Radio 4 turns over the airwaves to solid gold laughter, as Steve Punt joins up with a host of stars, backstage movers and industry shakers from the comedy industry with a two-hour special.
Variety shows and radio were the traditional routes to comedy fame and fortune, but what about today? Super agents, DVD sales, straight-to-TV stars; where does radio fit in? Steve and a panel of guests pick apart the laughter seam of the modern comedy industry, as well as generating a few jokes along the way.
Includes News Summary at 9.00pm.
― Euai Kapaui (tracerhand), Monday, 15 January 2007 13:36 (seventeen years ago) link
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?
― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 15 January 2007 13:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 13:38 (seventeen years ago) link
Whew.
― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 15 January 2007 13:39 (seventeen years ago) link
also on the bad can someone please put Have I Got News For You out of its misery.
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 13:58 (seventeen years ago) link
At the risk of, on this reviewer's logic, inviting lynch-mobs to my door, I'd argue that Extras was shite.
― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:10 (seventeen years ago) link
xpost
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:10 (seventeen years ago) link
― You've Got Scourage On Your Breath (Haberdager), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:18 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 14:28 (seventeen years ago) link
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)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
what were the chances of that happening? -- mark grout (mark.grou...), January 15th, 2007. (mark grout) (later)
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)
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)
'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)
but in a another more accurate sense... -- mark s (mar...), January 15th, 2007. (mark s) (later)
but then i do like Harry Hill so it's apples and roundabouts. -- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)
rubbish -- RJG (RJ...), January 15th, 2007. (RJG) (later)
so you keep saying -- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)
RJG's TV Burp -- Dom Passantino (juror...), January 15th, 2007. (Dom Passantino) (later)
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)
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)
of course i too want 'nathan barley' back. -- the original hauntology blogging crew (miltonpinsk...), January 15th, 2007. (Enrique) (later)
They could drop scissors on a dog's head this time. -- Dom Passantino (juror...), January 15th, 2007. (Dom Passantino) (later)
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.
ha ha Dom OTM -- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------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)
i didn't laugh more than i did laugh etc. -- vita susicivus (n...), January 15th, 2007. (blueski) (later)
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:00 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:03 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― Feargal Hixxy (DJ Mencap), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:06 (seventeen years ago) link
And Screen Wipe rocks.
― Johnney B English (stigoftdump), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― Feargal Hixxy (DJ Mencap), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 15:10 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link
it was good, but not 300 times better than 'nathan barley'.
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:06 (seventeen years ago) link
steve otm
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:22 (seventeen years ago) link
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:33 (seventeen years ago) link
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.
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:38 (seventeen years ago) link
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."
― Johnney B English (stigoftdump), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:48 (seventeen years ago) link
'THIR-FUCKING-TEEN'.
― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:50 (seventeen years ago) link
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'.
― Ruairi Wirewool (Ruairi Wirewool), Monday, 15 January 2007 16:54 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― Feargal Hixxy (DJ Mencap), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:40 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:41 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:42 (seventeen years ago) link
― vita susicivus (blueski), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― acrobat (elwisty), Monday, 15 January 2007 17:49 (seventeen years ago) link
Season 7 for example it was gender based, Jessica Knappett is the same age as Acaster and Phil Wang but got paired with Kerry Godliman.
― Daniel_Rf, Friday, 19 April 2024 11:07 (one month ago) link
The pairings aren't always age-based: Frankie Boyle and Ivo Graham developed a weird father-son relationship in the Series 15 group tasks, for example.
― Wry & Slobby (Portsmouth Bubblejet), Friday, 19 April 2024 11:55 (one month ago) link
I would have guessed Sophie was second oldest by a few years. She's had a hard paper round and is being played in the 'slightly crazy/menopausal woman' personality slot on the panel.
― Overtoun House windows (aldo), Friday, 19 April 2024 12:26 (one month ago) link
I was surprised as well but yeah she was born in '87!
― Daniel_Rf, Friday, 19 April 2024 12:28 (one month ago) link
I honestly don't know how old I thought Sophie was, but I'd absolutely have gone "older than Joanne" every day of the week.
― ailsa, Friday, 19 April 2024 12:51 (one month ago) link
aw I thought *every* reflection of nick had been removed but it's only the ones in that task.
― ledge, Friday, 19 April 2024 20:23 (one month ago) link
Yeah I would've swapped Sophie and Joanne's real ages! (36 & 40 respectively)
― chap, Saturday, 20 April 2024 12:26 (one month ago) link
Sophie has definite eccentric aunt vibes
― chap, Saturday, 20 April 2024 12:27 (one month ago) link
I've been trying to work out who Nick Mohammed reminds me of and just realised it's Bobby G (the one from Bucks Fizz)
― Platinum Penguin Pavilion (soref), Wednesday, 1 May 2024 10:34 (three weeks ago) link
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29186
― koogs, Saturday, 4 May 2024 17:15 (two weeks ago) link
^ the pembleton crossword
― koogs, Saturday, 4 May 2024 17:16 (two weeks ago) link
Watched the episode last night. Picking away at the crossword, I've got about half done.
― ledge, Monday, 13 May 2024 13:49 (one week ago) link
aside from a kind of boring cast, this season also seems to have more team tasks and more tasks that are about creativity (like make a portrait of this person using the contents of the hamper), which are usually less fun imo
― na (NA), Monday, 13 May 2024 14:14 (one week ago) link
they were more fun, dare i say it, when it was lucy and sam doing it...
― koogs, Monday, 13 May 2024 14:53 (one week ago) link
(or bob or sally...)
i just prefer when the contestants are stressed out and tortured, not making fun drawings or videos or whatever
― na (NA), Monday, 13 May 2024 14:56 (one week ago) link
i agree this series is lacking something, there's no great spark between any of the contestants in the studio. anyway i finished the xword, had to reveal three or four but all solid clues imo, great job.
― ledge, Monday, 13 May 2024 15:05 (one week ago) link
steve and nick are the first people i've seen posting about their experiences on twitterx, which is nice. but maybe that's just an algorithm thing.
― koogs, Monday, 13 May 2024 15:21 (one week ago) link
I like the creative tasks. I agree that this series has generally been less laugh-out-loud funny than some, but I've still found it enjoyable in a more low key, gently amusing way. Maybe it's because there are fewer stand up comics than usual? (or at least fewer comedians who do wisecracking, riffing stuff rather than more character stuff?)
― Platinum Penguin Pavilion (soref), Monday, 13 May 2024 19:36 (one week ago) link
I find all the contestants likeable enough now (Nick is just hardcore adorable), but yeah not the funniest bunch.
Some of Greg's recent postmortems have been suffocatingly hilarious, on the other hand.
― chap, Monday, 13 May 2024 19:48 (one week ago) link
the channel 4 streaming service had some episodes of the Swedish version of Taskmaster available a while ago, and the Swedish one felt a bit like this, mostly not uproariously funny but the participants were all likeable and it was fun to watch, sometimes you don't want to see people straining to be funny or wring every last drop of comic possibility out of every riff.
― Platinum Penguin Pavilion (soref), Monday, 13 May 2024 19:58 (one week ago) link
I absolutely can't go Joanne McNally but the rest of them are very amiable and amusing without being annoying, and I also wish they had better tasks.
― ailsa, Monday, 13 May 2024 21:12 (one week ago) link
Agree on both counts.
― trishyb, Monday, 13 May 2024 23:06 (one week ago) link
Aw she's a bit grating but basically quite sweet.
― chap, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 07:07 (one week ago) link