Nathan Barley comes to TV

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I dunno. The Trashbat party almost made me *miss* my Hoxton years, which was quite an accomplishment. It looked like fun. How weird, Nathan Barley becoming more sympathetic as the programme goes on, but Ashcroft looking like more and more of the cunt.

― Kate Kept Me Alive! (kate), Monday, 21 February 2005 10:43 (twenty-one years ago)

i can't see how AbFab could only be funny if you 'got' the lifestyle. i was never a huge fan of it but appreciated the humour despite not being or having any experience of that sort of world directly.

Yeh, but I was a 13 year-old schoolboy when this was at it's height and I'd never met a sloan-ranger. I just didn't get the humour or the references to LaCroix etc at all. I remember finding the whole AbFab experience to be rather painful tbh.

that's because Nathan is 13 years old - do you see. Also this is exactly the kind of crap you hear some guys saying here and there so as reflection, however overstated, of real situations it's fair enough.

I do understand this but I don't really find it funny when some goon in my office says stuff like this so why should I find it funny when it's on telly? It's a really obvious pun (and yes, that's the point) but what's it doing in a sitcom anyway? David Brent could have pulled it off because he's a man who's been put in a position of authority and he's acting like a child and that's funny because of the bemused silence and the way he digs himself further into a ditch. Something about the joke just fell flat. If there was a sitcom about chavs in Newcastle that relied mostly on them throwing kebabs at Pakistanis and generally being obnoxious, I don't think that would be very funny either because you can see this kind of behaviour simply by going out on the street. It's not even an exaggeration.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 21 February 2005 10:45 (twenty-one years ago)

If the last episode of The Prisoner were to be remade now it would look an awful lot like the Trashbat party sequence.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 21 February 2005 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I do understand this but I don't really find it funny when some goon in my office says stuff like this so why should I find it funny when it's on telly?

who says you're meant to find it funny? i think too much of is made of the 'Morris is here primarily to amuse' idea! this stopped being the case long ago for me.

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Monday, 21 February 2005 11:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeh, but I was a 13 year-old schoolboy when this was at it's height and I'd never met a sloan-ranger. I just didn't get the humour or the references to LaCroix etc at all.

erm, so was i! but i could see it was a well written show that did it's job well. some great turns from bit-players too including June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks obv. it wasn't complicated stuff humour-wise despite the world they inhabited seeming rather alien.

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Monday, 21 February 2005 11:15 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/N/nathanbarley/index.html

A six part comedy series written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris.

― Masked Gazza, Monday, 21 February 2005 11:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeebus, the pretentiousness on this thread is far beyond even the norm for ilx on what is without a doubt simply one of the funniest programmes ever.

Hats off to channel 4 for providing us with more friday filthy tv greatness.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Monday, 21 February 2005 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

pretentious? foie gras rodders!

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Monday, 21 February 2005 11:34 (twenty-one years ago)

A six part comedy series written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris.

oh well if Channel 4 say it's comedy than it must be...

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Monday, 21 February 2005 11:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Not necessarily. But it does answer your question.

― Masked Gazza, Monday, 21 February 2005 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean, channel 4 calls Jimmy Carr a 'Comedian'.

― Ed (dali), Monday, 21 February 2005 11:58 (twenty-one years ago)

He tells jokes, doesn't he?

― Masked Gazza, Monday, 21 February 2005 12:03 (twenty-one years ago)

i think it is interesting that ashcroft is clearly at least as much of a cnt as barley. the trashbat party was slightly cringey mainly because i've played most of those songs at clubft (einstein a-go-go was the main spot), though admittedly not as [ahem] mashups...

...i'm also not sure about the "political" NB, the enron and george bush mentions in the rap were a little perplexing

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Monday, 21 February 2005 12:36 (twenty-one years ago)

NB's "political" rants were all about the hipster pose of politics as accessory. Do you think NB actually knows the faintest thing about either Bush or Enron? But apathy is no longer hip. It's hip to express vague political beliefs without actually understanding them.

― Kate Kept Me Alive! (kate), Monday, 21 February 2005 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"trashbat is two people jumping out of the twin towers simultaneously and fucking on the way down"

of course NB's 'political' rants were empty, but you can bet your ass apathy would have been just as mercilessly pilloried if that were fashionable (ie as it was in the tvgohome versh -- the tv show has been faithful to the times).

― NRQ, Monday, 21 February 2005 12:42 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, that's kind of what i was thinking kate, "oh look, he's picked up the big buzz words". not as good as the "parking the bentley" line though ;)

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Monday, 21 February 2005 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I was actually going to point that out - the interweb NB was apathetic, but has changed with the fashion. As he would, so that puts the "hip" in hipster. Heh.

x-post

― Kate Kept Me Alive! (kate), Monday, 21 February 2005 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The TVGH NB always seemed bored by his own antics and never really carried things through, the plots always implied that nothing was ever achieved where as this NB actually seems to do things and be keen about them, cunt though he is.

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 09:41 (twenty-one years ago)

> (wasn't the prisoner theme part of the mashup in the club? had all sorts of things in there that i remember from my youth. blancmange?)

caitlin right, me wrong about prisoner ringtone.

other things i recognised mixed into that piece at the party:
'einstein a go go'
'i won't let the sun go down on me'
'it's in the trees, it's coming' from that kate bush song (hounds of love?) (although sample is from 'night of the demon' i think)
something by tears for fears
'centrefold' (j geils band?)
totp theme tune (thin lizzy? the one after?)

the 9/11 stuff used for shock seemed horribly dated already.

― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 10:03 (twenty-one years ago)

new episode 3 answers?

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 28 February 2005 18:40 (twenty-one years ago)

despite watching it twice i'm having trouble remembering anything about it. 15peter20 and his photos. restaurant. attempted seduction. er...

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 28 February 2005 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

My girlfriend got cross the other day because I wanted to watch this and it's not very good. I ended up watching about 10 minutes of it and thinking WTF and then flicking it off. She was right - it's not very good.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 28 February 2005 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

okay yeah it was a bit shitty this time.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Monday, 28 February 2005 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

i tht it was better than ep 2, not as good as ep 1.

― 15NRQ20, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 09:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought it was funnier than all the others, which I suppose, for a sitcom, is what you're after. "Would you stop rapping please?" is comedy gold.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 09:42 (twenty-one years ago)

It's the first one I've seen, and I laughed! The way Nathan mangles his facial expressions to try and seduce Claire in the restaurant were simultaneously HILARIOUS and UTTERLY REPULSIVE, if he can keep this up they'll be as essential to his type of character as Lyn's facial expressions in Alan Partridge.

Would you stop rapping!! Argh!

― Lucretia My Reflection (Lucretia My Reflection), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 09:56 (twenty-one years ago)

claire is taking on some of nathan's language.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Music geek alert - "I Want More" by Can was playing in the background when Dan was trying to write his piece on 15Peter20. But.. but.. he's a bibble...

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:52 (twenty-one years ago)

god, the s/t is too right. i have practically everything they use.

― NRQ, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Look Around You was a bit disappointing this week too, but then again I wasn't stoned this time.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 12:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Man, I thought ep 3 was the best by far. It's hitting its stride as we get to know the characters. I laughed lots.

― Crackity (Crackity Jones), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

1 was a bit bad.

2 was disgusting.

3 was not as bad as 2.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 14:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I got told off the other night because I confessed that I actually found Nathan's attempted seduction of Claire quite sweet, and that I would have probably fallen for it myself in younger days. "Would you mind not... rapping!" included. He grows more sympathetic by the episode while Dan grows more repulsive. Sigh.

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 14:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw this the other night. It was very bad. It seemed a soap, not a comedy.

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

cathy figured this show out (=if you want to enjoy it, you're not supposed to watch it).

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Current viewing figures = 700,000. Crumbs.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw this last week for the first time, it was OK I guess. "Would you mind not rapping?" was very good. It made me cringe a few times a la Peep Show. I don't think I'll make a point of watching it in the future though.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

it must be faced that its appeal is quite selective. nevertheless, far from being very bad, it is not bad at all.

― NRQ (Enrique), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:07 (twenty-one years ago)

you people. i can think of hundreds of other shows i'd rather NOT watch than nathan barley.

15peter20 was ridiculous and i loved that. i love any scene with jonathan yeah (dan's boss).

and nathan would have almost banged claire if he didn't start dancehall mc'ing!

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

15peter20 just reminded me of too many ex boyfriends and ex boyfriends' friends. Hilarity.

― Masonic Cathedral (kate), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't get the hate,
I think it's great!

I'm downloading them with bittorrent
do you find my repeated viewings abhorrent?

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

the boss is rubbish.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

We'll agree to differ, I think Jonathan Yeah? is funny and it seems as tho he's the only character in the show with any genuine talent

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, and ep 3 saw the first eldon/heap/schneider cameo, right?

― NTQ (Enrique), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Doug Rocket = Dave Stewart... obviously

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

No-one save for me seems to have noticed the death motif thing with Johnatton. Toy gun in Ep 1, crow on a tray in Ep 2, gun in mouth gesture in Ep 3. Only happens when he's talking to Dan. Oh what might happen there then.

― why must we cut onions? (Lynskey), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought Dave Stewart was a bit of a strange target.

The Dan character...maybe it's charlie brooker putting himself in there, so that he can cover his own back a bit. Writing a sitcom about nathans is a totally nathan thing to do, and he probably knows that, so by putting a nathan who hates the other nathans (but writes about them) into the show itself, he's trying to distance himself from them without actually denying he's just as bad as they are.

People I know who live outside london and think londoners are cunts seem to find this funnier than I do.

― JimD (JimD), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, and ep 3 saw the first eldon/heap/schneider cameo, right?

And Morris voice over, obv.

― JimD (JimD), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 15:40 (twenty-one years ago)

People I know who live outside london and think londoners are cunts seem to find this funnier than I do.

Oh, we don't just "think" Londoners are cunts. ;-)

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm watching this series mostly for the Orwellian linguistic games, which I think are well futile (ie great), and for the fashion tips. Episode 3 wasn't a great one for me, everything got a bit too normal. But, judging by the trailer, episode 4 looks very promising, revolving as it does around hairdressing, and specifically the relationship between error and innovation (Dan sleeps with his head on paint, wakes up with asymmetrical hairdo, Nathan goes to expensive hairdresser to get the same result.)

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

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