2DTV. This, and the Champions League were probably the only reasons why I wasted any time watching ITV.Funny dialogue, a warped sense of humour and the ability of the 2DTV team to knock these episodes out the same day as major events unfolded is the reason why I made the effort to watch it.Nothing, it seemed was out of bounds: The US, Iraq War, the British Government, the royal family, The Osbournes, Harry Potter, football, soaps, reality TV, celebrities, Al Qaeda, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict... Basically anything that hit the headlines, made it into the show and to hilarious effect.Although the episodes tended to be only 15 minutes long (and as such, could be easily lost amongst the dreary reality shows ITV usually churned out at 10pm), there was usually never a moment when the show lost it's pace.The animation was more functional rather than polished, and some of the voices were sometimes off the mark, but neither of these things really detracted from the script itself. The political bias may put some people off, but it's worth persevering even if it's only to see the celebrity gags.Certainly one to rent/buy on DVD.

SPOILERS In 2001, with a plan to fill the neesh left by the cancellation of "Spitting Image" in 1996, ITV began showing a cartoon series called "2DTV". Originally hilarious, the series continued to evolve. Sadly though that evolution has not always been for the best with bad choices being made in terms of the celebrities being covered. "2DTV" has changed from being a fresh original take on life into an excessively celebrity based inferior to alternative television shows.When "2DTV" first started, jokes tended to be directed at celebrities like the Beckhams (Jon Culshaw and Jan Ravens), Blair and Bush (both Culshaw) and the monarchy. This trend has subsided in recent times however as the series has began to change it's focus to keep with public opinion. The last series shown on television still maintained Blair and Bush, but it introduced jokes about Wayne Rooney and his fiancée, and the breast groping controversy over Arnold Schwarzenegger. Beginning to repeat the same jokes over and over again, the series gradually lost it's freshness and has eventually lost any of the wit and humour that it originally had.Part of the decline in "2DTV" has been as a result of the thriving "Dead Ringers" on the BBC. With vocal artists Culshaw and Ravens leaving for the BBC production, the standards and humour have plummeted. As "2DTV" has lowered it's tone and lost it's style, "Dead Ringers" has thrived and evolved into something rather wonderful.On the animation, even the old favourite of George Bush has lost his strength. Originally based around the concept that he is an idiot, the series would insult him in ways so extreme, that one advert for the show was even banned from television. In later series though, this style has gone off the boil as the world has accepted the view of Bush as an idiot and are more concerned about him blowing up the world than being thick."2DTV" was genius when it first started. Funny and witty, it provided decent entertainment when you were lucky enough to catch it (ITV never really giving it a proper screening time until too late), and never failed to make you laugh. In recent times though, this animation has self destructed. With main vocal artists leaving and the scripts getting progressively worse, the show has lost all of it's dignity and should have stopped a few years ago. Yet another example of a television programme going on for too long.

This is one of the best satirical impression shows I've ever seen, especially because the animation and voice talents combined both make the impressions work. The voice talents include (from Dead Ringers) Jon Culshaw and Jan Ravens. These two are probably my favourite of the series of impressionists. Basically they listen to latest news and make it into the joke with the help of the animated celebrities. Jon Culshaw does some of the best characters including: President George Bush, Tony Blair, Bill Gates, David Beckham, Mark from EastEnders, Robbie Williams, George Michael, Hugh Grant, Michael Barrymore, Dale Winton, Liam Gallagher and many more. Jan Ravens basically does all the females, these include: Geri Halliwell, Victoria Beckham, Dot Cotton, Barbara Windsor, Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson, Cheri Blair, Sigourney Weaver, The Queen, Anne Robinson and many more. It was nominated The British Comedy Award for Best New TV Comedy. It was number 52 on The 100 Greatest Cartoons. Good!

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsThis show is on every weekend on TV,and looks set to carry on for much longer.It's quite simply an imaginative and hilarious animated satire of the weeks events around the world,and the sketches themselves are very accurate.Great entertainment.****