ITV2?

I 'ATE YOU, BUTLER!!

And in case you missed it, it's repeated again at 2 in the afternoon on ITV3.

Or you could watch the "Some American Dude You've Never Heard Of Show". Or "Only When I Laugh" and wonder why these three guys are in hospital at all when they're shouting at each other and jumping all over the place.

I'LL GET YOU BUTLER!

The Golden Age of TV Comedy

Still funnier than The IT Crowd.

might be interesting to look at volume of US imports on ITV 5 years ago compared to now altho expansion to 4 channels can account for much of that

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7499169.stm

Dad's Army star slams current TV

The cast members and show's writers gathered at the Imperial War Museum
Ex-Dad's Army star Ian Lavender has attacked broadcasters for failing to make TV programmes for families.

"Sadly everything now is done for demographics," said the 62-year-old, who played Private Pike in the war-time comedy series.

The actor, who recently starred in EastEnders, was speaking at a reunion with surviving cast members to mark the 40th anniversary of the show.

The BBC comedy was first screened on 31 July 1968 and ran until 1977.

"It's rather sad that Dad's Army has to be repeated on TV, although I'm delighted to see it of course," Lavender said.

'Divisive'

"But there's a need for it because they're not making programmes for the whole family to watch.

"It's amazing that there are children watching this now whose parents were not born when we started.

I'll get you Butler!

stupid boy.

"It's amazing that there are children watching this now whose parents were not born when we started. "

Yeah, kids'll watch any old shite these days

They don't like it up 'em

(xxxxxxxpost) I think that despite having more channels, ITV import proportionally less US stuff now, instead filling the space with re-runs. It's Five that has more import stuff now, I suppose because they don't have an archive stretching back 50 years.

(xxxxxxpost) what isn't (funnier than The IT Crowd)?

Well that Lab Eats show starting on BBC2 tonight looks like it could plum new sitcom depths

Chris Addison really needs to get the fuck off my TV

(xpost) I'm not even going to bother with that - just the premise looks dire. Thank fuck it's only six episodes, not twenty thousand like a US sitcom, although on the other hand a US show would probably get pulled after two programmes.

"Don't tell 'im, Butler!"

Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Politically Correct Television Executive?

Crank dat Butler

^^^ Stephen Lewis still alive, apparently. Could be a potential spin-off here.

Fuck me Reg Varney's still alive???

Is Lab Eats a spin-off show?

On the Bus Pass?

Reg = first man in the world to use a cash dispensing machine, folks

Saw Bob Grant doing Romeo and Juliet at Cannock's Prince of Wales theatre one time.

He was horrific wasn't he?

"Get those buses out Wilson!"

Reg Varney be 92 now!

actually, he's 91, tomorrow is his birthday!

After being demobbed, Reg Varney starred on stage in the late 1940s in a comic revue entitled "Gaytime"

He was horrific wasn't he?

Don't really remember the performance, he was like Romeo or Juliet's dad or something.

whereas Stephen Lewis is 72.

Would you have thought it?

Reg = first man in the world to use a cash dispensing machine, folks

-- Tom D., Thursday, 10 July 2008 11:56 (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

Fuck me, this is true. Up there with Ernie Wise being the first person to use a mobile phone.

Clive Dunn was 19 when they started filming Dad's Army.

who did he ring? (xpost)

Reg Varney, to see if he'd got that money out he owed him

ILX: funnier than ITV.

probably.

Are ITV2 showing those Varney variety spectaculars from the seventies where he played the piano and sang old songs the old way et al?

i'll get you butler! haha

Are ITV2 showing those Varney variety spectaculars from the seventies where he played the piano and sang old songs the old way et al?

You mean The Comstock Carabinieri Variety Hour?

Still funnier than The IT Crowd.

Saw that Irish guy from this at Gay Pride at the weekend.

Blakey comments are the new meme?

I'll get you (Guardian journalist)

If G2 runs a hilariously ironic reappraisal of OtB tomorrow I'm calling foul.

"Permission to run hilariously ironic reappraisal of OtB, sir!"

we're all dooooomed!

Holiday on the Buses is a good film. the first one and the TV show suck though.

Never Mind The Quality Feel The Width was a British television sitcom which was first broadcast in 1967 as an episode of the popular anthology series Armchair Theatre, and then became a series of half-hour episodes. A total of 39 episodes were aired, across three series. It was originally made for the ITV network by ABC from 1967-1968 and was then carried on by Thames Television when ABC and Rediffusion London merged to become Thames.

The plots revolved around two tailors in business together. Manny Cohen, played by John Bluthal was Jewish, and Patrick Kelly, played by Joe Lynch, was Irish. A prominent character in the series was Rabbi Levy (Cyril Shaps) from the local synagogue.

It is worth noting that the show was not felt worthy of national distribution, so it was not broadcast in areas such as the Northeast of England, possibly because the producers thought the humour would not travel. The production company, Associated British Corporation, had the ITV franchise for the Midlands region around Birmingham but the show was also seen in London.

One episode featured Manny and Patrick were trading the rights to display their pictures around the shop. When Patrick had two pictures of the Pope on the wall while Manny had one of Moshe Dayan, Manny's comment was "It's the going rate. Two Popes to one Moshe."

Another episode had Patrick, a fine singer, filling in at the synagogue for a sick cantor, on the occasion of a visit by the Chief Rabbi. Carefully coached to sing phonetically in Hebrew, Patrick nervously performs, every moment being milked for comedic value. Finally the Chief Rabbi congratulates Patrick on his singing, but reveals he knows something is up. When asked how he knows, he replies, "Simple. At the end of the service you genuflected and crossed yourself!". The episode title was "The Not-so-kosher Cantor".

It was certainly better than "Curry and Chips"

Not that far away from Father Ted really.

WHEN OH WHEN will POLITICALLY CORRECT NANNY STATE BBC rescreen Milligan's Q series? John Bluthal doing his Hughie Green impression is the funniest thing that's ever been on television ever ever ever.*

(*possibly only appreciated by viewers aged over 40 who remember both John Bluthal and Hughie Green)

His Sir Huw Wheldon was good too

"Good evening and... expenses"

... you had to be there I suppose

"Good evening and... expenses"

Still use this line...

Randy ironic internet gits!

What do you mean, Ironic?

I'm using it when I'm claiming expenses!

I roffled when Tom quoted it.

Don't get me started on Sing-Along-Party by Hughie Green featuring the Geoff Love Orchestra...