Underplayed Gems

The Blizzard of Odd (2001)

The Blizzard of Odd poster
Genre
Comedy
Country
Ireland
Length
5 seasons, 29 episodes
Rating
9.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A comedian hosts a weekly half-hour show featuring segments that mock television programs and review bizarre B-movies and cult films. He also rattles through oddball clips and commentary, sometimes getting around broadcast bans by reading banned scripts aloud.

comedicirreverentzanynostalgicobservationalplayfulfast-paced

What happens

The Blizzard of Odd is an Irish comedy television programme broadcast from 2001–2005 on RTÉ, presented and written by Irish comedian Colin Murphy. The half-hour show (including commercials) was aired usually on Tuesday nights at 22:25 on the RTÉ Two channel. The programme incorporated a number of segments such as Boggle Box, reviewing the week's television programmes, Made in Ireland, which features clips from various Irish B-movies (including low budget Irish pornography films, which Murphy dubbed "Lepraporn"). Also "reviewed" in comical fashion were bizarre cult material such as recurring favourites Vampyros Lesbos and the Leprechaun film series, plus other segments which varied from week to week. On one occasion Murphy was reviewing Star Trek, in particular the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The High Ground" However, he was unable to show any clips of it, as the episode was banned from broadcast in Ireland and the UK due to a positive reference to Physical force Irish republicanism. Murphy got round the ban by reading out the script of the offending scene, attempting to play both characters (Jean-Luc Picard and Data). While the show was produced on a small budget – the set for later seasons was simply a white backdrop onto which Murphy occasionally brought props – it remains a cult favourite among sections of the viewing public in Ireland. It is on an indefinite hiatus and hasn't aired since 2005. Although it has been removed from the RTÉ website, the show has yet to be formally cancelled or renewed, leaving it in a state of limbo. The show's title music was "Television Screen", a cover of The Radiators from Space's 1977 debut single by Centipede on the Roof. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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