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I watched the second episode, despite the unenjoyable first episode, just because I thought maybe, just maybe it would be more enjoyable once you got into the characters. Like how the fast show initially confused people, then, went on to be a legitimate comedy catchphrase festival of fun. Easy Cheesy Squeezy Peas etc.
I still found the majority of it to be rubbish. I think the superhero's social awkwardness sketch has possibilities, apart from that nothing.
Still maybe they'll pull through. Probably just need to bum each other off live onstage or something. Push the boundaries a bit more...
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Their unofficial James Corden Fan Site puts a different sheen on it.
quote:James Corden and Mat Horne performed live for the Teenage Cancer Trust on Sunday night. Drawing on characters and sketches from their much-maligned, eponymous sketch comedy, the duo wowed audiences and critics alike, bringing “high energy” to a “showbiz miracle.”
Horne & Corden began it’s six-episode run earlier in the month and was quickly slammed hard by critics. Yet the premiere episode set a record for audience on BBC3 and the show is rumored to be green lit for a second series. And a promotion to BBC2, which would mark the fastest-yet transition from the digital station to one of the main broadcast channels.
Their performance at Albert Hall was met with greater success. Bruce Dessau from thisislondon.co.uk writes,
At their best they raised the roof. Corden’s rapidfire rapping (“I’ve always had time for my rhyme”) showed he can rattle off neat lines at will when he has them. His public school oaf Xander also slipped down well as he clambered through the audience.”
Though his critic is measured and mixed (”trading heavily on high energy rather than high quality”), Dessau rated the program 3 out of 5 stars.
Over at The Telegraph, Dominic Cavendish shares more optimism,
…the pair bounded onto the Albert Hall stage with undaunted devil-may-care, acting for all the world like adored messiahs not newborn pariahs, and they were met with undisguised, and very vocal, affection from the crowd. If this was a make-or-break night, they could still count on their fans’ indulgence – but they didn’t need to. They rose to the occasion and delivered the funnies. You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief go up.
Those who trashed their BBC3 sketch-show might have cared to see how some of its characters work in a live context – which is very well indeed.”
For Horne and Corden it no doubt marked a welcome, happy end to what had been a difficult month. Aside from the launch and subsequent critical mauling of their sketch show, the pair also puts behind them the premiere and subsequent critical mauling of their new film, Lesbian Vampire Killers.
Horne and Corden have promised to “disappear” for awhile and let the public catch their breath. Still, we hope they don’t wait too long. If anything, the TCT evening proved that their fans continue to enjoy their work.
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What is it with the British and our need for a comedy double-act? I don't know how far back it goes, but... Flanagan & Allen, Flanders & Swann, Morecambe & Wise, Corbett & Barker, Cannon & Ball, Dennis & Gee, Vic & Bob, Collins & Carr, Corden & Horne... and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
quote:Originally posted by Black Mask: What is it with the British and our need for a comedy double-act? I don't know how far back it goes, but... Flanagan & Allen, Flanders & Swann, Morecambe & Wise, Corbett & Barker, Cannon & Ball, Dennis & Gee, Vic & Bob, Collins & Carr, Corden & Horne... and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
quote:Originally posted by Black Mask: What is it with the British and our need for a comedy double-act?
It surprises me that no one (that I can think of right now) has tried putting together a group like Monty Python since, uh, Monty Python. There's no shortage of excellent comedians around, and a lot of them write their own material, or a fair bit of it anyway, and do good sketches, but they just seem to stick together in pairs and quickly get repetitive.
There was that fairly lame Red Nose Day thing where Mitchell & Webb got together with Armstrong & Miller, but they basically just appeared in each others established sketches. If those two double acts could get together with one of the better stand-ups, plus some kind of wild-card along the lines of Terry Gilliam, then I'd say a whole new world of chuckles would open up. Or The Mighty Boosh people with the Little Britain people or whatever. Wouldn't they incite each other to far greater things? Maybe they just don't like each other.
I did read somewhere that a lot of comedians, even now, are terrified of ripping off Monty Python, and yet they don't seem at all bothered about carrying on like Pete & Dud, The Two Ronnies, Fry & Laurie etc etc in an unbroken line.
I suppose there was Not The Nine O'Clock News, but that was more a satire thing, which is about the only time you do get groups larger than two. Like The Now Show on the radio, which is hit and miss. Some might say shite. Though it usually has great moments.
Who would you put together do you reckon? And would it work?
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quote:Originally posted by dang65: I did read somewhere that a lot of comedians, even now, are terrified of ripping off Monty Python, and yet they don't seem at all bothered about carrying on like Pete & Dud, The Two Ronnies, Fry & Laurie etc etc in an unbroken line.
It's a bit weird that this reverence to Monty Python continues, they're rerunning old episodes on cable at the moment. About 80% of each show is painfully awful. Every now and then there's a famously funny sketch but it's waaaaaaay more Miss than Hit.
quote:Originally posted by Black Mask: Highly-educated men getting dragged up and doing funny voices? It's a bit shit, isn't it?
The thing nowadays is that most of these sketch show people have a selection of characters and catch phrases and use them over and over again. Monty Python had a few stock characters, but most the time it was a different set up each show. I know a lot of it is really weak now, but the best stuff still stands up and the format should be tried more often, really. With threads running through shows and sketches banging into each other and that. I'm not saying to just copy Monty Python, but to update that format a bit.
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monty python were all quite similar though weren't they, as were the comic strip people. And the not the nine o'clock news people. I think that the closest we've got to that more recently was the day today. The thing that they've all got in common is that primarily they were saying something, they represented a disaffection, a generational gap and a desire to rebuild using new rules. Maybe TV is less powerful as a medium for that kind of social electricity these days because people find their niche online and turn to TV more for mind numbing entertainment. I don't know. That's probably bollocks. There are plenty of comedic actors out there, but when you've got such meaningless tweeness as flight of the conchords and mighty boosh as the top tv comedies, or the angsty cynicism of peep show, it seems clear that we don't want to get behind people with a cause. We want either inoffensive noodling or theatre of humiliation. I say 'we', but I don't really know who that is.
I'm talking shit here so that somebody can shoot me down.
quote:Originally posted by Deep Freeze: such meaningless tweeness as flight of the conchords and mighty boosh as the top tv comedies, or the angsty cynicism of peep show, it seems clear that we don't want to get behind people with a cause. We want either inoffensive noodling or theatre of humiliation.
The Flight of Conchords is just shit. Mighty Boosh is a continuation of typical British daftness (Goon Show, Python, Vic & Bob...) that has been cynically drawn as edgy because they occasionally drop the word 'rape' into their Random Gag Generator. Peep Show I do actually see as having a voice. It's not really saying much other than 'Life is shit'. But, there you go.
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I'm still very much down with tim and eric. They're midway through their fourth season now, and it's delivering as always.
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I'm not saying all British comedy is plain rubbish. I'll watch it. I laugh at most of it. There's just not much to get excited about. We've got these comedy double acts and comedy teams, but none of them (or hardly any of them) really go out on a limb or doing anything genuinely interesting. We stratify them, Python = Genius, Russ Abbot's Comedy Workhouse = Dire. But, really there's not that much in it, in the majority of cases/material/performances. I think we do better with situation/character comedy and individual stand-ups.
The Day Today was good. But they were more of a team put together to realise someone else's comedic vision, weren't they?
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when it comes to actual laughter, I think that Harry Hill's TV Burp probably gets me the most, and if Sean Locke is on form when he's on a panel show.
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quote:Originally posted by Deep Freeze: when it comes to actual laughter, I think that Harry Hill's TV Burp probably gets me the most, and if Sean Locke is on form when he's on a panel show.
Harry Hill is consistently funny. He does that slightly cheeky whimsy thing. Completely unapologetically, no cards up his sleeve, no mocking pomo agenda. Just big collars, bad props and daft jokes. He even made You've Been Framed funny. He still takes the piss out of Lisa Riley on that, and she hasn't been on the telly for about 10 years.
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Trying to think of UK TV comedy that's good. So far on my list I've got:
League of Gentlemen Spaced Peep Show Alan Partridge The Day today The Office Fall and Rise of Reginal Perrin
The great british Public voted for 1. fools and horses 2. blackadder 3. vicar of dibley 4. dad's army 5. fawlty towers 6. yes minister 7. porridge 8. open all hours 9. the good life 10. once foot in the grave.
The great british Public voted for 1. fools and horses 2. blackadder 3. vicar of dibley 4. dad's army 5. fawlty towers 6. yes minister 7. porridge 8. open all hours 9. the good life 10. once foot in the grave.
I find it really hard to watch any of those now, with the exception of Fawlty Towers (if I'm in the mood) and the majestic Porridge. Porridge is mainly worth repeated viewing for the splendid ensemble performing, though. Same goes for Rising Damp and the Perrins.
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hmm. sarah alexander is married to Peter Serafinowicz. I always hoped that she'd end up with me, but I can't compete with Peter. Peter incidentally is a big fan of tim and eric as well.
I once stood next to Sarah Alexander in Kensington. She was looking in an estate agent's window, I was pretending to do so, drinking in the moment.
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11 Father Ted More | Top of page 12 Keeping Up Appearances More | Top of page 13 'Allo 'Allo! More | Top of page 14 Last of the Summer Wine More | Top of page 15 Steptoe and Son More | Top of page 16 Men Behaving Badly More | Top of page 17 Absolutely Fabulous More | Top of page 18 Red Dwarf More | Top of page 19 The Royle Family More | Top of page 20 Are You Being Served? More | Top of page 21 To the Manor Born More | Top of page 22 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em More | Top of page 23 The Likely Lads More | Top of page 24 My Family More | Top of page 25 The Office More | Top of page 26 Drop the Dead Donkey More | Top of page 27 Rising Damp More | Top of page 28 Dinnerladies More | Top of page 29 As Time Goes By More | Top of page 30 Hancock's Half Hour More | Top of page 31 The Young Ones More | Top of page 32 Till Death Us Do Part More | Top of page 33 Butterflies More | Top of page 34 The Thin Blue Line More | Top of page 35 Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin More | Top of page 36 Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights More | Top of page 37 Waiting for God More | Top of page 38 Birds of a Feather More | Top of page 39 Bread More | Top of page 40 Hi-De-Hi More | Top of page 41 The League of Gentlemen More | Top of page 42 I'm Alan Partridge More | Top of page 43 Just Good Friends More | Top of page 44 2.4 Children More | Top of page 45 Bottom More | Top of page 46 It Ain't Half Hot Mum More | Top of page 47 The Brittas Empire More | Top of page 48 Gimme Gimme Gimme More | Top of page 49 Rab C. Nesbitt More | Top of page 50 Goodnight Sweetheart More | Top of page 51 Up Pompeii More | Top of page 52 Ever Decreasing Circles More | Top of page 53 On the Buses More | Top of page 54 Coupling More | Top of page 55 George and Mildred More | Top of page 56 A Fine Romance More | Top of page 57 Citizen Smith More | Top of page 58 Black Books More | Top of page 59 The Liver Birds More | Top of page 60 Two Pints of Lager and... More | Top of page 61 The New Statesman More | Top of page 62 Sykes More | Top of page 63 Please, Sir! More | Top of page 64 Dear John More | Top of page 65 Barbara More | Top of page 66 Spaced More | Top of page 67 Bless this House More | Top of page 68 Love Thy Neighbour More | Top of page 69 Man About the House More | Top of page 70 Desmonds More | Top of page 71 Duty Free More | Top of page 72 All Gas and Gaiters More | Top of page 73 Happy Ever After/Terry & June More | Top of page 74 Only When I Laugh More | Top of page 75 Brass More | Top of page 76 The Rag Trade More | Top of page 77 Sorry More | Top of page 78 Kiss Me Kate More | Top of page 79 Doctor in the House More | Top of page 80 I Didn't Know You Cared More | Top of page 81 Shelley More | Top of page 82 Nearest and Dearest More | Top of page 83 Fresh Fields More | Top of page 84 The Army Game More | Top of page 85 Robin's Nest More | Top of page 86 The Dustbinmen More | Top of page 87 Whoops Apocalypse More | Top of page 88 My Wife Next Door More | Top of page 89 Never the Twain More | Top of page 90 Nightingales More | Top of page 91 Early Doors More | Top of page 92 Agony More | Top of page 93 The Lovers More | Top of page 94 Father Dear Father More | Top of page 95 Hot Metal More | Top of page 96 And Mother Makes... More | Top of page 97 Life With the Lyons More | Top of page 98 Marriage Lines More | Top of page 99 A Sharp Intake of Breath More | Top of page 100 No Problem
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We should do a complete review and appraisal of every one of the top 100. We owe it to British comedy to get to the bottom of exactly what's gone wrong.
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The raging-out-of-control genre at the moment, of course, is the panel game thing, like QI, Stop The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and loads more. The radio's been full of them for years. I like The Unbelievable Truth, but that's probably because it's hosted by David Mitchell who is going from strength to strength at the moment, till everyone gets sick of him.
Those programmes must cost about 20p to make, but they do work most the time. i.e. They makes I laugh. I wonder how easy it is to maintain that, and why it's usually funnier (with a bit of editing, presumably) for a few comedians to just sit there bouncing jokes off each other than it is when they sit down for weeks on end to write a carefully crafted script.
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