Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? - s1e8 - 1970s Dinner Party faux pas with Terry and Bob. I've alsways found WHTTLL strangely wistful. From the start of that theme song, it seems full of regret over forgotten youth. (Not in this version though)
Maybe its because it's full of the clothes and furniture of my earliest memories? In any case, great ensemble cast, including Brigit Forsyth as one of the best straight (wo)men committed to Sitcom.
Mongrels - s1e7 - with Vince in a coma, Nelson takes over his patch, teaching woodland creatures how to be the best they can be, middle class. More throwaway one-liners (where they hide the near the knuckle stuff) and songs from the greatest puppet show since The Muppets. (And yes, i'm including Gilbert the Alien in that statement)
Spaced - s1e4 - The one with paintball and Peter Serafinowicz doing the voice that would later excite Fran in Black Books when reading the Shipping Forecast.
Fast Show - s2e4 - Including the alcoholic family, Mark Williams proving that hitting your head on a cupboard is only funny when someone else does it.
I've no doubt someone somewhere as I type is working on a PhD on portrayals of drunkness from Music Hall to Online comedy.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - e5 - In which Scotch Mist invades. "If I want to highlight social prejudice, I will, but I’ll do it my way. And sometimes you actually have to be a bigot, in order to bring down bigger bigots." Cue OTT kilt wearing, ginger haired, claymore waving spirits. And a night out in Glasgow portrayed as the third circle of hell.
Tuesday 26 July 2011
Monday 18 July 2011
Comedy Night 14 July 2011
Still Game s2e8 - Including hunting urban foxes with night-vision glasses and the secret service life of the local alky. Oh, and never nick bunting. More sitcom genius from the inhabitants of Craiglang.
Mongrel s1e6 - This week: incest and genocide, played for laughs. Oh, and a dig at Ian Wright. This week's song: Breaking Up is Such a Faff:
Fast Show s2e3 - A great Ted and Ralph sketch - in the French Restaurant, Simon Day on The Life of Samuel Palmer, architect and idiot and the Offroaders go Paintballing.
Alas Smith and Jones s1 compilation pt2 - including the flies - the BBC had such high production values in the 80s.
Mongrel s1e6 - This week: incest and genocide, played for laughs. Oh, and a dig at Ian Wright. This week's song: Breaking Up is Such a Faff:
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace e4 - In which people start to regress to monkeys (and The Boosh turn up doing cameos). Incidentally, it involves a chase scene on speeded up bicycles. (Family Guy - It's A Trap! anyone?) Still worth the second look for the introductions alone.
Alas Smith and Jones s1 compilation pt2 - including the flies - the BBC had such high production values in the 80s.
Friday 8 July 2011
Vic and Bob's Small Night In
If you weren't aware, Vic and Bob have followed Steve Coogan in producing small internet-only sketches for Fosters. Coogan based his around Alan Partridge (now working for North Norfolk Digital Radio - I pass their portakabin every morning on the way to work), possibly as a test bed for the long wanted, now awaited Alan Partridge movie.
So what is Vic and Bob's contribution to the possible revolution of internet-as-comedy-provider model? It's a series of 3 minute sketches with all new characters, all seemingly filmed on the same overgrown corner of an industrial estate. Five episodes down, the content is, well, variable.
Now, I've long been a fan of Vic and Bob, I remember watching the trailers for Big Night Out ("Britain's top light entertainer") on Ch4 as a student and thinking, who's this big head then? (Irony was still on ration in 1990 Britain). From the first episode, I got it, at last here was someone to inherit Monty Python's truly surreal take on comedy. I've enjoyed The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Bang Bang It's R&M (and even The Weekenders in places) and the BBC3 underrated sitcom Catterick (well worth getting on DVD), but especially when they've trodden the obscure path.
When they hit it, they really hit it.
Shooting Stars has formed most of their output over the last few years and, well, often they don't appear to be really trying, repeating gags that wear after a couple of viewings (THAT song about Ulrika, anyone?) The highlights of the quiz for me have been the filmed questions, concentrated Vic and Bob.
The new material on the internet appears to be much of the same. Often they seem improvised and under rehearsed, Vic and Bob just busking it and hoping for the best, but when they concentrate, hit on the concept and hone a script it works again.
Filming on a new series of Shooting Stars has just finished, but I can't be alone in hoping they get a new sketch show commissioned, can I?
So what is Vic and Bob's contribution to the possible revolution of internet-as-comedy-provider model? It's a series of 3 minute sketches with all new characters, all seemingly filmed on the same overgrown corner of an industrial estate. Five episodes down, the content is, well, variable.
Now, I've long been a fan of Vic and Bob, I remember watching the trailers for Big Night Out ("Britain's top light entertainer") on Ch4 as a student and thinking, who's this big head then? (Irony was still on ration in 1990 Britain). From the first episode, I got it, at last here was someone to inherit Monty Python's truly surreal take on comedy. I've enjoyed The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Bang Bang It's R&M (and even The Weekenders in places) and the BBC3 underrated sitcom Catterick (well worth getting on DVD), but especially when they've trodden the obscure path.
When they hit it, they really hit it.
Shooting Stars has formed most of their output over the last few years and, well, often they don't appear to be really trying, repeating gags that wear after a couple of viewings (THAT song about Ulrika, anyone?) The highlights of the quiz for me have been the filmed questions, concentrated Vic and Bob.
The new material on the internet appears to be much of the same. Often they seem improvised and under rehearsed, Vic and Bob just busking it and hoping for the best, but when they concentrate, hit on the concept and hone a script it works again.
Filming on a new series of Shooting Stars has just finished, but I can't be alone in hoping they get a new sketch show commissioned, can I?
Sunday 3 July 2011
You're All Individuals. I'm Not.
The BBC has announced the latest in its line of BBC4 dramatisations of the history of comedy, only this time they've bounded in to the colour era, with a drama based on the public reaction to Life of Brian.
Holy Monty Python will air in Autumn and show the reaction of various groups including the church, famously Malcolm Muggeridge and the Bishop of Southwark's appearance with Cleese and Palin, where Muggeridge stated it was "Such a tenth-rate film that it couldn't possibly destroy anyone's genuine faith".
All well and good, but most of these people are still alive and don't we already know what happens here form interviews and documentaries? The interest in the previous films BBC4 have done was in picking stories we didn't really know: behind the scenes of Steptoe and Son, Corbett and Brambell hated each other; Hattie Jacques was unfaithful and near broke John le Mesurier's heart and so on.
Also, I'm not convinced this is the most interesting period in the life of the Pythons. They'd all but finished being a comedy collective. Cleese had just finished the second series of Fawlty Towers, Gilliam's directing career was taking off with Jabberwocky (and Time Bandits in planning), Idle had done RWT and the Rutles, Jones and Palin had completed a second helping of Ripping Yarns and even Chapman was planning Yellowbeard.
More interesting, in terms of episodes about which most people know little, would have been how they got together, tracking their work with Frost, the Two Ronnies, the Goodies, Marty Feldman and David Jason (who very nearly was a member of MPFC). Even how they dealt with Cleese's decision not to appear in series 4 would have made interesting viewing. I'm not sure I won't just sit there and go, yeah, don't we all know that?
It also raises the question: if Python is now subject to comedy dramas, what next? The story of The Rubber Chicken Song and Spitting Image? Will My Family survive Kris Marshall's decision to leave, halving the number of actually funny people on the show? That tricky 7th series of Two Pints, when a shark jumped the Fonz?
Holy Monty Python will air in Autumn and show the reaction of various groups including the church, famously Malcolm Muggeridge and the Bishop of Southwark's appearance with Cleese and Palin, where Muggeridge stated it was "Such a tenth-rate film that it couldn't possibly destroy anyone's genuine faith".
All well and good, but most of these people are still alive and don't we already know what happens here form interviews and documentaries? The interest in the previous films BBC4 have done was in picking stories we didn't really know: behind the scenes of Steptoe and Son, Corbett and Brambell hated each other; Hattie Jacques was unfaithful and near broke John le Mesurier's heart and so on.
Also, I'm not convinced this is the most interesting period in the life of the Pythons. They'd all but finished being a comedy collective. Cleese had just finished the second series of Fawlty Towers, Gilliam's directing career was taking off with Jabberwocky (and Time Bandits in planning), Idle had done RWT and the Rutles, Jones and Palin had completed a second helping of Ripping Yarns and even Chapman was planning Yellowbeard.
More interesting, in terms of episodes about which most people know little, would have been how they got together, tracking their work with Frost, the Two Ronnies, the Goodies, Marty Feldman and David Jason (who very nearly was a member of MPFC). Even how they dealt with Cleese's decision not to appear in series 4 would have made interesting viewing. I'm not sure I won't just sit there and go, yeah, don't we all know that?
It also raises the question: if Python is now subject to comedy dramas, what next? The story of The Rubber Chicken Song and Spitting Image? Will My Family survive Kris Marshall's decision to leave, halving the number of actually funny people on the show? That tricky 7th series of Two Pints, when a shark jumped the Fonz?
Comedy Night - 30 June 2011
Still Game - s2e7 - It says something for this series that they do an episode about two old boys celebrating 60 years of being friends, yet avoid sentimentality, unless it can be played for laughs. Being knocked down by a bus was never funnier.
Mongrels - s1e5 - Every now and then with a box set, you hit the jackpot. A great episode and one you missed first time round. Nelson's pen friend from France turns up, but are those flecks of saliva at the corners of his mouth? BBC trailers are up for the new series in the autumn and repeats are on BBC3.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - e3 - Skipper the Eye Child, in which Garth over compensates for the lost of his half-human, half-grasshopper son. (in an accident involving a helicopter and an over-enthusiastic hop)
Fast Show - s2e2 - The arrival of Competitive Dad. Incidentally Simon Day's autobiography is just out and looks an interesting read given he worked with Vic and Bob and appeared on Saturday Zoo (Jonathan Ross's failed yet often cited comedy chat show - birthplace of Paul Calf no less). One day I must blog separately about the Fast Show, its influence and the overlooked parts of it.
Alas Smith & Jones - s1 best of - Astonishing for how young they both look (and how chubby Jones is) but also for the number of sketches that have stuck in the memory ("And now the new for the elderly...HELLOOOO").
Gimme Gimme Gimme - s1e2 - One room (pretty much) sitcom that still delivers on the joke quota and still has the worst title sequence of all time.
Mongrels - s1e5 - Every now and then with a box set, you hit the jackpot. A great episode and one you missed first time round. Nelson's pen friend from France turns up, but are those flecks of saliva at the corners of his mouth? BBC trailers are up for the new series in the autumn and repeats are on BBC3.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - e3 - Skipper the Eye Child, in which Garth over compensates for the lost of his half-human, half-grasshopper son. (in an accident involving a helicopter and an over-enthusiastic hop)
Fast Show - s2e2 - The arrival of Competitive Dad. Incidentally Simon Day's autobiography is just out and looks an interesting read given he worked with Vic and Bob and appeared on Saturday Zoo (Jonathan Ross's failed yet often cited comedy chat show - birthplace of Paul Calf no less). One day I must blog separately about the Fast Show, its influence and the overlooked parts of it.
Alas Smith & Jones - s1 best of - Astonishing for how young they both look (and how chubby Jones is) but also for the number of sketches that have stuck in the memory ("And now the new for the elderly...HELLOOOO").
Gimme Gimme Gimme - s1e2 - One room (pretty much) sitcom that still delivers on the joke quota and still has the worst title sequence of all time.
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