Nathan Barley comes to TV

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Not all messages are displayed: show all messages (1030 of them)

But if it's "the style press versus the tabloids", maybe it's not auto-critique. Brooker writes for The Guardian. Perhaps the safe moral ground is broadsheet ground. In other words, this is a "chattering classes" look at style / tabloid culture. Which explains the 700,000 viewer figure. 700,000 people is exactly the circulation figure of a broadsheet newspaper in Britain.

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 09:00 (twenty-one years ago)

'exactly'?

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 09:40 (twenty-one years ago)

But because Nathan thought he was having sex with a 13 year-old girl (and actually ejaculated with this thought firmly in mind)

I'm not sure that's clear - he seemed panicked and also past the point of no return. I don't know whether there was an element of Momussian* pleasure in among the actual nervous system stuff.

*is the same sense as Sadistic - described by rather than experienced by.

xpost - It would be great if a broadsheet started printing just under their general readership: Are _you_ one of the Observer 700,000?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 09:43 (twenty-one years ago)

It's pretty clear that Nathan was "almost" undone by his choice of words following Jonathon's revelation - neither Claire nor Nathan knew she was "13" until she saw the mag and phoned him.

Speaking of fucked-up 13 year old girls, that movie from last year was pretty good.

― BARMS, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 10:05 (twenty-one years ago)

i dunno - nathan was at the shoot. i think he thought the girl was 13. he was worried at the end when claire started telling everyone he'd got a blowjob off a 13 year old. but it's todally unresolved.

― N_RQ, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 10:23 (twenty-one years ago)

People only think Sugarape magazine is called Rape (they don't see the "suga" but cos it's small), but it's okay, say the mag people, because it's really called Sugarape

Incidentally, has the "Suga" now been dropped? I'd need to rewatch it to make sure, but I seem to rememeber the mag covers just saying "RAPE" this week. I guess the Suga maybe just got even smaller though.

― JimD (JimD), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

the 'suga' is inside the 'hole' in 'R'.

― N_RQ, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 11:37 (twenty-one years ago)

It was pretty unreadably small even at the start.

Enrique - I don't think the staff knew about the 13 thing, because it's not like they're shy about the clever tricks they're playing on everyone ("but because we got to touch them, we kind of are, yeah?"). Also Nathan isn't Sugarape staff.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Thread title has come full circle, incidentally.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Heh, well played.

he was worried at the end when claire started telling everyone he'd got a blowjob off a 13 year old.

"She's only 13-years old!"

"What?"

"As far as I'm concerned, Nathan, that was a blowjob off a 13-year old."

― BARMS, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the actor playing Nathan Barley has been watching David Brent a little too closely

― My Son Calls Another Man Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 12:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I thk morris is too wiley a pop stylist fr that to pure popped-under-the-radar the actor's acting, I dunno wht morris is at tho, allowing it.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 12:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"... fr that to be..." obv

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 12:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't understand what you're talking about.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 13:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Didn't someone say upthread (or offthread) that Chris Morris has acknowledged Ricky Gervais as an influence? Anyway, Gervais is planning his own Nathan Barley, but his is about actors.

"This summer’s must-see is Extras, his barbed view of working actors set in green rooms and on movie sets. “We touch on my favourite sins — desperation and ego,” Gervais says. “I get more material from the egos of actors than anything else. And it has always fascinated me, the way actors talk about themselves. “Actors are usually, on the whole, thick, desperate, untalented and always thinking, ‘What about me? What about me?’” Apart from that, Gervais refuses to be drawn."

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmmmmm, I just find the Gervaisness of his performance to be pervasive

― My Son Calls Another Man Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

... and unpersuasive

― My Son Calls Another Man Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

but you like the sugarape boss.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

as for gervais's refusal:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/images/bbc/150ricky_yctv_portrait.gif

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm, this Extras thing doesn't really sound a million miles from HBO's Unscripted, at least in concept. Although I doubt it'll have the same "aw, these poor dumb actors have a rough time" tone.

― JimD (JimD), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)

The tiny audience figures signal that there's fat chance of a second series coming along, which is a shame. But ripping the piss out of Vice magazine isn't exactly broadcasting, so what do they expect?
That last episode was easily the bet yet - I really liked Mandy! I thought it was Donna Matthews at first. And Jonattan Yeah? was on form "Oh I hope we haven't offended ab-solute-ly ev-eryone"

Nathan's now the central figure at last. In the early episodes they had to try and find something for him to do inbetween the Dan scenes, now it was Dan who had the sub-plot - the wank in the bogs scene was this weeks scissors-in-cat's-head: the gratuitous gross-out big-laugh shot. (and Brooker/Morris stuck to a convential comedic power-of-three with Dan "leaking" sugaRAPE flyers to telegraph a pay-off: dropping them once in the office, next in the caff and then finally in the bogs which then meant the builder could find him at the end of the episode (as if Dan would carry SA flyers with him anyway!?))

Best comedy on TV at the moment.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

ho ho, RJG.

― Cathy (Cathy), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 14:26 (twenty-one years ago)

i've moved from wanting it to be like the website to wanting it to be about jonattan.

― NR_Q, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 14:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I know you're not being sarcastic, cathy.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 14:29 (twenty-one years ago)

as if Dan would carry SA flyers with him anyway!

It was a nice surreal motif, I think, that now he's being pwned by Jonattan, these things appear in his pockets/bag of their own accord.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I had lunch with a colleague today who has to drop ZILLIONS of flyers for our employer's 'live' night which happens in about a week.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Will it be any good, though, yeah?

― BARMS, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

It'll be totally fucking Mexico

― My Son Calls Another Man Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Barms, it's next Thursday at Cargo and the lineup is: Lady Sovereign, JME, Crazy Titch, Klashnekoff, Durrty Goodz, Stush, Kano, Demon & Ghetto, Katie Pearl, some folks from Roll Deep, DJ Logan Sama and DJ Ross Allen and MC Riko. All for £5 advance, too.

― suzy (suzy), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Lady Sovereign, JME, Crazy Titch, Klashnekoff, Durrty Goodz, Stush, Kano, Demon & Ghetto, Katie Pearl

I don't know what's real life and what's chris morris any more.

― JimD (JimD), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Suzzzzzy, that looks pretty damn cool. I will holla at thee.

― Deerninja B4rim4, Plus-Tech Whizz Kid (Barima), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

GAAAAAA

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

RE: The influence of 'The Office'. Stephen Merchant is a script consultant on 'Nathan Barley'.

― auto_appendix, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

in series 2 grime will have caught on down the nailgun arms.
-- NR_Q (bl0cke...), March 14th, 2005.

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 16 March 2005 09:05 (twenty-one years ago)

fuckin' posers

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 10:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Nice troll pose, dollnuts!

― Momus (Momus), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't get this whole thing about clare only "cracking" in this ep. surely the junkie choir from ep 1 showed she was as shallow and fucked as the rest of them?

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 13:04 (twenty-one years ago)

How'd you mean? It seemed a bit rubbish but not particularly exploitative. Along the lines of the Langley Schools Hippie Nonsense, like.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

yeh it didn't seem as 'obviously' exploitative. isn't the point with claire that she's on the moral high ground with reasonable intentions but the naivety and volatility is there wrt to stumbling into hypocrisy and double standards (at times i can identify with Claire as much as Barley (haha) in that respect) - she's not actually cynical nor are The Idiots (inc. Nathan) because there is genuine naivety (or rather ignorance) among them too. only Dan and Jonotton seem to be cynical, which is interesting as they're almost polar opposites.

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

but it's still shallow "i must make my MEANINGFUL film about TEH POOR" is no more useful than "it's funny because it's not funny because it's funny" etc.

the junkie was singing about his slavery to an audience of black people for gods sake...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i failed to make that connection - the looks on the kids (various ethnicities not just black) faces was 'funny' tho

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

volatility = "measure once, cut twice"?

Sven, how can you say that Nathan isn't cynical after Episode 5? He didn't stumble into the idea that he'd get sex for his money.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

ok cynical re girls/sex of course, and you could argue the 'Russian tramp tooth-pulling' type stuff as cynical, tho considering his vacuousness, aside from the actually quite inventive games and presentation of trashbat.co.ck (supposedly Nathan's ideas tho the credit really goes to Pingu i suppose, which supports me here, i think), this is another contradiction.

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Wednesday, 16 March 2005 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

getting better & better, with each episode.

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 18 March 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

is something brilliant happening?

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 18 March 2005 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

my god

― Jarlr'mai (jarlrmai), Friday, 18 March 2005 22:29 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, holy fuck, bleak...

― cozen (Cozen), Friday, 18 March 2005 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha. I don't even know what to think of that yet, I need you all to talk about it a lot.

I laughed a lot, but I'm not sure I should've been.

― Suedey (John Cei Douglas), Friday, 18 March 2005 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

the end

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 18 March 2005 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Labour Party conference was the best laugh all series.

― Ed (dali), Friday, 18 March 2005 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 930 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.