"When you're famous, you're public property," the old adage goes. If this is true, then Star Stories has rented out said property, rigorously studied it, smeared it with faeces, and handed it back in a flaming bag.
Star Stories is your typical British-centric copy cat comedy, delivering 25 minute mockumentaries on celeb life stories on the likes of George Michael, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tom Cruise and Britney Spears; all told from a celeb's perspective allowing artistic bias to run rampant. Mimicry is a tried and true, often ho-hum idea (the not-bad Spitting Image and Dead Ringers, the terrible Skit House, hell, even Hey, Hey It's Saturday) but Star Stories distinguishes itself from the pack in three distinct areas: 1) sharp, witty writing, 2) magnificent mimicry from the actors, 3) combining the two to make a genuinely funny outing.
Exactly how hilarious purebred antipodeans will find this is variable. Seeing out my formative years in Ol' Blighty during the '90s lets those like me in to countless extra in-gags that will simply wash over a Southern Cross tattoo-sporting Australian audience. But the action is fast paced enough thanks to excellent editing, and the various real-life characters are so entertaining in their own right that while the episode on Sadie Frost may confuse it can still be enjoyed, and episodes on the universally known Guy Ritchie and Catherine Zeta Jones will have everyone laughing along.
There are enough peripheral characters that pop up in each episode to keep it interesting - Mick Hucknall, Russell Brand, Chris Martin, Colin Farrell, Michael Douglas, John Travolta... not many are left alone - and it's the ludicrous depictions married with spot on impressions that make this such a joy. All the actors are brilliant, but Kevin Bishop is undoubtedly the backbone (check out his Alex Ferguson) and Steve Edge could stare down Jack Dee in a dead-pan contest.
Four star stuff, but add an extra half star if you lived in the England over the past 20 years.
