'Three Of A Kind' was what really put both Tracey Ullman and Lenny Henry on the comedy map in Britain throughout the early '80's. It was also the first comedy show to use Teletext style jokes ( named here as 'Gagfax' ). Also in the cast was David Copperfield, who surprisingly seemed to vanish after the show ended.Like Russ Abbot's 'Madhouse' series which ran on ITV, 'Three Of A Kind' got laughs purely from its simplicity. Songs were commonplace, the best of all being a spoof of The Crystals' 'Da Do Ron Ron', with Tracey, Lenny and David as The Ruinettes. Some gags were corny but then that was part of the show's charm. This was my favourite gag.LENNY: I'm a policeman, but for a laugh I let people arrest me at parties!TRACEY: I'm an avon lady, but for a laugh I let people sell me things at parties!DAVID: I'm a taxidermist. I hate parties!'Three Of A Kind' ended in 1983 after its third series. Tracey Ullman later went over to the States to pursue a film career, whilst Lenny Henry became heavily involved with 'Comic Relief'. However, as I said at the start of this review, David Copperfield, just simply disappeared.

Three of a kind was a fast paced sketch comedy show. Its use of Ceefax type gags gave it a cutting edge added to the mix that it pushed alternative comedy to the mainstream.Lenny Henry was the best known star and this was his first big vehicle for the BBC after spending the last few years doing kids TV on ITV.Tracy Ullman was the breakout, the one who would go on to crack America and give birth to The Simpsons, who had a segment in her show.David Copperfield was the more traditional comedian but his Medallion man act was fun.Not only did the series showcased rising stars but also new writers that would revolutionise 1980s television comedy.

'Three Of A Kind' crept into B.B.C.-1's schedules in 1981 with very little fanfare, yet by the time of its third season two years later it was firmly established as one of the most popular comedy sketch shows on the air. Other than Lenny Henry ( familiar to viewers because of 'New Faces', 'The Fosters' and 'Tiswas' ), the cast - Tracey Ullman and David Copperfield - had had little or no T.V. exposure, giving the show an unmistakable freshness. Various recurring characters developed; there was Henry's Rastafarian rap artist 'Fred Dread', Copperfield's 'Medallion Man', all gold rings and sharp suits, while Ullman's upper-class trendy 'Ros' gave the world the exclamation "Ya!". Alternative humour this wasn't; even though Ben Elton and Angus Deayton were among the writers, some of the sketches ( such as 'Australian Blue Peter' ) could have come out of 'Russ Abbot's Madhouse'. One very funny item parodied the sickly pop group 'Dollar' ( or 'Dollop' as they were renamed, with Ullman as 'Thereza Bazar' and Copperfield as 'David Van Day' ), another took off the American series 'Fame'. After it ended, Henry landed his own show, Ullman went to the States, only Copperfield failed to achieve the expected solo stardom.'Three Of A Kind' glittered like a 500W light bulb in its short run, ensuring it is fondly remembered by a generation of thirty somethings.

Three of a Kind, The humour, the social commentary, the sarcasm, the absolute lack of sexist and racist humour. Back then, this was pretty ground breaking. Sure it had been going in at 'alternative cabarets' etc. around London and Student Union's, but would the mainstream monocultural couch potatoes be able to appreciate this 'new wave of humour'? Three of a Kind worked, and how, reaching a wider audience than the narrow intellectual trendy students, it showed how what had been called alternative humour could go mainstream.And yes, Tracy was there, and flanked by Dave and Lenny...Killer combo. Rent it just to see the Social Worker Stint.