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Maybe we have different senses of humour, Mart. I dunno. I thought it was excellent, all the way through.
I also enjoy Count Arthur Strong, though not to the point where I would drop everything just to tune in, or that I would rave about him to other people... I just enjoy the show if it happens to come on.
I still think that comedy in general is really strong at the moment, but maybe I'm just lucky that it just happens to be catering to my taste a lot of the time.
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quote:Originally posted by dang65: The News Quiz is definitely at the weaker end of the wit scale, but I think Sandi Toksvig has given it quite a lot of new life,
Jesus fucking Christ. Am I on the right board?
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i think most of comedy's woes come down to the confusion between 'edgy' and 'innovative' nowadays really. like that thing on woman's hour about rape jokes a few weeks back where tanya gold told all those hopelessly unfunny rape jokes as if they were riding at the gates of dawn and taking no prisoners and destroying taboos and empowering us all to have a more open dialogue about rape as a society, and you were just sitting on your sofa wincing for her. did anybody else hear that? it was truly horrible.
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The thing is that I like Mitchell & Webb -- a lot of it is cleverly written, they know which kind of characters and traits they can bring across most strongly, it's mostly quite intelligent, it's just... I don't know... a bit disappointing. There's so much potential, and so little result in terms of actual quality.
quote:Originally posted by dance margarita: i dont really need my comedy to be edgy; im a victoria wood fan, f'real bruv. id rather watch acorn antiques than frankie boyle any day
Well, that's a fine demonstration of different senses of humour then. Acorn Antiques was one joke, done week after week, funny bit of observation the first time and then... they don't let it go. After a while, you're just sitting there going, oh fuck off. (Mitchell & Webb do that as well with some of their TV characters, I know.)
I think the worst one for that is Catherine Tate. You watch one of her shows and you've basically watched the whole series, as far as I can make out. Even Little Britain wasn't as bad as that, or The Fast Show.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: Jesus fucking Christ. Am I on the right board?
Well, personally, I think we're all on the right board because we can disagree like this day after day on any number of topics and still enjoy the discussion in a civilised manner. I suppose it could do with being a bit more edgy and personally insulting and violent though (and it probably would be if you weren't such a twat).
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quote:Originally posted by dance margarita: i think most of comedy's woes come down to the confusion between 'edgy' and 'innovative' nowadays really.
I think it's a result of laziness. Whether it's 'edgy' or 'cosy' or whatever the shittest stuff is usually shit because it's predictable and thoughtless, and tossed off with a contemptuous "Oh, this will do" attitude for the audience. Think how easy it is to do the [/Toksvig] jokes that occasionally crop up on TMO. Or indeed how easy it is to play to the crowd with an off-colour gag about paedos. And now think about how people are paid to sit in and toss this stuff off based on bare bones frameworks that require no imagination or effort. That's why there's so much garbage around: because the creative teams can't be fucked to make more of an effort. You know. The difference between good Peep Show and shit Peep Show always looks like about one more script draft; like they couldn't be fucked to go back over it one more time because it's good enough to get the rubber stamp from the producers. Yeah fuck it, that'll do.
The best stuff that's come out over the last couple of decades always gives the impression that the creators went the extra mile in thinking 'how can I make this different? How can I do this in a way that hasn't been done before?' Nathan Barley didn't always work, but there was always a sense that they were trying not to repeat stuff, that they were trying to find unusual ways of doing things. Same with the Armando Iannuci Show, and The Day Today - some sketches misfired, but they were never obvious or lazy. Bah. Anyway. That's what always annoys me about these things. The sense that the people involved haven't really tried.
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quote:Originally posted by dang65: I suppose it could do with being a bit more edgy and personally insulting and violent though (and it probably would be if you weren't such a twat).
Is it a personal insult to demonstrate disbelief that someone likes Sandi Toksvig? I suppose if you were Sandi Toksvig it might be.
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quote:Originally posted by dang65: This week's R4 6.30pm line-up:
Tue - Too Much Information
quote:BBC Radio 4 programmes
Too Much Information
Comedy by Neil Warhurst about a tourist information centre in a town with no tourist attractions whatsoever.
Waft Tourist Information attempt to justify a huge donation from the Heritage Lottery Fund with a hastily erected papier-mache historical model, which turns out disastrously sexual.
posted
did anybody ever watch tim and eric?
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Octavia
I hate Valentine's Day. Stupid commercialised crap
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quote:Originally posted by dance margarita: woman's hour
Can't stand Jenny Murray's fat voice. Also there's something weird about having an hour every day for 'women's stuff'. Like rape, obviously.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: I watched one thing by them that you linked to once. Them sitting around drinking vodka in bath robes with a friend of theirs.
quote:Originally posted by Octavia: Can't stand Jenny Murray's fat voice. Also there's something weird about having an hour every day for 'women's stuff'.
I think it's a great idea, although they should really hammer the point home by re-naming The Today Programme "Men's Hour".
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"Comedy about a tourist information centre in a town with no tourist attractions whatsoever."
I can imagine how this is going to go.
Characters:
.- Young, naive person who is terribly enthusiastic. .- Older cynical person who makes sarcastic quips at young person's expense. .- Manager person who has to keep them both in check. Possibly inept. .- Possibly somebody who does yoofpseak, innit, either put on or trying to hide it, because that's, like, wickid and well funny. .- Sexy young woman who somebody (possibly both the youngster and the cynic) really fancies but is, amusingly, hopelessly out of her league.
quote:Originally posted by mart: Sound about right?
quote:Warren ...... Jeff Rawle Douglas ...... Malcolm Tierney Heather ...... Liza Sadovy Lucy ...... Joannah Tincey Bryan ...... Paul Barnhill Mr Jefferson ...... Stephen Hogan
OK, so this one is going to be the exception which proves the rule. But it's a minor proving which the colossus of Radio 4 can shrug off with ease.
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quote:Waft Tourist Information struggle to attract visitors by promoting their most famous local resident, a local doctor who burps. But when a genuinely famous dissolute TV comic stops off to spend a penny, they are determined not to let him leave.
Basically, you listen to the 7 o'clock news... then the trailer for Front Row... then the continuity announcer... then leave it as la-a-ate as you possibly can before...
...LUNGING to switch the radio off before the shame-horror that is the Archers theme tune strikes up.
If you hear any of the Archers theme tune you have 'lost'.
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posted
I'm just bitter that Radio 4 have turned down my idea for a script where the Wannsee Conference is re-imagined as an Office style mockumentary.
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posted
i don't listen to radio four. The only radio i listen to is adam and joe on six music, mark kermode on five live, and then downloads of annie mac mixes.
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Octavia
I hate Valentine's Day. Stupid commercialised crap
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quote:Originally posted by ben: ...LUNGING to switch the radio off before the shame-horror that is the Archers theme tune strikes up.
It's true that Linda Snell's plans for world domination are always gasp-making to listen to. Will she mobilise the ramblers sufficiently to oppose the diversion of the footpath???
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Octavia
I hate Valentine's Day. Stupid commercialised crap
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis:
quote:Originally posted by Kanye West: yes i know charlie brown says it, for pity's sake.
For the love of c*nt, who even says 'for pity's sake' any more?
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