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

It scanned as blackface to me at the time (meaning a direct reference to the cultural history of blackface, not that I thought the character was supposed to be black); again, I had assumed that this was to hit home Lazarou's character as belonging to a sort of half-forgotten England of tacky showbiz shit that now registers as creepy. So yeah, commentary on blackface; I believe they confirm that in the podcast when Buxton says he thought it was supposed to be a "minstrel thing.

What annoyed me about Pemberton and Shearmsith's reaction was how they confined it to their intention and gave no thought whatsoever about how it could come across differently once it's out in the world. Like I'm not saying they shouldn't have created the character.

Especially weak for them to then wave away Barbara with a "same applies" kinda answer: it's a shame because there were good things about Barbara, she was a reasonably sympathetic character and a trans woman in an era where there were next to none on TV, though obviously this is mitigated by the fact that she was inserted into this gallery of grotesques. So a convo on what they got right and what they got wrong could've been interesting.

In retrospect Hailey in Coronation street seems like a bigger deal.

Motherland is bloody great. Only thing I'm not sure about is the drippy token male primary carer. Feels like a bit of a cheap laugh (though he is very good in it).

I'm 2 eps in and I'm not sure how i feel about the main character either. She's sort of.. humourless and defensive and high-strung and generally awful? I started liking the "alpha mom", particularly once she got her comeuppance a couple of times. At least she appears to care about other people and have a sense of humour.

Philomena Cunk is of course always wonderful

I honestly could have watched alpha-mom show off at the benefit for an entire episode, her little mannerisms of self-regard just ridiculously entertaining

I think the main character is by far the best character, her relationship with her mother is brilliant.

Yeah, I quite relate to Julia, but then I am defensive and generally awful.

Just caught up with the first episode of the new Man Down. Thought it was very good actually - lots of silly laughs ("Bintu Bombatu") and the writing seems sharper.

I was deflated by Motherland. I thought it was not very good beyond some of the performances. With things that ramp up anxiety and frustration there's a fine line where the show itself can just make you feel anxious and frustrated. The jokes just aren't good enough to counteract that. Diane Morgan is obv great as is Julia's mother and the alpha mum. Kevin feels like he's been dropped in from another, much broader, show.

yeah exactly! there's probably a TV tropes page about this, but the main character is frequently doing far stupider things than anyone would actually do, in order to ratchet up the tension, i.e. lie about her daughter being ill. i realise this is a classic sit-com move, but in a shaky handheld one-camera show it maybe doesn't work? for me.

I felt like this became a problem in later series of Peep Show, e.g. Mark describing himself as a "paedophobe" when talking about how he's uncomfortable around children, despite this not being a thing that anyone would ever say. if you're doing comedy-of-awkwardness type stuff then I think the characters being inappropriate have seem at least somewhat believable because the tension comes from the breaching of these social rules, and those rules don't mean anything if you've set the precedent that characters in the show act in a totally unbelievable way and there effectively are no rules.

and I think it is "believable" rather than necessarily "realistic", like Alan Partridge is an over-the-top unrealistic character, but the things he does and says feel like they come naturally from the character rather than things that are there to manoeuvre the script towards a punchline? idk

i think i found it?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IdiotBall

i only saw the first ep -- watched it w/sister, who is a mom (tracer she says hi!) -- and quite enjoyed it, but thought it was odd to kick off with a storyline that entirely sidelined the daughter as a presence in the drama to come? the balance between obviously awful comedy characters and perfectly normal uncomedy level-headed characters seemed curiously out of whack also (but i assume this will shift)

Iain Connell playing a policeman in this week's Man Down. Kept on expecting him to say "QUALITY POLIS".

I felt like this became a problem in later series of Peep Show, e.g. Mark describing himself as a "paedophobe" when talking about how he's uncomfortable around children, despite this not being a thing that anyone would ever say.

― soref, Saturday, 11 November 2017 09:33

Really? I think a lot of people are sort of grossed out by children.

oh sure, but I meant no-one would actually use the term "paedophobe", but they have him say it so they can set up a comic misunderstanding

another one of those in Motherland is Kevin throwing his rival's trousers out of the swimming pool's changing room window. obviously that's something you could have Roy do in the IT crowd but that's a whole other register, which is maybe the problem with this. Horgan and Linnehan don't ever seem to worked in anything like the same way.

Stop making me doubt this show!

You're right, of course, but it just doesn't bother me much. Favourite Linehanish touch: the cutaways to the husband's latest fun awayday.

I agree with Jed. There's a fine line between creating tension and anxiety for the characters and creating it for the audience, and I think this show goes over that line too many times for me to really enjoy it.

The characterization is spot on in some places, though. Wickedly so. I watched the episode where her in-laws come to "help" and thought, oh God, those are my parents. Maybe they're even me when I go to "help".

i loved the swimming pool party episode.
when my kids were younger, there was absolutely nothing i hated more than getting an invite for a swimming pool party.
they were always a slice of parental pressure/guilt/chaos/discomfort.
the waiting in the queue hoping its a drop-off party, only to realise you are not allowed due to rules and regs was wonderful.

at the primary school that my kids went to, there was absolutely the post drop off cafe gatherings.
as a dad in the playground (one of a very small number), i once got invited to go along for coffee one morning.
i made my excuses and did a runner.
so, yeah, i get the negativity esp. kevin, but i see a LOT of very clear connections to what i used to see/endure/avoid.

last night's Modern Life Is Goodish was one of the best i've seen (life hack websites)

I'm sick of that same classical piece for the poem section but I think he's a genius. Even if he made up all that shit without actually doing it, it would still be really impressive.

the recent infant toy one was absolutely wonderful.
was worried the neighbours were going to bollock me cos of the level of laughing.
so, looking forward to the latest edition.

The One about the little vehicles?

yeah, the one about little car toys - totally had me in proper chuckles.

This series of Man Down has been excellent - not a weak episode, which is miraculous when you consider the patchiness of earlier series.

i miss sophie on detectorists. no explanation at all as to where she disappeared to. wound up nicely though. sheila and her lemons raised a smile.

(according to imdb she's on bbc2 immediately beforehand, but that'd require me to watch peaky blinders)

Finale of Detectorists was pretty much perfect

Finale of Detectorists was pretty much perfect

i am not ashamed to admit that i shed a few tears.
it was truly wonderful.

Well, 'A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong' was even more shite than I could have predicted.

Yes.

Frankie Boyle almost made up for a lack of 2017 wipe.

New Vic and Bob was ok.

oh man, is there no 2017 wipe?

Nope, but they're working on a new Philomena Cunk thing!

He said he's been too busy with black mirror

tonight bbc4 : full season 3 of detectorists back to back.

ooops, meant to mention : starts at 10pm

To be honest I don't entirely felt like a Wipe for this year anyway - "it's been a hell year" has been Brooker's shtick from the get-go, and now that it's everyone's shtick...

Derry Girls is fun, although I am geographically biased

made me proper chuckle a few times ..
looking forward to more.

Well, 'A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong' was even more shite than I could have predicted.

Yeah that was a massive disappointment. Thought last year's was really good family entertainment (both kids absolutely loved it) but this one was just too forced and not very funny.

Been catching up with the last two seasons of Inside No.9; there might be something a bit pander-y about all those episodes that are very self-conscious exercises in specific genres, but it's all done so confidently, shot so nicely...I dunno, it does feel like they've hit a real stride and this is going to be looked back on fondly. Also enjoying the wider emotional palette in this season. That lukewarm League Of Gentlemen really makes it shine by comparison, too.

Also watched the first ep of new season of Two Doors Down, which is a trad sitcom and probably not something anyone's repping for, but I did laugh out loud twice (once at small talk about bathroom redecoration escalating to the absurd degree that the entire party ends up going to look at the place, once at Cathy getting so jealous at a stray mention of her husband's ex-wife that she makes him message her on FB with his phone number just to tell her he won't talk to her ever again). Dunno if I'd have still enjoyed it if it didn't give me a quick 101 on Burns Night as well though.

This has definitely been the most consistent season of Inside no 9 - the most recent one with the awards panel was the only one I didn't think was top notch.

re No. 9 : 'bernie cliftons dressing room' a few weeks ago was absolutely wonderful, one of the best that made me get some dust in my eye while chuckling away at the same time.

and i often laugh out loud with '2 doors down', ta for the reminder its back.

I love Two Doors Down but growing up in council estate Scotland at the start of Right To Buy definitely helps place the archetypes.

I watched the first 4 eps of Derry Girls and I'm on the fence. It feels like it wants to be The Inbetweeners set in Ireland but Father Ted lifts keep creeping in and overall it comes across as wanting to be an edgy version of The Goldbergs.

This series of Inside No 9 is probably more consistent, yes, but also more predictable. I called this week's twist five minutes in. Also, for all the Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room acting was tremendous it just felt like a rehash of previous eps (specifically Tom & Geri and 12 Days of Christine).

This feels like the right place for this story.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/30/detectorists-stumble-treasure-trove-roman-gold-think/amp/

Also, for all the Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room acting was tremendous it just felt like a rehash of previous eps (specifically Tom & Geri and 12 Days of Christine).

I think "Tom & Geri" really lives off its twists - not in a gimmicky way, it's just there's a feeling of dread that is wonderfully heightened by the final revelation - while "Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room" is much more about the emotional pathos; I didn't go "HOLY SHIT" at the plot twist but I also didn't feel like I was supposed to.

This week's Inside No. 9 (the awards judgking episode) had a sharp decline in quality.