for me was and still is the fantastic Dave Spikey (aka 'Jerry')


Phoenix Nights!!!   November 15, 2003
 1 out of 4 found this review helpful

What more can i say other than that Phoenix Nights is a CLASSIC! The humour will never get old. It's a true masterpiece.


Risen From The Ashes   November 11, 2003
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This second series, after a brief introduction picking up directly from where the last series left off, starts in classic "Dirty Dozen" style, re-acquainting us with the characters and how they have moved on in the months following Den Perry's arson attack on the club.
No "Second Series Syndrome" here then. As we catch up, we find Jerry as a greeter in Asda, promoting special-offer bin bags and corned beef via the gift of song with no sense of shame or irony whatsoever. This vies with Max and Paddy's minibus singalong for funniest introduction. The first episode concerns itself with Brian's efforts to reunite the team so that the Phoenix may rise again.
As before, there are one-liners and sight gags a-plenty. Many of them require the pause button, although the details in Brian's address book have been blurred out for the DVD release, presumably to prevent idiots from calling the numbers quoted.
Brian and Jerry's relationship comes under the spotlight here, as Jerry is appointed licensee and becomes frustrated with Brian's constant interfering. What was occasional slight irritation between the two in the first series becomes a proper falling-out in the second. Jerry is also clearly undergoing a mid-life crisis, evidenced by his health kick following his scare in the first series.
The overall tone of this series is more upbeat than the first, but no less funny for it. While the first series found Brian beset by one problem after another, with only the occasional small victory before the tragic final episode, this series finds Brian no less beleaguered but a bit more of a winner (apart from the episode in which his stairlift breaks down halfway down the stairs, leaving him trapped all night and soiling himself), and utterly triumphant in the spectacular (well, spectacular by Bolton working men's club standards) series finale.
Max and Paddy are given more coverage this time around, and their stint as hapless would-be assassins, and Max's getting carried away with the fantasy of it all ("This is like a film, what we're doing now... Put me tape on!"), is hilarious. It's a credit to Peter Kay's performance that it's very easy to forget that it is him playing Max as well as Brian. Their exit in the final episode strongly suggests an imminent spin-off show of their own.
There are enough laugh-out-loud moments throughout this series to demonstrate an abundance of fresh ideas, and as before the quality of the writing never wavers. Hopefully there is more to come before the Phoenix is laid to rest for good.
The DVD extras are well worth a look. The out-takes featuring Jim Bowen (so abundant he has his own section) are priceless. Whether he hadn't bothered learning his lines, was nervous or just plain useless, watching him mess up time after time is classic. There are also plenty of deleted scenes and hidden bonus items.
The commentary is a little less focussed than on the first DVD - there is a lot of banter between Kay and his colleagues, which is entertaining enough but not very informative. There are moments where Kay talks alone about various scenes, but it sounds as if his colleagues were removed from the studio so as not to provide any distraction, and these moments were spliced into the conversation. There are also a few comments about asylum seekers right at the beginning, which it would perhaps have been wise to edit out as some may construe them to be racist. A bit of a wrong move there I think.
Nonetheless, this is a top-quality programme complemented by a well above average DVD presentation. It towers above the dross foisted upon us in the name of comedy nowadays, and long may it do so. Peter Kay's star is still rising, so as a Bolton boy myself I sincerely hope he maintains the quality he has maintained so well so far. None of that buggering off to Hollywood and losing touch with your roots and talent for him I hope. Excellent.
*Edited a good couple of years or so after originally posting to correct a minor error. I can't let these things lie...