British Comedy

[Reply #520 on:]

It's not over until we see a picture of his blood stained corpse with you holding a sign saying "I told you so!" and grinning.   

Glad to educate you Coilette, I still think my Doogle-search engine crack was worth some recognition... 
No?
Bah!

Wow, best TOTP post I've ever made. 

[Reply #521 on:]

 

Originally posted by TrustCam:
You can get the Season 1 DVD from Barnes & Noble for $12. It has excellent commentaries for every episode and a 6.5-minute blooper reel.

"The place is filthy. You've got molluscs on the pipes!"
"What of it?"
"It's just that traditionally, they live in the sea."

My favourite is the episode where Manny ingests the Little Book of Calm and starts radiating. He's got a white robe, long hair, a beard and a white glow, then the religious doorknockers arrive.

The box set is great.  I love it when Manny makes his toast march around.

"We are toast and you are egg,
I've got butter on my leg"

        

Good to see there's another Black Books freak around here. 

 

Originally posted by ~FazeShift~:
But killing cats with a rifle is always fun!   

:hits fazey over the head with a piano:

[Reply #522 on:]

Mines undoubtebly Father Ted

edit: Oh yeah and Little Britain

[Reply #523 on:]

 

Originally posted by catindisguise:
:hits fazey over the head with a piano:

Are you coming on to me?
If so, I'll have to call the Reverse Internet Cops and tell them I'm being stalked!   

[Reply #524 on:]

Dream on fazey  I come on to people by hitting them on the head with fish. 

I've just watched this weeks Black Books which was recorded when I was away.  It's good. 

[Reply #525 on:]

Black Books is great. My friend has the first season on DVD and it is as funny as I remember. Can't comment on season 2 or 3 as I missed most of it.

The Best Sitcom first of all dragged on and on and on and on and on (get the hell on with it!). OFAH winning was predictable and personally I think Dad's Army, Blackadder and Fawlty Towers were all better. The Vicar of Dibley is great though. It's very funny, and probably has a wider target audience than any of the others possibly resulting in its high position. Also Carol Vorderman is gorgeous.

Anyone else noticed how all the box sets of those sitcoms are now on special offer in all the video stores now? I would like to get Yes Minister now, it looks like pure brilliance, and I haven't seen every episode 50 times already.

[Reply #526 on:]

I don't mind The Vicar Of Dibley but I didn't think it deserved to get as high as it did. Then again, it is the best thing either French or Saunders has done IMO (can't say Ab Fab has held up so well).

 Also, I can do a mean Jim Trott impression. 

[Reply #527 on:]

'No...no...no...yes.'

Vicar of Dibley is quite good, I also was suprised to see it get into the top 10.

Anyone know if My Hero got into the top 100? It has some funny moments, especially Tyler.

[Reply #528 on:]

Vicar of Dibley sucked noodles.

There were quite afew very good sit-coms that failed to make the cut which this traversty of a program made.

[Reply #529 on:]

 

Originally posted by Archie2K:
Anyone else noticed how all the box sets of those sitcoms are now on special offer in all the video stores now? I would like to get Yes Minister now, it looks like pure brilliance, and I haven't seen every episode 50 times already.

Yes, get it! I want to get the Yes Prime Minister boxsets soon, we've already got the Yes Minister's and they are great!

[Reply #530 on:]

My Hero... wasn't good at all. The only reason I watch initially was because it had Dougal in it... where have all the funny shows gone?

[Reply #531 on:]

I don't like Vicar Of Dibley Its richard Curtis's Worst. There are a few jokes in it that make me chuckle but nah not fond of it

[Reply #532 on:]

Black Books is on tonight, speaking of which:

Dylan Moran plays David in that new film Shaun of the Dead. Has anyone seen it? Is it good? I hear that in the film (spoilered for people who don't want the film ruined):

Show spoiler

His flesh gets ripped by zombies and he dies or something.

I can't wait until I go and see that film. (Illegally I might add  )

[Reply #533 on:]

There's an in-depth discussion on Shaun Of The Dead (and the brilliance contained therein) in the Spaced Thread.

Join usssssss!

[Reply #534 on:]

My favorite britcoms are definitely:
1. Blackadder (all of the series)
2. Are You Being Served
3. Monty Python
and I want to see The Young Ones except I'm too poor at the moment to afford the dvd.

[Reply #535 on:]

Bottom is superior to The Young Ones, I do believe. It has three or four members of the cast, and is basically the Young Ones in their 30s.

[Reply #536 on:]

 

Originally posted by TrustCam:
Bottom is superior to The Young Ones, I do believe. It has three or four members of the cast, and is basically the Young Ones in their 30s.

Here here..
..thats how I always felt about the show.

(except Nigel Planner, I don't think he was in Bottom)

[Reply #537 on:]

 

Originally posted by 3/4 of a Jesus:
Are You Being Served

I like the way every other joke is sexual innuendo: "Mrs. Grainger failed to rouse me this morning."

[Reply #538 on:]

There's a new season of HIGNFY starting on Friday. Should be good.

I also read that Angus is moving to ITV to do a similar show. As much as i love Angus doing the show, it's Ian and [other name here, i forgot!] that make the show.

[Reply #539 on:]

 

Originally posted by aslate:

As much as i love Angus doing the show, it's Ian and [other name here, i forgot!] that make the show.

Ian Hislop and Paul Merton. After Angus 'left' I was a bit apprehensive about the idea of guest presenters.. Then Boris Johnson came a long and my faith was restored.

[Reply #540 on:]

 

Bottom is superior to The Young Ones, I do believe. It has three or four members of the cast, and is basically the Young Ones in their 30s.

Boo! Hiss! The Young Ones rule all!

[Reply #541 on:]

I second Lurrr. The young ones is second to none!

This night's Black Books was great! Awwww, poor Bernard, no one likes him.  That made me feel sad. And then it made me laugh.        Ha ha. "Don't hang up! You can't hang up on the undead!"

And I just learnt it was the last of the series. 

[Reply #542 on:]

Oh, you have got to be kidding me!

[Reply #543 on:]

 

Originally posted by SlackJawedMoron:
My Hero... wasn't good at all. The only reason I watch initially was because it had Dougal in it... where have all the funny shows gone?

Where I am, My Hero is the funniest British show I can see. PBS traded shows like Flying Circus and Blackadder for crap like Keeping up appearances and As Time Goes By. They are the FOX of British TV.

[Reply #544 on:]

 

Originally posted by boxie:
Oh, you have got to be kidding me!

What? Don't you like Black Books?

Everyone should like Black Books. 

[Reply #545 on:]

 

Originally posted by catindisguise:This night's Black Books was great! Awwww, poor Bernard, no one likes him.    That made me feel sad. And then it made me laugh.            Ha ha. "Don't hang up! You can't hang up on the undead!"

Agreed, second best episode ever (second to The Lock Out).

[Reply #546 on:]

The lock out was so funny!

I loved it when Bernard got a job in Mamba Burger! 

[Reply #547 on:]

Black Books was great: "no Manny that's just the beetroot talking."

Father Ted was also good: "Now I realise that you meant 'take care of' more in the Al Pacino sense."

[Reply #548 on:]

My favourite part was where Bernard was sat alone in the cinema - and then his explanation of Armapocalypse.

"I saw an experimental film where nothing happened for two hours."

[Reply #549 on:]

Has anyone got the DVD of Black Books series one?Look at the out takes. The songs Bernard sings are great!

"I am a simple cow, living a simple life, but somehow I feel exploited. Ireland will never be free until I can marry my brother...."

Dylan Moran is great at playing a drunkard. 

[Reply #550 on:]

 

Originally posted by catindisguise:
 What? Don't you like Black Books?

Everyone should like Black Books.   

No, I think boxie has a point. As great as Black Books has been in the past, this series has been below par on the whole. The writing in this series hasn't been particularly smooth and has become much too reliant on weirdo overacting. Thank god for Bernard Black and the hillarious sight gags, otherwise it would've been nothing this time round.

 Tonight's episode was alright, although let's face it, there was bugger all plot this time. Some good gags though, especially the "circus-cision" joke, but again this one was mostly redeemed by Bernard's numerous one-liners.

[Reply #551 on:]

You're right mousey.

I don't think it is as good as series one or two, I don't know why it went downhill. But it's still a good show. Bernard is the funniest character and does save it, but there is no obvious reason to hate the show... is there? 

[Reply #552 on:]

Well Cat, I actually have a question: who wrote Series 1? Because imdb's writer listings are a bit dodgy and I think this series was written by different writers but I'm not sure.

[Reply #553 on:]

I know that Dylan Moran co-writes every episode, and they probably had a problem getting the writers from season one and two back, because there had been a break.

Breaking News: This episode's writers were: Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley and Dylan Moran. Hm. I'm pretty sure they were the writers for the last season. 

[Reply #554 on:]

Mousey > I'm pretty sure that Graham Linehan wrote some earlier work, series one I think. I can remember seeing his name in the credits and thinking "oh, he did Father Ted too." Haven't seen him in the credits for any of series three though.

[Reply #555 on:]

I knew Kevin, Andy and Dylan wrote this series (and Dylan's writing input might be why his character is so much stronger than Bill's and Tamsin's  ) but as Bushmeister said, I think Graham Linehan was behind the earlier episodes. And when you've got an established comedy giant like Linehan on your writing staff, you're gonna have trouble topping him if he decides to leave.

[Reply #556 on:]

IMO The reason this series hasn't been as great is because it has been using too many additional characters. Compare this week's episode with last week's. All an episode needs to be good is the three core cast members and few bottles of wine (the wine has been missing lately, but it returned tonight. Hooray!)

[Reply #557 on:]

No, I disagree. Series 1 had quite a few additional characters...or series 2 did, one of the two, and they were fine. And besides, say what you will about the big three, Smitty, but I believe Manny and Fran became much thinner characters this series who had to keep overacting to try and get laughs, and that was quite key to tonight's episode.

[Reply #558 on:]

Yeah the first series was all co-written by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan,
Series 2 was Dylan Moran and Kevin Cecil & Andy Riley and I belive Arthur Matthews also wrote on some series 2 episodes. To be honest I don't think series 2 was as great either it had its share of plain wacky situations as opposed to plots. I thought the first episode of this series was better than most series 2 episodes, due to Simon Pegg I guess.
But The plots on series 1 don't make that much sense either as Dylan constantly points out on the commentary.
Cecil and Riley by the way, I doubt anyone watched the program but they were writers on Armando Ianucci's most recent series.

Anyway tonights episode was everthing I expected and less.
no it was very good one of the best.

By the way anyone who has the series two DVD, who features on the commentaries.

[Reply #559 on:]

Yeah, it was never a show that relied on plots making sense, but tonight's show had next to no plot really, which didn't help.