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

The last series was excellent.

New series of Ghosts is a bit flat maybe? It's perfectly watchable, just feels like it could with something new.

My 8yo just started watching it and is obsessed, but also scared by the plague guys in the basement

Quite liking new Ghosts, haven't seen any drop in quality, episode 4 is a highlight.

Ghosts certainly not as good as it used to be. It's the writing - they're trying to cram too many different storylines into each episodes, and as a result they rarely conclude satisfactorily.

Still a nice watch though. I feel like Alison and Mike are my mates. I've had a real soft spot for Charlotte Ritchie since I spotted her campaigning for Labour in the same area as me on the day of the 19 election.

The usual Taskmaster arc indifference to scorn when the lineup is revealed, to liking them all by the end of the first episode. It's a format that really does bring out the best in its contestants.

Having said that, Munya Chawawa seems really quite odd.

My partner and I talk about the Taskmaster laundering effect. There are comedians I hated on sight or only knew from occasional grating panel game appearances who I am now 100% stans of as a result of this show. Who knew Rhod Gilbert could be so funny??

Didn't launder David Baddiel for me tho his persona being "confused old fogey not knowing how any of this works" was tbf the best case scenario (also the season he was in had one of the greatest casts).

Yes there is the odd exception.

There's often an older cast-member who can't rise to the occasion or doesn't seem to try. I ultimately found Alan Davies and Hugh Dennis endearing in that role, but yeah, Baddiel did not bring much to the table at all.

watching last night's i might go off dara if he keeps up like that (winning!)

First ever whitewash

Last episode of Ghosts was a bit of a let-down, the old we're-foreshadowing-something-or-are-we?!?! is an old trope and they didn't bring a new twist to it, agreed that it's stronger when they focus on one or two stories and don't feel the need to keep all the characters busy all the time.

I've had a real soft spot for Charlotte Ritchie since I spotted her campaigning for Labour in the same area as me on the day of the 19 election.

She's also very good in Mae Martin's Feel Good

She is. And also obvs Fresh Meat.

Does John Kearns "work" on Taskmaster? Saw him live once and don't think I've ever laughed harder.

John Kearns gives good Taskmaster, yes. It's a very winning combination from a viewer's viewpoint this year.

Who knew Rhod Gilbert could be so funny??

Anyone who's ever seen him?

I mean that's the thing, I'd never seen him, beyond the occasional clip from a panel show.

Taskmaster is just a fantastic vehicle for comedians to comedy.

shades of Battleship Potemkin in dara's 'ooh, my baby' last night, i thought

The two that scored the lowest in that task were easily the most entertaining.

i think the way they keep building shortcuts into the tasks (like the grapes last week) encourages the people to cheat in ways i don't like. enjoyed the classical songs round, munya could probably do that as a career.

friday night live revival tonight, not sure i can be bothered. mainly because ben elton.

but his last live stand-up & sketch show went so well

(axed three episodes in, eleven years ago)

on radio 4 this morning he was talking about his 100+ show tour that he's just finished (@ 2.5 hours a night, kill me now)

He was the first stand-up comedian I ever went to see. 1987, Ed Burke Hall in TCD. There, that's vital information.

friday night live revival tonight, not sure i can be bothered. mainly because ben elton.

― koogs, Friday, 21 October 2022 20:19 (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

They’ve really got their finger on the pulse with this one, huh

I watched it. Ben Elton exceeded my (of course low) expectations. There were a few memorable moments.

Didn't bother watching, but I'm glad Jordan Gray got a bit of telly.

Last Mock the Week was good fun, though I'm pretty sure it'll crop up in some shape or form again on Dave or something because HIGNFY is so pitiful and really needs put out of its misery.

two best ofs for mock the week

Friday night live, Elton was ignorable, Mawaan Rizwan good, Julian Clary as cutting as ever

Stavros was back, and Loadsamoney who were the first live comedy i ever saw (with Bing Hitler, whatever happened to him...?)

(Stavros now runs a vegan cafe)

Bing Hitler? I think his subsequent career has arguably been the most successful of any UK stand up from that era.

Apologies if you were being ironic there.

yes!

if course not under that name and not really in the UK but...

the thing i remember of the gig was Enfield not having enough material for an encore so he literally just did two of the sketches again

bbc4 all next week is single episodes of sitcoms. I'm not sure if that's a birthday thing or a new direction.

(actual 100th birthday "treat" for the staff was Paddy from top gear interviewing the dg...)

Yes, I wasn't sure if Bing Hitler was well known enough to know his future career trajectory. All I know about Bing Hitler is Jerry Sadowitz spitting feathers over him allegedly stealing parts of his act - as in literally stealing lines.

Reading the reviews of some new(ish) Channel 4 shows reveals that our house is totally out of step with the critics. We love I Hate You, but we don't like the Horne Section TV Show at all.

links? Curious about anything/everything on tv in UK right now that hasn't come stateside yet.

I Hate You, Channel 4 show about two flatmates who are generally dickish to each other and other people. From Robert Popper, the man who brought you Friday Night Dinner and Peep Show and other things.

The Horne Section TV Show, another Channel 4 show about Little Alex Horne and his band. This is an extremely meta adaptation of their radio show, which is an adaptation of their live show.

Oooh, new Popper! Yeah, I'll try that now. Thanks!

Horne section not on TV until the 17th, curiously. they are trailing it currently though. not sure i'd like an entire show of his, based on the bits I've seen him do on, say, 8/10 cats and that euros thing with Peter crouch (but I'll probably watch it anyway)

Oooh, new Popper! Yeah, I'll try that now. Thanks!

As far as I can gather, everyone hates it except me and my husband.

We liked the first two episodes, haven't got round to catching up with the rest yet.

First episode of the Horne section mildly amusing at best, but had a certain unique rhythm to it which I could imagine myself warming to.

The Chinese five spice song was the highlight.

Ep 2 a big improvement actually. The A-ness Pea-ness song was hilarious. Martin Kemp is a very good sport.

god, what have they done to QI? it was like tiswas.

(it's mostly bill bailey tbh, i think he must be missing touring)

bbc iii are showing the US version of Ghosts from sunday

It's pretty good on the whole, a fair number of eps are just Brit episodes redone or plot we've already seen but in some cases they manage to do it better imo (e.g. the cult plot from S4E2 UK becomes the centre of an episode and is much improved for it).