In the immortal words of Sir Monty, "... And now, for something completely different..."

First released on television in 1994, by Meriron Davies, the Commissioner of Children's and Youth Programming for Welsh language channel SC4, Gogs revolves around the crazed antics of a dysfunctional prehistoric family of Neanderthals - featuring Ogla, the tyrannical mother who dominates her brood with an iron fist; Oglas, the deadbeat good-for-nothing husband who just wants an easy life; Girj, a bilious baby whose only function is to eat and excrete; Ogo, a seriously thick-headed son, who in helping others, finds himself in need of being helped; Igi, under whose timid exterior lies a mind comparable to Einstein's; and Gogas, the irritable grandfather who vents his frustration through hitting everyone with a weighty club.

Created by two of Britain's most talented claymation artists, Deiniol Morris and Michael Mort, Gogs has apparently captured the attention of Steven Speilberg, who has displayed an interest in the developments of their company, Aaargh! Animation.

Since its premiere on Welsh television, Gogs has been sold to over 30 countries, proving itself to be a huge worldwide cult hit, and, in the process, reaping 12 international awards including the BAFTA for Best Children's program and the coveted BANFF award for Best Animation.

The formula of the episodes collected here is a refelection of its humour - anarchic and maniacal. Hence, there is no real story in each of the disc's three segments, but rather several insane anecdotes fused together to form a collective narrative. This free approach allows the series to marry devastatingly effective satire and traditional slapstick with exceptional ease.

Gogs: The Complete Collection is compiled from the television series and is presented in the full screen aspect ration of 4:3.

Visually, the first two instalments, Gogs and Gogs II, are not as polished as the latter Gogwana. For the most part of these two features, blacks are quite solid and shadow detail is acceptable. There are no apparent MPEG artefacts. Grain is often noticeable on screen, but this can be attributed to the film stock used and the techniques associated with stop-motion animation. I found it not to be intrusive.

There is no colour-bleeding, as the colour palette is rather muted. Again, this can be attributed to the film stock, and is not indicative of the actual transfer.

However, the video quality for the feature-length Gogwana is significantly improved, reflecting the budget - and hence, superior film stock - as compared to its predecessors. Blacks are solid, with rich, vibrant colours that do not suffer over-saturation, even with the most extreme colour palette. Details are very sharp. Other than some minor traces in the opening scenes, there is no evident grain in Gogwana.

There is only one audio selection, that of the Dolby Digital 2.0. There is no dialogue as such. Instead, the conversations consist entirely of gutteral cries, grunts, and utterances. The bizarre vocal exchanges are very clear, as are too the music and sound effects. As far as I can ascertain, there is no sound distortion of any sort.

There is only one extra, consisting of a photo gallery which contains but a handful of the Gogs in a variety of poses. Its contibution to the DVD package as a whole is quite negligible.

For obvious reasons, Gogs: The Complete Collection is not for everyone, and can best be recommended for people who have a devout appreciation for stop-motion animation - i.e. Wallace and Gromit, Crapston Villas, and The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb. Much of Gogs' appeal, however, lies in its witty satire of the human condition and its abundant toilet humour.

Gogs is deranged, bizarre, twisted, and vile - for which I am more than grateful. I absolutely loved it.