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

As with other BBC Three pilots of late, this was pretty crap.
Though much better than the "Yoof sitcom" one a few weeks ago.

Complete rip-off of a series a couple of years ago which was made to look like a retro-Tomorrows World style show.

It was much better though, even if it wasn'[t that great.

PS, was the "presenter" the guy who used to be in Doctors?

Anyone watched this Karen Taylor woman trying to funny? She got a rave review in the Guide, which I completely know is no guarentee of quality, but fuck me the gap between the review and the actual progamme was astronomical. Sample sketch: A man chats up a woman in a club, and finds out that her hobby is birdwatching. He asks what birds she get round here, and she says she gets a little thrush. And just as she shouts it the music happens to stop and everyone looks at her. Really, really tired shit.

nb the music playing at the club was a very lame approximation of drum n bass, possibly used in attempt to lend the rotten material the faintest hint of edginess.

http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/comment/0,,2123547,00.html

yeah yeah welcome to 2003, pal.

being asked to subscribe is very 2003 yes

Not everyone will agree with this incendiary column by Daily Mirror TV critic Jim Shelley, but it is one of the best pieces on Guardian Unlimited today.

Gervais has always been what you call a Marmite character. People love him or hate him. But his recent behaviour at the Diana concert and Live Earth have prompted even more extreme reactions from fans and foes alike.

Here is the Shelley's column in full:

It's hard to say exactly when Ricky Gervais stopped being the endearing, ingenious wit behind The Office and became the tiresome embarrassment he is today. There were the endless, nauseatingly matey, appearances on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross; his mediocre episode of The Simpsons; his mutual appreciation society with overrated US comics Ben Stiller and Larry David.

Fawning anecdotes in which he would call Extras' guest Robert De Niro "Bob" were another giveaway. His cameo in A Night At the Museum (with Stiller) was sub-sitcom standard and, like The Simpsons, another example of him re-hashing Brent. After years refusing to "do" The David Brent Dance, these days you can hardly stop him.

He was at it again during The Concert for Diana, where the sight of Gervais dying on his feet confirmed his demise. Having been introduced by, you've guessed it, Ben Stiller, Gervais performed the never-knowingly-funny Brent number Free Love On the Free Love Freeway, before making a gag about global warming we've all made: "at least we're going to have brilliant summers from now on". Asked to wing it until Elton John was ready, the acclaimed stand-up floundered.

His appearance at Saturday's Live Earth concert only compounded his humiliation. He opened with a lame remark about the show's eco-conscious stars flying in by private jet - an irony already commented on by that acclaimed comic genius Simon Le Bon. Then it was a case of he doth protest too much, as he insisted he'd done Live Earth as a favour to Spinal Tap creators "Christopher" (Guest) and "Rob" (Reiner), and that he couldn't say no to the Diana concert because he'd been asked personally - by Wills and Harry.

And with that, Gervais and David Brent, whose capacity for ingratiating, excruciating embarrassment he made famous, finally became indistinguishable.

move on, britain

I was with him until he called Larry David overrated. The dickwit.

Emergency Shelley Ward 10

But Gervais is a cunt, so OTM.

no jokes, bruv

Gervais's "lol black/lol jew/lol homo" schtick would work better if he added a "jokes bruv" at the end of each sentence.

yeah unreasoned zinging of stiller and larry d is what turned me against. i bet when 'the office' was first on he was all over it.

this thread can trundle along with a few posts every week or so but someone mentions gervais or nathan barley and 100 odd posts. that the real jokes, bruvs.

there will not be 100 odd posts on the issue.

*cracks knuckles*

UK Comedy Thread: Knuck If Ya Buck

We really need a US Gervais defender in here. Maybe one of the same ones that have a hard-on for Jeremy Clarkson?

I'll happily defend The Office. Some of the stand-up routines are funny too. Everything after that has been Gervais spunking people's goodwill up the wall.

TS: The Office vs The Thick of It vs 15 Stories High

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t157/betise_mcmutton/Untitled-aa1.gif

image blocked

TS: The Office vs The Thick of It vs 15 Stories High

is 15SH any good?

we always do this. hardly anyone has seen it. i'm boycotting it on "sean lock was involved" grounds.

it's really funny!

It's not as good as Ideal.

Better than that James Lance Is A Drug Dealer sitcom, tho

yr boy whitehouse has spoilt his copy book with that last enfield series no?

The special Blair-era-ending "Down the Line" wasn't that great either, tbh. Although "Ted 'eath was a pearly", was funny.

It's not as good as Ideal.

zinggggg

knowing dom i don't think that's actually a zing.

I liked Ideal! What's wrong with Ideal!

i didn't actually see it, i'm going by the 30-second advertising clips

if it's on bbc3, i'm not repping for it.

the big elephant in the room is monkey dust

(200 posts minimum?)

What I saw of that last Harry Enfield series was alright. His schtick hasn't really changed in 20 years. The "I saw you coming" bloke was lollable.

the second series of monkey dust was very dissapointing. yesterday i was wondering why mitchell and webb are as famous as they are. peep show really isn't that good. well not good enough to ride that kind of profile off. well at least c tate will be tied up with dr who for a bit. small mercies, man, small mercies.

I liked the doctors on the Harry Enfield thing.

That one with Nick Frost starts again this week. I quite enjoyed that the first time. But as I can't remember what it's called, or when it's on I shall probably miss it.

I watched Spaced series 1 again the other day. Man, Simon Pegg hates women.

I don't really like edgy anymore, and certainly not something as self-consciously edgy as Monkey Dust.

Man, Simon Pegg hates lols.

You have to over-enunciate all of the vowels in that sentence.

"I aaaaam Siiiimon Peeegggg, and Iiiiiiii haaaaaate loooools", complete with weird facial expressions and hand gestures.

Monkey Dust has a nice little recurring sketch about a guy who tells an elaborate story about where he's been for the last 48 or so hours that she would knock down by pointing out that he was actually recounting the narrative of Hotel California or something. He'd then admit to have been doing something "edgy", which imo wasn't really needed. I guess you could call it PROGRESSIVE COMEDY.

I think I remember that sketch. What would be a better post-punchline payoff then? He'd been doing something mundane ("I was at Morrison's looking at the damaged goods aisle"), or doing something "naughty" ("I was fucking my secretary")?

("I was at Morrison's looking at the damaged goods aisle")

ok this might have improved it

I love Monkey Dust for the beauty of animation, the finely-observed characters, and the refusal to compromise in order to make a point. It helps that it's also frequently hilarious, if perhaps a tad unsubtle.

The second series WAS a little disappointing, yes, but still contained many great moments, and to top everything off, the THIRD series was (by far) the best.

beauty of animation? third series?

you're all ignoring Karen Taylor. probably for the best.

i admired her unabashed showing off of her womanly curves. i did not, however, admire her womanly curves.

New series of Hyperdrive WHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

name one 00s BBC comedy series that DIDN'T get a second series.

According to Bex

BBC hates women