Out on DVD: Catherine Tate, a shocking addiction and genteel gunfire

Derek Long and Matthew Montgomery in Socket

The Catherine Tate Show: The Complete Second Series
The versatile Catherine Tate plays a wide variety of roles in her sketch comedy series, physically transforming herself from impertinent teenager Lauren Cooper to foul-mouthed grandmother Nan. The one male character in Tate's repertoire is Derek Faye, who significantly pings people's gaydar, much to Derek's deep offense. Derek was one of my picks for great gay comedy sketches.

Suburban Shootout
This British comedy could very well be the campiest TV show you've never seen, with its tale of genteel-seeming housewives who conduct extortion schemes, protection rackets and drug deals in a quiet country town. Interestingly, just as this series becomes available on DVD, it also hits the news as an American version is made into a pilot for HBO.

Socket
While we're seeing more gay stories in genres like science fiction and fantasy, films like sci-fi thriller Socket are infrequent enough to still be notable when they do appear. Socket tells the tale of a surgeon who survives a lightning strike. During his recovery a sexy intern introduces him to a group who are addicted to electricity, telling a tale of sex and substance addiction. The publicity for this one has plenty of steamy pictures, so you can anticipate a mix of sexiness with the sci-fi.