Rolling UK Comedy Thread - "Ricky Don't Lose Larry David's Number

That senile dribbling cunt with his own column in the Guardian weekend magazine.

That senile dribbling cunt with his own column in the Guardian weekend magazine.

Cue stock that's no way to talk about Zoe Williams gag.

I don't have a Wikipedia entry either.

Includes News Summary at 9.00pm.

like swimming in a cool sea and passing through a warm current, etc...

Where are the standards of today, I ask you.
I don't have a Wikipedia entry either.

-- Marcello Carlin (marcellocarli...)

Oh, have I got one?

Whew.

also on the bad can someone please put Have I Got News For You out of its misery.

At the risk of, on this reviewer's logic, inviting lynch-mobs to my door, I'd argue that Extras was shite.

xpost

To put things into context: Harry Hill aside, all British TV Comedy right now is total shit.

-- Ruairi Wirewool (horseproduction...), January 15th, 2007. (Ruairi Wirewool) (later)

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what were the chances of that happening?
-- mark grout (mark.grou...), January 15th, 2007. (mark grout) (later)

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If you can put CT and Green Wing on a par, you truly show a lack of discernment IMO.
Frankly, now that GW has been and gone, I'm inclined to agree with Ruairi, minus the bit about Harry Hill.

-- You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (papiermachealamphibia...), January 15th, 2007. (Haberdager) (later)

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If you can put CT and Green Wing on a par, you truly show a lack of discernment IMO.
no it's just a 'higher' (or rather 'stricter') level of discernment.

-- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)

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'the thick of it' will be back, later in the year, and so will 'peep show'.
-- the original hauntology blogging crew (miltonpinsk...), January 15th, 2007. (Enrique) (later)

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but in a another more accurate sense...
-- mark s (mar...), January 15th, 2007. (mark s) (later)

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but then i do like Harry Hill so it's apples and roundabouts.
-- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)

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rubbish
-- RJG (RJ...), January 15th, 2007. (RJG) (later)

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so you keep saying
-- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)

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RJG's TV Burp
-- Dom Passantino (juror...), January 15th, 2007. (Dom Passantino) (later)

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Hmm. I was only talking about currently-running comedy shows. If Peep Show returns for a fourth bite at the cherry (and TTOI for a second), I will only be too delighted. Of course, the one I'm really looking out for is Nathan Barley II.
-- You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (papiermachealamphibia...), January 15th, 2007. (Haberdager) (later)

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i think it would be a big ask for there to be a 'great' uk comedy series to be running all 52 weeks of the year. i have low standards perhaps; but i don't ask for a 'great' film each month either.
-- the original hauntology blogging crew (miltonpinsk...), January 15th, 2007. (Enrique) (later)

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of course i too want 'nathan barley' back.
-- the original hauntology blogging crew (miltonpinsk...), January 15th, 2007. (Enrique) (later)

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They could drop scissors on a dog's head this time.
-- Dom Passantino (juror...), January 15th, 2007. (Dom Passantino) (later)

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uh, rose-tinted view there i reckon - but at least it was generating interesting discussion.
one episode of Screen Wipe a month would be good. ditto TV Burp.

-- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)

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ha ha Dom OTM
-- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)

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Unread Messages
as with 'green wing', take away the hype and the expectation it'll live up to 'the day today' and 'nathan barley' was 23 minutes well-spent. i lolled anyway.
-- the original hauntology blogging crew (miltonpinsk...), January 15th, 2007. (Enrique) (later)

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i didn't laugh more than i did laugh etc.
-- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)

And Screen Wipe rocks.

it was good, but not 300 times better than 'nathan barley'.

xpost

steve otm

this happened in the show except he thought she turned out not be under-age (at which point NB thinking it now okay to pretend she WAS under-age was actually quite a clever little point about...something or other).

i did hate NB but yes no less than anyone else around him.

Actually, scratch that, that's not the idea at all. It's funny caricatures falling into situations and scrambling to return to the status quo whilst simultaneously being trapped; a very old-fashioned sitcom thread. I certainly didn't feel that is was trying to make a big insightful statement about something, at least, nothing larger than "it's better to like something than to dislike something."

'THIR-FUCKING-TEEN'.

In fairness, I guess originally Barley wasn't really a character, just a cipher, and in making him human Morriss and Brooker made him more, er, human. I just don't think that made for great comedy. It wasn't sharp enough to be genuine satire and it wasn't silly enough to be knockabout comedy. It was just 'dark'.

I've been enjoying Harry Hill's youtube renaissance, he's got a bunch of his old stuff up and a fun new chat show.

Koogs, I think Friday.

Daniel, yes, the new lo-fi Harry Hill show is pretty great. Although I object to the fact that I can no longer say I won't watch a visual podcast, because I think that's basically what it is.

True, though there are at least some visual gimmicks and characters.

from Andrew’s Walliams link:

LL Cool J, a minor rapper with his best days almost 20 years ago

Anyone checked in on how Luke took The FORCE, almost 20 years later? (His elevation of Mr Smith to the top of Todd’s canon suggests a fascinating critical idiosyncrasy)

neu Mock the Week is AN HOUR LONG. but there are adverts so probably about 12 minutes longer. they've dug out some of the older formats, introduced an audience participation round.

the sound and picture noticeably worse.

no Hugh Dennis, comedy-b appears to have that role this episode. some good jokes about tlc.

I think Ahir needs to get better at not looking like he’s reading off notes. This isn’t Saturday Night Live.

Anyone checked in on how Luke took The FORCE, almost 20 years later? (His elevation of Mr Smith to the top of Todd’s canon suggests a fascinating critical idiosyncrasy)

Just popping in to say The Force is a killer record, one of my favourite of 2024. Q-Tip's production is fierce and inventive throughout, and LL goes hard.

On related business, we cannot bring ourselves to watch the recent WILTY Xmas special due to Walliams' presence. I bet that's a booking that was quickly regretted.

I saw Ahir Shah live once in early career and he was a horrible centrist bore.

On related business, we cannot bring ourselves to watch the recent WILTY Xmas special due to Walliams' presence. I bet that's a booking that was quickly regretted.

Had entirely assumed the episode would be cancelled, I know it was very short notice but not that difficult to dig out a previous xmas special surely. Anyway it was fine, but not worth seeking out.

The Harry Hill Show is hilarious.

Monday 9th, new mackenzie crook comedy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Prophets

I gave him a lift home from a comedy club in Putney that I worked at, I'm guessing 30 years ago. He was a character comedian then, Charlie Cheese. He was funny, I remember, quite quiet offstage, but in no way offish.

I met him when he was performing Charlie Cheese as well. I was with Ed at Just the Tonic in Nottingham and Charlie Cheese was on before him. We all sat around and had a drink afterwards. Crook got a bit wistful and said "I wish anyone in my family ever came to my gigs. They all think I'm mad." Well, I bet they've changed their minds now.

As you say, Stevie, he was quiet, but friendly and very funny.

"I wish anyone in my family ever came to my gigs. They all think I'm mad."

Aw, bless. I really liked his Charlie Cheese act. Also got a strong sense of how dedicated he was to what he was doing. And he was so striking that the second I saw him on The Office I knew it was him.

Amandaland is surprisingly excellent imo

All episodes of Small Prophets now available on iPlayer. Have watched the first two and it's very good so far with a definite Detectorists vibe (bittersweet with some very funny moments) and obviously a supernatural twist

don't think I will love it as much as detectorists but have really enjoyed the first three eps.

I never really got into the Detectorists, but this is wonderful.

It’s so good.

supervisor whos only supervisory role is to ask people if they've had their break yet is a lovely touch.
the picture above the bed of the next door neighbours another great moment.
Michael always taking a call whilst his boss is trying to speak to him.
mackensie crook amongst other things is just really good at writing believable characters, like how polite and respectful Michael is to Hilary at the care home.

Jan Molby gets a credit as the handball commentator at the end of ep 5

this tune popped into my head in connection with Clea and the meaning of the rabbit, pretty sure Mackenzie Crook would know it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi5S22tKOZc

only on the second episode and enjoying it. some of the incidental music reminded me of Your Ghost by Kristin Hersch

i'm on the last episode and it's stressing me out ;_; tell me it all works out nicely!

So then...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN9g7eMtLzk

Would feel significantly more bullish on the possibility of this being at least ok if it was just a completely new sketch with these people in it and not the UK franchise of snl.
Also, 'topical' comedy is already the worst part of US snl (I know topical stuff used to be part of the shows usp, but with social media every drop of comic potential has usually already been wrung out of any given subject by the time snl gets to it), and most UK 'satire' is terrible, so combining these two feels like it could produce some legendarily bad tv.

Yeah I can’t help but feel sceptical but I really like some of the people on here so I hope the format doesn’t squish what’s good about them.

i wonder how many of the usual suspects have got their "this isn't funny because of woke" columns already written and ready to go?

They're far too touchy feely for Brits in that pic, feels off.

Last One Laughing back this Thursday. Hoping it's as good as the first

Oh god, amazing.

Sam Campbell is the contestant I'm most excited about