Nathan Barley comes to TV

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Hmm I'd go with

Blue Jam > Chris Morris Radio Show > Day Today > Brass Eye > Jam > On The Hour > Nathan Barley

I still don't think Barley is bad, but dear god, just TRY rewatching it again. Instead, watch Iannucci's THE THICK OF IT. Now there's good DTD Alumnieties.

― On one hand I've got myself to blame (Lynskey), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 12:52 (twenty years ago)

is that neil boorman or something? what piece were they referring to?

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:11 (twenty years ago)

I think I will get this even though I wasn't a huge fan of the few episodes I saw on TV. I Think I need to watch it all the way through. Strange that the guys fromt he Mighty Boosh are in this.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:12 (twenty years ago)

why?

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:15 (twenty years ago)

i dunno - they're just very different in sense of humour, other than the shoreditch gags of course.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

NB was a big departure from anything morris had done before.

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:22 (twenty years ago)

It was bad.

― Masked Gazza, Wednesday, 7 September 2005 13:25 (twenty years ago)

that is well 'no way'

― N_RQ, Thursday, 8 September 2005 09:54 (twenty years ago)

is that the chap who plays nathan barley, being a lot posher and a little pudgier in absolute power?

Yes, that is him and yes, "Absolute Power" is the single vilest TV programme I have ever laid eyes on

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 8 September 2005 10:01 (twenty years ago)

And doesn't he look like our own Mark H?

― Anna (Anna), Thursday, 8 September 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

heh, if you want NB lookalikes:

http://www.lomography.com/0001/fotos/p300704/1a7de80c5901cb68/UL_844724_10925848702_l.jpg

i used to work with this dude.

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 8 September 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

i expect he will now track me down via referral log and kill me...

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 8 September 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

that would make a terrific advert for series 2 though. Trashbat.Cocking Big Apple Special!

― Sociah T Azzahole (blueski), Thursday, 8 September 2005 11:48 (twenty years ago)

the first episode was FANTASTIC, and the series was subsequently a massive letdown.

― sean gramophone (Sean M), Thursday, 8 September 2005 12:00 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

I haven't read the rest of the thread yet, but I finally saw the first episode of this and I enjoyed it. It's still fairly well-observed for a satire of a very soft target and brought back memories of my time spent working at a "Sugar Ape" equivalent. It's true that the receptionist is always the first one to see through all the bullshit. And then the IT people if they're good (and resourceful) enough. I also loved the guy with the teeny-tiny hat.

― Cristal Waters (nordicskilla), Monday, 26 September 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

yes, it is a cute hat

― cutty (mcutt), Monday, 26 September 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

It's true that the receptionist is always the first one to see through all the bullshit. And then the IT people if they're good (and resourceful) enough.

This is wrong, I'm afraid. The receptionist and the IT department comfort themselves for their exclusion from, and failure to understand, the vital social skills and cultural capital-accumulation strategies that pay their salaries by affecting to deride them, or pouring creativity that might, in another context, put them in the same league as "the idiots" into schemes of futile, dead-eyed passive aggression so baroque that Salieri could have written an opera around them. Expect the spin-off series in which the receptionist stars at the centre of her circle of sensible, likeable, reasonable, fairly normal friends, and the IT department go for lunch at the pub... well, never.

― Momus (Momus), Monday, 26 September 2005 18:05 (twenty years ago)

Spoken like a true "Idiot"!

― Cristal Waters (nordicskilla), Monday, 26 September 2005 18:07 (twenty years ago)

As always Momus, I really enjoyed reading your post...but I disagree with it. Please stay around, though.

― Cristal Waters (nordicskilla), Monday, 26 September 2005 18:08 (twenty years ago)

futile, dead-eyed passive aggression so baroque that Salieri could have written an opera around them.

Actually, who am I kidding? This was me 5 years ago! Well done.

― Cristal Waters (nordicskilla), Monday, 26 September 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

I bought the DVD the other day and I've watched it all the way through twice now and I must say I take back any negativity I expressed earlier on in this thread. It's a truly original and intelligent sitcom and a lot cleverer than it appears on the surface. There are so many little jokes that have been wedged into both the direction and script that sometimes it feels like it's fit to burst.

The character development and plot, while at first looking a little thin on the ground is actually down to being very intricate and works on the relationships between each character and their motives.

Unlike the TVGH column, we're not supposed to side with anybody, or perhaps we're supposed to pick sides. In episode 6, Nathan plays Roadrunner to Dan's Wile E Coyote, falling into every trap Dan sets for him but somehow managing to escape via his own idiocy (or the fact Dan tries too hard).
In the same way, we are rooting for Wile E to catch Roadrunner, while at the same time we kinda like Roadrunner in his own annoying stupid way. At least Roadrunner gets about, while Coyote is a lazy, malevolent wally. Still, isn't it great when Coyote manages to catch Roadrunner. I particularly liked the music towards the end of episode 6: "Whose side are yooouu oooooonnn?"

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:13 (twenty years ago)

what are the extras?

('you're like palestine/you're fucked up big time')

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:15 (twenty years ago)

I am so torn! I want to see this but I'm not sure if I want to spend a lot of money buying an import that I can only watch on my computer. Would anybody be willing to hook me up with a dvd copy of this?

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:19 (twenty years ago)

no, sorry lol.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:21 (twenty years ago)

Also, I think the message given out by NB the show is that if you watch the show, then you are an idiot whether you like it or not. If you like the show, then you're as bad as the braying hordes calling Dan Ashcroft a preacherman while he shouts back at you. If you don't like the show then you're a cheerless twat with no sense of humour, just like Dan. And even Brooker and Morris are idiots for even making the show, same as Nathan and his Trashbat website. So basically Morris are saying fuck you to everyone including themselves, yeah?

what are the extras?

Trashbat website
Pilot
Gallery (incl close-ups of the individual magazines and stuff).
Outtakes
some other stuff I'm not so sure.

Matt, email me.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:41 (twenty years ago)

Am I right in saying that this wasn't given the traditional pre-DVD release repeat on C4, or even a cursory middle-of-the-night-on-E4 rerun? Those viewing figures must've really hurt.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:48 (twenty years ago)

no commentaries?

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

they didn't repeat 'peep show 2' prior to the dvd.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

i've a feeling the dvd came out a lot sooner after the initial run than usual, hence no time for a repeat (this may be moot given that e4 exists).

i did actually miss this after it stopped, mainly for the two boosh people in other roles.

― koogs (koogs), Tuesday, 29 November 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

as if by magic... repeats start on ch4 tonight. one a night & two on friday.

― koogs (koogs), Monday, 5 December 2005 13:28 (twenty years ago)

the power of ilx

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:25 (twenty years ago)

Still, isn't it great when Coyote manages to catch Roadrunner.

When does this happen? Wile E. Coyote never catches the roadrunner, that's his whole schtick.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:28 (twenty years ago)

I don't think you should copy the DVDs for perpetua

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:46 (twenty years ago)

otm

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Monday, 5 December 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

It's funny Momus should say:"Expect the spin-off series in which ... the IT department go for lunch at the pub... well, never"

As this is due soon:
http://www.theitcrowd.co.uk/

― Bidfurd__, Monday, 5 December 2005 15:28 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

I work (in the US) for a major UK TV network and was given a DVD of this as an xmas gift from one of my bosses, having never heard anything of it. I have just finished watching the DVD and I am blown away... I couldn't make it through a third of this thread, because 98% of the references to Brit comedy and Morris' past work were lost on me, but I was amazed by the amount of people who found it a let down!

I'm wondering if any other Americans have seen it?
Brits - are they doing a season 2? And is it hugely obnoxious to liberally quote Barley in conversation by this point?

God, fucking brilliant. And seemingly un-U.S.-remakeable, which is a huge relief.

― Mugged Outside the Jabberjaw, 1993 (Bent Over at the Arclight), Thursday, 26 January 2006 22:49 (twenty years ago)

Like there aren't Nathan Barleys in LA!

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Thursday, 26 January 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

second series extremely doubtful.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Thursday, 26 January 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

Anyway, cutty likes it. And he's American (sort of).

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Thursday, 26 January 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

I can't really see how you could be "blown away"...unless you really hadn't seen anything else Chris Morris has done?

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Thursday, 26 January 2006 22:54 (twenty years ago)

I dunno man, it really grew on me. Hated it when I saw it on TV but I dutifully got the DVD and ended up watching the whole thing through four times in about a week. Noticed something new/funny eacha nd every time. It really is awesome.

I heard (maybe on this thread, can't be arsed to scroll up) that a second series had been drafted, with Dan Ashcroft sleeping in a van in Nathan's garden or something.

― Louis Giomblechett and his kerayzy friends (dog latin), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:00 (twenty years ago)

The Mighty Boosh is better than this.
And Nighty Night.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:01 (twenty years ago)

THIS is better than Extras, though.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:01 (twenty years ago)

I really liked it. Obviously, it's not as cutting edge and epochal as Day Today and Brass Eye were, but people should cut him some slack - it's still a very funny, well-crafted, close to the knuckle show. I imagine it was something of an experiment on his part to see if he could pull off something a bit more traditional, format-wise.

Mugged - GET HOLD OF BRASS EYE. Can't be stressed enough.

― chap who would dare to no longer work for the man (chap), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:01 (twenty years ago)

When does this happen? Wile E. Coyote never catches the roadrunner, that's his whole schtick.

He did once, but the point is Roadrunner always escapes Wile E's elaborate traps, not through intuition but by sheer, well, stupidity.

― Louis Giomblechett and his kerayzy friends (dog latin), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:04 (twenty years ago)

The only "Brass Eye" ep. I have seen is the pedophilia one, which was amazing, of course. I have also heard the Blue Jam CD, which has some good laughs. With "Nathan Barley," though, I was really amazed by the characters - namely the sort of running thing of Dan Ashcroft just eventually throwing his hands up in futility and joining in with the rest. I think it's the fact that he's jammed so much into a 30 minute sitcom.

I don't think there ARE that many Nathan Barley's in L.A.!!! Nathan actually seems to DO stuff, like update his website and pursue creative exploits (even if that means just filming his assaults on Pingu)!

Loved "Nighty Night"; I have also got "Peep Show" S1 and "Mighty Boosh" S1 DVDs but have yet to view them.
I need to find "Brass Eye" on import DVD sometime soon to see the rest of them.

― Mugged Outside the Jabberjaw, 1993 (Bent Over at the Arclight), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:11 (twenty years ago)

Oh - also - I got the "Little Britain" S1 DVD and didn't get the appeal at all - seemed like half-baked approximations of ancient bits about huge targets. (I only made it through the first 2 eps of S1, so please let me know if I need to go forward).

And that BBC laugh track is such an instant comedy killer... are they still using that 3 seasons on or whatever?

― Mugged Outside the Jabberjaw, 1993 (Bent Over at the Arclight), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:14 (twenty years ago)

if you don't like series one of Little Britain you won't like the rest - it's pretty one-note and gets worse. If you want some good Lucas and Walliams stuff, go back to the far superior 'Rock profiles.'

― chap who would dare to no longer work for the man (chap), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:17 (twenty years ago)

I have also got "Peep Show" S1 and "Mighty Boosh" S1 DVDs but have yet to view them.

You lucky man! You're in for a treat.

Little Britain is such a hateful excuse for a sketch show.

― Louis Giomblechett and his kerayzy friends (dog latin), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:44 (twenty years ago)

Adam I thought you didnt like Mighty Boosh?

Can somebody start a Noel Fielding thread, KTHXBYE!

― ddb (ddb), Thursday, 26 January 2006 23:56 (twenty years ago)

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