Comedy Night - 22 June 2011

This week's viewings:

• Mongrels e4 (Quality perhaps slightly dipping, but that's still miles ahead of others) - so glad to read that a second series is expected this summer.
• Still Game s2e6 (Such a consistantly funny, warm, but not condescending show)
• The Fast Show s2e1 (Introducing Jazz Club, Jessie's Diets and the concept of Gary Lineker's mid-coital sweaty brow looming over you)
• Garth Mareghi's Darkplace e2 (Liz's ESP gets out of hand) - I have to confess I really wasn't very impressed first time round by GMD, I think becuase I had such high expectations of it.  Second time around it's proving a lot of silly fun and Richard Ayoade steals all the scenes he's in, of course.
• Fun at the Funeral Parlour s1e3 (The Elephant Man's spirit possesses one of the Thomases) - a show I didn't catch first time around and it's so very nearly a great show, but just falls flat too many times.  Editting? Direction? Script? I really can't pin down what it is thats at fault.  Starring, of course, Tony Way, whose CV reads like a comprehensive listing of alternative comedy of the last 15 years.
• Gimme Gimme Gimme s1e1 (In which a mystery man is discovered in the kitchen the morning after) - this is a show that I'm not sure I should consider as a guilty pleasure.  Kathy Burke shows just why her decision to turn to theatre direction is a huge loss to comedy acting.  And let's not forget James Dreyfus, whose career doesn't appear to have recovered from My Hero yet, ironically having appeared in Casualty most recently (s1e1 features Tom and Linda playing a Casualty game).