I used to find Harry Hill criminally unfunny, but:

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"Harry Hill's TV Burp" actually makes me laff out loud enough times...

Up till then, he reminded me of someone who did something funny once and someone said "Oh, you're funny" so he tried to make people laugh ALL THE TIME and failed every time... (Leslie Neilson example...)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's an extremely simple concept which should have been used ages ago, just mocking snippets of TV as they are played, sort of interactively. It's what you'd do sitting in a room with your friends watching a crappy soap, and it is quite funny. If Hill couldn't be funny doing this I suspect it would be time to give up.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

It really does work! It's become one of my favourite programmes - a great last-thing-at-night show to make you happy before you go to sleep.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:44 (twenty-two years ago)

The canned laughter is quite possibly worse; even more so than on Steve Penk shows, which I once thought impossible.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

it's not an original concept though!

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:54 (twenty-two years ago)

(but yer it's funny)

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it's an extremely simple concept which should have been used ages ago, just mocking snippets of TV as they are played, sort of interactively.

haven't seen harry hill's programme. beavis and butthead used that concept, though. never watched that all the way through, either.

― hobart paving (hobart paving), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:54 (twenty-two years ago)

What other shows used it?

I guess it's not original whatsoever in terms of the idea, I mean "lets mock some tv clips", but devoting a whole programme to it, as trashy as that is is fairly original I'd have thought. It's a big step up from Aunties Bloomers or something.

Beavis and Butthead was music videos.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Didn't Clive James used to do this?

― Screaming Front man (daveb), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

and Chris Tarrant, and jasper carrot with adverts

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:58 (twenty-two years ago)

The closest version was "In bed with me dinner" which was quite late at night, forget the blokes name but you don't see him around much thesedays. a) laugh at programme, b) re-enact bits in bad costumes.

Anyhow, it was quite 'after-the-fact', although the Graham Taylor "deconstruction" was classic.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:58 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not the same as Tarrant on TV!

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

He actually makes his jokes between lines and about specific scenes, it's quite fast moving. At least when I saw it it was.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:00 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah mark "in bed with me dinner" was the one that came to my head.. that guy's name was ... Bob someone. He used to present Games World on sky one.

Bob Mills! That's him. Not a very funny man.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:00 (twenty-two years ago)

You didn't actually watch Games World, did you, Ken? That's the show I found audiences for!

(and a right skanky bunch of borstal kids they were too)

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Bob Mills was In Bed With his Dinner.

― Ricardo (RickyT), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

mark i did!

wait...

were you responsible for thinking up the character BIG BOY BARRY?!?!??!!?

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I see Bob Mills as the archetypal late night show guy (= not very good really but increased number of hours to fill on the box = more cruddy presenters).

He acted like he was all Bertie Big Bollocks but I'd never seen him. It later tyranspired he was something in the London TV region, which meant dick all to me in Rochdale. As a result, he was a guy who wasn't good enough for national TV, then Night Time TV starts and they need people who aren't good enough for national normal telly.

Night Time TV people are obviously presenting gods compared to satelite telly. Except for Turn on Terry, which is so bad that I thought for a minute I'd got Sky and so would have football and got all excited, before reality dawned and crushed my hopes.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I quite liked In Bed With Me Dinner, especially because they used deliberately tortured build-ups to punchlines.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Dave- Bob Mills hosted Win Lose or Draw as well! And The Show, vastly underrated Channel 4 reality/talk show.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:07 (twenty-two years ago)

His mocking of Emmerdale is the highlight of the show and its the only thing I'll make sure I won't miss.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Agreed, re:Emmerdale.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:14 (twenty-two years ago)

harry hill different to james/tarrant/carrot etc as is only interested in the last week's UK telly, rather than yugoslavian ads for "snot" tomato soup or similar...

HH roxors

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:14 (twenty-two years ago)

His glasses roxors. I want a pair of full on HH's, not the HH lite I currently sport.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

his 'letterman' spot (first uk comedian to do it ever? or just in the 90's? one or the other anyway) from 96 was one of the single most hillarious things ever. 5 minutes, audience rockd totally, letterman laughing out loud saying 'i like that guy..there's something wrong with him'.

(folds open pocket on coat)
"like the lining madam? mm? mm? the lining? it *dazzles* you!' etc.

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 30 March 2004 13:35 (twenty-two years ago)

The canned laughter is quite possibly worse; even more so than on Steve Penk shows, which I once thought impossible.

TV Burp has a proper studio audience, not canned laughter. I heard that if it's intrusive it's because the sound people have mixed it too high.

― Chriddof (Chriddof), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 14:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Holy fucking shit. It sounds so canned - not the volume level itself, but the sheer... uniformity of the laffs, and the failure of HH to interact in any way with people who are seemingly laughing their tits off.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

i don't think any british telly has canned laughter - it's all screened, recorded and mixed in. sometimes not mixed in at all in the case of a certain recent pilot sitcom

― Jaunty Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Surely the Steve Penk out-take laffathons have canned laffter. If not, then they audience for such shows must die.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Ken, I knew Big Boy Barry very well. Lovely chap. Very big. Not really called Barry. Did you ever see the Austin Powers spoof guy? He was one of my best mates.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 15:00 (twenty-two years ago)

He (Bob Mills) acted like he was all Bertie Big Bollocks but I'd never seen him.

B-but..that was all part of the joke.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

wow. that's amazing bbb seemed like a good chap and he reviewed his games well.. not sure i remmeber the austin powers bloke though. i remembered some pirate dude.

wow if i had known you then i would so have volunteered to be an audience.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 09:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I especially like HH when he does his "Isn't it strange when people start looking like their..." moments. Gary from Eastenders looking like his fuse box was pure genius.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 12:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought the Goldilocks thing was very funny the other day. Also Shergar. I think I would prefer half an hour of Harry's own stuff. But as far as cheapo recycled telly goes, it is a cut above.

QUESTION: does he watch all his own telly, or does he get someone to watch it for him?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I think you can submit stuff to them, you can apparently earn £50 if they use it.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 31 March 2004 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

TV Burp had me heartily roffling on Saturday. esp. the 'she's a Jackson' thing. It's a good thing.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 20 March 2006 12:03 (twenty years ago)

Haha, we were ROFFLEing at the Jackson bit too.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Monday, 20 March 2006 13:05 (twenty years ago)

> QUESTION: does he watch all his own telly, or does he get someone to watch it for him?

dave quantick(?) was on radcliffe the other week and said that he writes for it. says it's basically like beavis and butthead.

http://www.davethompson.org.uk/frontpage1.htm

(screenburn on bbc4 at the mo is pretty much the same thing done by charlie brooker for bbc4 audiences)

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 20 March 2006 13:12 (twenty years ago)

is there a dvd of this? like a best of?

― piscesboy, Monday, 20 March 2006 16:12 (twenty years ago)

best show on TV. i'd love a DVD too. i see someone started a Moustache top trumps thread today...

The "jackson" bit was totally classic especially the ROFFLEicious "that's no reason to keep her in a box" visual gag.

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 20 March 2006 16:15 (twenty years ago)

i liked the 'Sugababes join Holby City' observation too.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 20 March 2006 16:51 (twenty years ago)

The iceberg master of disguise had me laughing.

I switched on for this a few minutes early for this on Saturday and he's doing You've Been Framed now too! No studio segments, he just does commentary over the clips, and it's a good deal funnier than YBF has a right to be.

― chap who would dare to be a stone cold thug (chap), Monday, 20 March 2006 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Our Alice's commentary is way funnier than Harry Hill's. But, that's funny too.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 08:43 (twenty years ago)

Father's bias there.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 10:58 (twenty years ago)

Get her on TV, she's got to be better than Jimmy Carr

― Dadaismus the Blind (of Alexandria) (Dada), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 11:07 (twenty years ago)

His jokes are written by some other 9 year old.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 11:09 (twenty years ago)

A less talented one

― Dadaismus the Blind (of Alexandria) (Dada), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 11:09 (twenty years ago)

"A five year old child could have written this script..."

" Well get me five year old child then..."

(with apologies to Groucho)

― Dadaismus the Blind (of Alexandria) (Dada), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 11:11 (twenty years ago)

TV Burp's given me more out-of-control laffs per show than any other programme.

― Why does the birds always shitting on me? (noodle vague), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 15:52 (twenty years ago)

alice is 6 now. Overqualified?

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 08:49 (twenty years ago)

kids say the funniest things.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 08:51 (twenty years ago)

Harry Hill is genius. I especially liked his "Hooves" DVD.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 13:59 (twenty years ago)

seven months pass...

i just lost it at the mary poppins joke on this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-6JXiPvDEc

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 19 November 2006 23:22 (nineteen years ago)

screenburn on bbc4 at the mo is pretty much the same thing done by charlie brooker for bbc4 audiences

er: screenburn was pretty much the same thing also done by david quantick. look at the writing credits!

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Sunday, 19 November 2006 23:29 (nineteen years ago)

never mind that, LOL at supercalifragelistic....!

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 19 November 2006 23:32 (nineteen years ago)

Hahaha, "It's Ready Steady Cook!"

― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Sunday, 19 November 2006 23:40 (nineteen years ago)

xpost: i can't, i'm at work :(

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Sunday, 19 November 2006 23:41 (nineteen years ago)

she's a jackson!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbER7SA8bqI

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 20 November 2006 00:30 (nineteen years ago)

both wonderful. (yes, am home now.) superb.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 20 November 2006 00:56 (nineteen years ago)

I love that spoof cookery show Harry Hill is doing on BBC2 now. the other week he made Black Forest Gateau with a vacuum cleaner. Funniest thing I've seen for a long time.

― bham (bham), Monday, 20 November 2006 09:00 (nineteen years ago)

yes Heston Blumenthal is clearly a made up name.

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 20 November 2006 11:45 (nineteen years ago)

"Just like Tupac!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPFJeuVhCrs

Put TV Burp into Youtube and you get a goldmine.

― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Monday, 20 November 2006 12:44 (nineteen years ago)

Just Like Tupac! LOL.

― jed_ (jed), Monday, 20 November 2006 14:44 (nineteen years ago)

Harry Hill is criminally unfunny, I refuse to watch any of these clips in case I betray myself and crack a smile or some shit.

― teh_kit (g-kit), Monday, 20 November 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

Harry Hill as Bill Grundy, Stewart Lee as John Lydon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPINn-gD7Cg

― dommy p is alright WHICH IS A LOT MORE THAN I CAN SAY ABOUT A LOT OF PEOPLE (Dom, Monday, 20 November 2006 14:49 (nineteen years ago)

three months pass...

thought it had been a bit obvious, a bit lacking the last couple of weeks but last night's was great, especailly the 1973 flashback sequence.

― koogs, Sunday, 4 March 2007 10:28 (nineteen years ago)

Junior Eastenders?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJzLHk2ygUw

― jed_, Sunday, 4 March 2007 13:12 (nineteen years ago)

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