This account of the scheming oil soaked connivances of Britain and America is delivered with customary intellectual certitude and guile by Rob Newman. His show thrusts the magnifying glass upon the ghastly vicissitudes of the Western powers to explain current global turmoil.

Throughout Newman convincingly outlines how a seemingly insatiable thirst for black gold has got the world into a whole load of trouble, and that not all war criminals need look like Goebbels.

First aired on E4 earlier last year and recorded in 2005, this is the inaugural solo DVD to be released by the comic, who achieved critical acclaim in the nineties as one half of Newman and Baddiel.

Newman takes some minutes to warm up, but it is clear soon enough that he relishes the platform to mix humour and politick. The musical comic has a remarkable and perhaps unappreciated talent for impersonations - that of Tony Blair deserving particular praise.

Themed with a turn of last century vaudeville decor and garb, the DVD is interspersed with terrific sketches and graphics. And it is charming to watch - despite covering a chewy and polemic subject matter.

As a bonus, the release also includes his 2003 stand up show 'From Caliban to the Taliban'.

Release Date: 10 December 2007

By Joe Perrin

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