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

Will they bring back First of the Summer Wine next?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_of_the_Summer_Wine

Zeroth of the Winter Grapes - Foggy, Clegg, Compo, Gizzard, Slebbsy and Nasher during their nursery school days. Recreation of bath-on-wheels scene especially harrowing.

it's the paucity of ideas it represents that depresses me

yes, see also revived reggie perrin (and new rab c nesbitt even).

― mdskltr (blueski), Friday, January 22, 2010 11:56 AM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

and survivors and -- im going there -- DOCTOR WHO.

sci-fi doesn't count

haaaa had never heard down the line before, just listening to the first ever ep on the iplayer. it's hilarious

need to hunt down the rest

vicar of dibley: the dark reboot

really wish bellamy's people didn't have anyone from the fast show in it

Paul Whitehouse was the least funny thing about it.

yeah, he is so terrible

I think he's good. Felix Dexter gave the best performance, though.

really wish bellamy's people didn't have anyone from the fast show in it

― I think ur a probotector (cozen), Friday, January 22, 2010 12:56 PM (35 minutes ago) Bookmark

but so does DTL

fast show is hilar anyway

don't need to look at them on DTL, this is a big+

really wish bellamy's people didn't have anyone from the fast show in it

― I think ur a probotector (cozen), Friday, 22 January 2010 12:56 (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Paul Whitehouse was the least funny thing about it.

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Friday, 22 January 2010 13:02 (3 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

they make DTL funny as fuck tho xps

I didn't think much of the two characters based on the Mitford Sisters, nor Felix Dexter, nor the business with the luggage. And the only Whitehouse character I'm not really feeling atm is the "had you there" guy. Otherwise BP was great stuff.

Yeah, the old sisters were a bit OTT. But the Lion of Harlesden was wonderfully observed.

New Rab C was utterly shite. (Royle Family also v good example of law of diminishing returns, this Rab C Nesbitt was to old Rab C as new Royle Family is to old Royle Family)

Am not looking forward to OFAH thing, but obv will watch anyway.

New Rab C was utterly shite.

Yeah, sadly. I used to like this, and I did wonder if it was me or it that had changed. But, god, it was bad. Really, really boring.

What is OFAH?

only fools and horses?

Of course.

Loved ep.2 of Limmy's show, btw.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/i/512xn/3ced3507f70960a8e79ea1409789d7df5cc0339f.jpg

l-r: Ted/Granddad, Del Boy, Dad/Reg Trotter, Mum/Joan Trotter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/i/512xn/99a2e0b21320709b52a50190d1bf5ab1cf5d6b33.jpg

l-r: Boycie, Del Boy, Denzil, Trigger, Jumbo Mills.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0062ct8

Couple of decent lines in Rab C (zinging at Peaches for being a fatface, the "hands across the hepatitis C" one) but I found the disparity between smart-arse/can't talk to his son/doesn't understand anything because he is stupid DO YOU SEE various aspects of Rab to be totally at odds with what I remember about it of old (which is basically street-smart philosopher with wisdom that makes the viewer think he could have been something if he hadn't been content to stay where he was basically happy, whereas now he's some kind of hybrid idiot/zinger/socially inept sitcom character. And I know he *is* a sitcom character, but I like my sitcom characters to be the kind of people who might conceivably exist in real life as well.

btw, if you're going to reinvent Gash's character, and recast the actor, why not just invent a whole new character and storyline like what they did after the Wee Burnie/Eric Cullen thing.

Or else, y'know, write an entirely new sitcom where no-one at all gives a shite about what came before these episodes.

The Jamesie/Hungarian widow/dude who lived in his lift, I am pretending didn't happen.

Basically, this is going to be what happens to OFAH as well. Sullivan was on the radio the other day saying he wanted a full series out of this, saying that proper OFAH fans know what happens to the characters, so they know how much mileage how they can get out them. This sounds good, and then you remember he greenlighted The Green Green Grass.

Not a bad cast in the OFAH prequel, I've liked all the actors I recognise in other things. Really doubt I'll bother watching it though.

Clothes are all wrong for 1960, aren't they? (Plus OFAH says Rodney was conceived in 1959, so they've got their years wrong)

Ah, Del and Rodney's mother is the kid from The Upper Hand, was trying to work out where I'd seen her before. She's only ten years older than James Buckley. Good work, casting dudes.

And Denzil is a contemporary of young Del's? I thought he was 10 years younger, almost Rodney's age? And from, y'know, Liverpool.

Wikipedia (yes, I know) says Denzil was invented because John Sullivan wanted Del to have had a black friend since school. No idea why that made him a Scouser though, aye.

Let's spot all the continuity clangers, using this ep as a reference point. Is Roy Slater going to be on dis ting?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_of_%2762

I really want this to be good, I have a great deal of affection for OFAH and at least one of these retreads has to actually work, doesn't it?

No idea why that made him a Scouser though, aye.

Or why he cast an actor not only from Liverpool but 11 years younger than Jason. Whatever. He can do what he likes. As long as it's funny.

James Buckley is on Soccer AM just now explaining how it's nothing like the original series, and it's not a sitcom. Hmmmmm.

I'll rep for the early serieses of OFaH but Sullivan is a guy who desperately needs an editor/somebody to step in and tell him when he's stopped being funny, cos on the whole his characterisation is the weakest thing about his writing. So I'm pretty sure the prequel's gonna suck.

Well, comedy = tragedy + time and this prequel is OFAH S1 minus 21 years, so...

tv listings are saying it's a one-off, albeit one that's 90 minutes long.

luckily i have unwatched dvds.

So did anyone watch the otah thing? was it any good?

only tools and horses?

oops

it is on my tellybox.

i don't think bellamy's people worked. it wasn't *awful, but the visuals really added nothing to Down The Line, and they have a better grasp of the call-in format than ponderous documentaries. hopw they still do another series of the radio show, tho that's unlikely, and maybe they've done everything they can with it now.

I watched OFAH. It was meh, continuity was a bit rubbish in places (they were Millwall fans! Thought Rodney's middle name was Charlton, after the JaggerAddicks?), some utterly dreadful jokes (the "I'm looking for a minge" bit looked like it had been teleported in from another show), mostly drama instead of comedy (neither of which quite rang true), and mostly about Del's mother and Freddie the Frog - after the trumpeting of Jaynbetweener as the new Del, he might as well not have been in it, tbh. Apart from the very odd bit where he appears to be perving at his own mum. It probably worked better in John Sullivan's head.

The Persuasionists - Adam Buxton responds

i am watching it now. i don't know why.

i have bumped into simon farnaby twice in widely different parts of W6 but both times he's been crossing a zebra crossing in the opposite direction.

Bellamy's People got a bit better last night. Think I might listen to Adil Ray's radio show when I get home, he's pretty great in this.

Meanwhile, The Persuasionists has pretty much officially had a fork stuck in it - it's been bumped to the post-Newsnight slot on Thursday the week after next.

I think Bellamy's People was better last week, but there you go. I was sort of hoping they'd have completely new characters each week, but I suppose that'd be a bit much to ask.

The Limmy sketch this week with the dopy dopehead pondering the gang pecking order in his kitchen was the funniest thing I've seen in ages.

The wilful unevenness and dumbness of Limmy's Show is hilarious to me, but Mrs Px4a has basically turned into a Scot-hating racist curmudgeon as a result of it

love that junkie guy just saying ".....fukeyyyn..." every five words

Stoned guy and Falconhoof are superb. Apart from that I'm usually doing that "What?" face that Limmy does to the pub storyteller.

his twitter is just him boasting about how good he is at Modern Warfare and Street Fighter IV