The Show
Made back in 2002, "Danger! 50,000 Volts!" takes host Nick Frost (Ed from Shaun of the Dead) and puts him into dangerous situations, and with the assistance of an expert in the field, he shows how to escape the danger. Each episode features six segments, with the sources of danger ranging from heat stroke to being attacked by a bat-wielding maniac. Some of the advice might come in handy, like how to deal with frostbite, while others, like how to survive a falling elevator, are a bit outside the realm of realism.

The series seems to take a cue from the Worst Case Scenario series of books, which started in 1999 and spawned their own TV series, which was also hosted by a heavy-set comic actor. Actually, looking at the books, many of the survival concepts from the book appear in this series, right down to the illustrations. In fact, the bits titled, "Too Dangerous to Film," which are some of the funniest parts of the series, look exactly like some of the art in the books. On the plus side, these animated segments are pretty damn hilarious thanks to some truly nonsensical ideas that are inserted. Does quality forgive plagiarism? I'm probably not qualified to make that call.

Frost isn't as funny, or as heavy for that matter, as he is in Shaun, but perhaps he learned a thing or two after "Danger!" Here he is rather subdued, throwing jokes in here and there, allowing the specialist to do his or her thing. In truth, this show works much better as a "Ripley's"-like series that presents unusual people and places, than a comic series. Bits about hippo attacks and surviving tornados provide fascinating info, with Frost acting like the everyman on-the-scene, asking questions and providing comic relief.

While many of the segments are very good and very interesting, the series seemed to be stretching for danger with bits like "Taxi Birth" and "Ice Fishing." Then there's "Hostage Rescue Alert!" Ridiculous doesn't even cover the likelihood of this one (though the segment is pretty cool) and it's still more realistic than the one about Finnish elf gold and reindeer. Also, despite only needing 48 segments, (in comparison, Worst Case Scenario filled five books) concepts were somewhat repeated. Several animal attacks and three cold weather segments are just two examples of repetition in the series which make up almost a fifth of the series.

One problem viewers might find with the series, and which may have affected my own view of the series' comedy, is the use of British pop culture as punchlines. A joke about Cilla Black might be hilarious, but to an American without BBC America, it goes over badly. This is the case many times in an episode, and the series might have been a riot to me if it had been a Kathie Lee Gifford gag. But I guess we'll never know, now will we?

The DVD
A clear single-width keepcase with a tray holds this two-disc set, with a two-sided cover that lists the eight episodes and special features on the inside. Heavily animated, anamorphic widescreen menus follow the graphic theme of the series, and present options to play all the episodes, select episodes, select commentary tracks and adjust subtitles. On Disc Two, a special features option is also included. The episode selection menus are broken down by episode, with each episode menu including a breakdown of the segments. Subtitles are available in English, but there are no audio options or closed captioning.

The Quality
One can't help but be disappointed by the quality of these anamorphic widescreen episodes. The video is soft and a bit blurry, with pixilation along straight lines and overall dull color, including blacks that aren't exactly deep. The animated titles and segments look better, but they suffer from pixilation as well, a traditional problem with animation on DVD. Compare the eight episodes to the bonus episode on Disc Two, and the difference is night and day.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack to these episodes is solid, but not reference quality, as it's a rather standard television presentation. Unless you're used to British accents, you'd be best served turning on the subtitles, as the audio recording isn't tight enough to overcome a bit of mumblemouth on the part of the participants.

The Extras
The set features audio commentaries on each episode by a mix of participants including Frost, producer Jon Riley, director Matt Gillbe (episodes 3,6,7 and 8) and researchers Katherine Fish (episodes 4,6 and 7) and Allison Vann (episode 8). The commentaries aren't the most fascinating tracks ever committed to disc, as there's dead air and episode watching, but they provide some additional humor and a bit of information here and there, like which guests got along with Frost and which didn't. If the episodes can be hard to understand, these venture into unintelligible ground at times, with several people talking at once.

Also found throughout the episodes are danger signs that pop-up. Press enter, and a fast fact about the current segment will be shown, but you'll have to be quick on the draw, as the symbol remains up for mere seconds.

Disc Two features the other big special feature, "Danger! 50,000 Zombies!", a special episode made after Frost's popularity exploded with Shaun of the Dead. With help from Dr. Russell Fell (who will be familiar those who caught Shaun) Frost learns all you need to know about surviving an attack by the undead. The comedy here is much closer to that of Shaun than the main series, and the quality is much higher.

The second DVD also includes a gallery of all the "Dangerous Facts" that are peppered through the series via the pop-ups, in case you just couldn't hit "enter" quick enough.

The Bottom Line
The laughs aren't as plentiful as one might hope for thanks to the Shaun of the Dead-related hype, but there are some occasional hilarious moments in this series, and the way the concept is carried out is enjoyable enough to maintain interest for eight episodes, especially during the "Too Dangerous to Film" segments. The bonus episode is a nice touch, and the commentaries will be of interest to fans of the series, but the quality of the video could have been better. Anglophiles should get a kick out of this series, along with fans of survival training, but it's not consistently entertaining enough to encourage repeat viewings. A rental should give you everything you need to know about survival and Nick Frost. On a side note: where are the DVDs of Frost's better series, "Spaced"?

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.