Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby (2005– ) User Reviews

Classic

[O.N. · 10/10 · 17 April 2008]

Absolute Classic!! Accidentally found the first series of this one night after "At the Movies" on abc TV Australia and nearly wet myself laughing. Ended up watching the remainder of the series and then buying the DVD on mail order to see the episodes I missed.

With all the PC and Americanised crime dramas on TV, it's good to see something definitely Australasian on TV that's not afraid to bend the rules and deliver a few laughs at the same time.

Certainly could not be made in the US this stuff .... too much wit .... and sadly not sure us Aussies could either given the way our local television is going.

Hope to see series 2 on Aussie TV soon enough. BRING IT ON

Perfect for those who like Summer Heights High!

[zhanger84 · 8/10 · 28 September 2007]

This is school humour at its best. As a secondary teacher, this series rings so true to life, that at times, I can only cringe. Whilst there have been opinions about it's political incorrectness, and I'm not saying that it is actually politically correct, in fact, far from it. It is close to one of the most politically incorrect shows I have ever seen... but that's what makes it so endearing and an enjoyable show.

Mr. Gormsby (David McPhail) is an incredibly... shall we say... odd... teacher who strives to control a class of misfits. McPhail nails the character down so well that he (scarily) reminds me of an old maths teacher I had in my high school days.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who is in education, been in education or has had an education... and can take a joke in this increasingly PC world...

Side-Splittingly Hilarious

[The_Eminator · 10/10 · 27 July 2006]

When told about this series, I've got to admit, I was a little skeptical at first that this show could be as funny as everyone was saying it was. I couldn't have been more wrong. The microcosmic world of Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby is extremely well developed, each character, no matter how insignificant they may seem, has their own part to play in amplifying the hilarity of the series.

David McPhail is absolutely outstanding in his role as Mr Gormsby, I will never look at spelling the same way again.

Definitely a series not to be missed, I have not laughed that hard in a long time.

Delightfully twisted, un-PC humor at it's best

[JimCarreyisjustnotfunny · 28 December 2005]

This New Zealand gem of a comedy follows the horrible antics of old, grumpy school-teacher, Mr.Gormsby, as he sets about trying to discipline a classroom of unruly school children in the most unbelievable ways imaginable. The humour sometimes descends into uninspiring childish toilet humour, and it's not immune to getting laughs out of the mentally-challenged, but thanks to a priceless deadpan performance from David McPhail as the title character, this crude, dry and utterly hilarious take on New Zealand school life is wickedly un-PC comedy brilliance. We don't get much New Zealand television here in Australia, but this one's a gem. 8/10

Premium bad taste comedy.

[thomasm0 · 10/10 · 23 November 2009]

Gormsby is the epitome of low-budget, hilarious, bad taste comedy. You can't help but love both the over the top M.E Gormsby but also the unpolished yet rounded performances of the students, particularly ho heppa, alapeppi and afionga. Characters like morton, dasent, leslie and particularly Steve, from guidance, are welcome in any show i watch, anytime. just gold. I pity anyone who cant grasp the subtle but in your face irony of the humour at play here- i think the Australian show 'summer heights high' has taken a character liked ho heppa and dumbed it down to the lowest common denominator. Gormsby is #1 in this genre and although series 2 doesn't live up to the height of the first, i'm happy to sing the praises of 7PWMG til the cows come home.

Refreshing, uplifting, and very funny.

[dracher · 10/10 · 14 June 2015]

The series is compact, the story lines and the comedy are free free flowing, and the characterisation is sharply focused and consistent.

Those who have found the individual performances poor, in particular one "Cranky Carrot," will be unable to enjoy the total production, which is a great shame, because the performances are actually very even and extremely well controlled by excellent direction and supported by first class script work.

Perhaps it helps to have lived and worked in NZ, but I had no problem associating with the character types and found great delight in the profoundly human elements of the story lines.

Here is a beautifully constructed piece of theatre, where comedy, drama and the truth about social politics meld, to create a satirical and sociological comment that all people should be able to grasp and appreciate, as it lampoons social politics; both the so called incorrect, and the so called correct.

Wickedly funny

[CtlAltDel · 8/10 · 15 December 2019]

Wonderful scripts with a cast of absolute misfits. The UNpolitically correct antics of this school will have you cringing and laughing throughout. Gormsby is a standout character as is Steve the Guidance Counselor - what a despicable person he is. Some side-characters could have had their backstories worked out a bit more. There are touches of sentiment but these only make the show more endearing. All episodes of both seasons are on YouTube. Enjoy.

A masterpiece

[ambroserockefeller · 10/10 · 7 March 2012]

Everything about this show is genius. It's laugh out loud funny, every minute. You'll find yourself watching and rewatching just to remember some of Gormsby's funniest lines so you can repeat them to your friends. But at the same time the characters and their circumstances are well developed and believable. The show frequently comes up with lines and moments that tell us a lot about the world we live in.

You have to have a thick skin and a healthy sense of humour to watch Gormsby. If you're easily offended, don't bother. This is a show for people who love life and love to laugh.

Ten stars.

An un-polically correct satire on New Zealand society

[ShaghaiDoc · 8/10 · 26 September 2014]

The characters are deliberately predictable, being a parody, except for the star Mr Gormsby. Predicting his next action is a little like picking lotto numbers, as his behaviour often appears to contradict his beliefs, until matters unfold. The second series shocks less than the first and seemed a little tamer. Never-the-less it is a very funny show. Those with no understanding of Kiwi multi-cultural values will struggle with some of the humour and may be intellectually challenged by this series. I was not aware of any New Zealand comedy shows, before coming across this on Oz television, except rugby shows where English and Australian commentators whine about how good the All Blacks are.

Must see

[jameshurford · 10/10 · 8 September 2021]

So many characters drive the comedy, draws one into the setting. Came out of left field and I hope it gets plenty of recognition. One of those series that I find myself wanting to discuss with others.

A surprisingly honest cross section of NZ schooling

[trimputes · 10/10 · 7 December 2021]

I was brought to watch this show through comedian (and actor) Jason Hoyte, who plays the deplorable Mudgeway. I was not prepared to see something so funny come out of a NZ production. The comedy is based on the very old school Gormsby, who every kid in NZ can relate to as 'an out of touch teacher stuck in the 1950's'.

The racism is frequent in the show, but par for the course in New Zealand. Many of us look at racism as funny, and not a serious problem. This is elevated by cherry picked insults from Gormsby, who thoughout the series seems to be a massive racist but shows a lot of heart and traditional kiwi values. Cross that with the teaching staff (hilariously incompetent and underfunded, another NZ staple) and you have a TV show for the ages.

The show is unabashedly and hilariously offensive. Many of the caracatures of teachers we've all dealt with in New Zealand are dialled up to 11 (a PE teacher who is a morbidly obese lesbian, a milquetoast Principal butchering not only Maori, but Islander greetings, a Maori teacher who can't speak Maori, and many more besides!)

If you can get past the obvious stereotypes (which are obviously dialled up for comedic purposes) this is actually not just funny, but a pretty heartwarming story of a misfit class coming of age. The relationship that develops between the stereotypical missing parent Hohepa and 'old english discipline' Gormsby has way more depth than most comedies.

"Old Uncle Ned was buried under the Whenua, We'll never see his likes - again-ua"

interesting..I'm the first kiwi to comment on this!

[Charlie_Runkle69 · 7/10 · 25 October 2006]

Wow, Im the first kiwi who actually cares enough to write about this series.

This is a nice little comedy set in an average kiwi town stereotypically portraying pacific islanders as 'dumb'. David Mcphail is an outstanding actor and his talents really shine through. I did like his 'camp' on the school grounds in the second series, an obvious number 8 wire reference.

However, the rest of the actors really are average at best. It's a great shame that all of New Zealands best actors go overseas, because guys like Sam Neill and Martin Henderson would have been great in this class. I could just see Sam as a history teacher and Martin as the dodgy arse selling drugs behind the bike sheds. Even the Maori bloke was only mildly amusing when he lost all the schools camp money on betting. Fenn was sexy enough with the whole 'sexy school teacher' look, but it's all been done before and much better to be honest.

I still think that most of New Zealands programs like this look back too much into our supposed glory years of the 1950s to the 1970s when we really need to embrace our culture more as it is today. Thats why outrageous fortune is so popular because its a different spin on an overseas based idea (the sopranos,always greener etc).

In conclusion, it is good to see an un-pc program on television. You definitely get a few good laughs but overall i think Outrageous Fortune is where New Zealand television needs to head rather than these '1950s new Zealand" overdone medieval programs.

Oh and Andy from Aussie. Cheers for the plug. By the way, we can be heroes is a TOP program and its well worth a look. Ricky Wong for life!

Massively overrated

[cranky_carrot · 3/10 · 6 August 2006]

I had a good friend tell me I would find this hilarious, which has historically always been a bad sign. After sitting through 2 and half episodes and trying to force the occasional smile, I could stand it no longer. It's not that it's spectacularly bad, it's just that it is, at best, average in every respect. The humour is predictable. Gormsby's dialogue wears thin after the first couple of lines. The acting is dire for all but a couple of the main characters (Gormsby and that fat PE teacher) and the few dramatic elements are plastic, hollow and laboured.

Don't get me wrong. It's great that a low-budget show from NZ of all places has done well outside its country of origin. And thank god there's no laugh track, but Christ, I have to voice a counter opinion to all this wanton praise since I've sat through repeated viewings of it now (with the aforementioned friend and his flatmate) and I honestly hate it. Now this might be asking for it, but am I the only one?

Wicked fun (spoiler)

[dss-6 · 17 December 2005]

God knows something like this won't play in the US, but NZ just shows the rest of the world it isn't shy of poking fun at political correctness once in a while. The setting is a New Zealand classroom of the worst possible students (5F) who have absolutely no chance to get anywhere in life. That is, until a substitute teacher named Gormsby has 7 periods with them. (so far I've seen 3 but can't wait for the rest) Gormsby is your deadpan old timer who's not afraid of kicking the system back into life and inspiring (sort of) his students to learn the real facts of life. Since he can't whip his students, he turns his dry wit on them and the teachers. Almost gets himself fired doing so...to characterize the third sex: "there are men, there are women, and there are schoolteachers." US public schools should teach a sociology class with this series.

Mr. Gormsby - 2nd series in the pipeline !

[garrison-5 · 8 January 2006]

Nearly $9 Million for Local Drama and Comedy - 9 September 2005. NZ On Air has announced plans to spend almost $9 million on locally produced drama and comedy as a result of decisions made at its August meeting. There are some exciting projects going ahead thanks to this funding, said NZ On Air's Acting Chief Executive Bernard Duncan.We're pleased to support a second series of Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby, following the critical and audience success of the first, Mr Duncan said. Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby Series 2 $1,247,560 7 x half hour Broadcaster: TV One Producer: Danny Mulheron, Tom Scott Direct Hit Directed by Danny Mulheron Writing credits (in alphabetical order) Dave Armstrong writer Danny Mulheron writer Tom Scott writer Cast (in credits order) David McPhail .... Mr. Gormsby Paul McLaughlin .... Mr. Dasent Jason Hoyte .... Steve Mudgeway Tandi Wright .... Fenn Partington Michele Amas .... Lauren Geraldine Brophy .... Marion Patterson Thomas Robins .... Mr. Morton Louis Sutherland .... Mr. Hakanui Joseph Moore .... Bastabus Michael Beran .... Woodwork Teacher Produced by Danny Mulheron .... producer Tom Scott .... producer Judith Trye .... executive producer Makeup Department Jayne Donaldson .... assistant makeup artist Kareen Donaldson .... makeup artist