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

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People are disappointed that Richard Ayoade has nice things to say about Graham Linehan. As a trans woman, I’ve built up a solid defence to this kind of thing by operating under the assumption that every person in British media falls somewhere on the scale between cunt and nonce

— Cathy Brennan (@TownTattle) September 13, 2023

whatever happened to gravy brain? (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 14 September 2023 22:19 (one year ago) link

mawaan riswan has a new sitcom, Juice, but it's probably a bit too bbc 3 for me, trendy ad agency, zany bits

loved starstruck 3

the burner phone task on Taskmaster NZ...

koogs, Sunday, 24 September 2023 15:57 (one year ago) link

and ghosts us doesn't quite hit the highs of the best uk episodes but it'll do

koogs, Sunday, 24 September 2023 16:01 (one year ago) link

Taskmaster Australia S1 is a genuine contender for best series of the franchise. I don't care for the hosts much, in fact the Assistant is not right at all, but the cast are brilliant and pretty much every task one of them is totally on it. Lots of examples of my favourite subgenre of task, the ones where the player's solution is so deranged you worry for their mental health. And there's a live task which is the best ever.

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Sunday, 24 September 2023 16:24 (one year ago) link

first repeated task in TM NZ in series 2 episode 10 - hold the milk over the microwaves (why microwaves?)

the guy who sat around for over an hour drinking tea and didn't immediately open the envelope was an international weight lifter

koogs, Friday, 29 September 2023 17:02 (one year ago) link

(series 3 starts immediately, which is good)

koogs, Friday, 29 September 2023 17:02 (one year ago) link

Alan, where did you watch Australia? I can't find it.

trishyb, Friday, 29 September 2023 17:38 (one year ago) link

i am enjoying 'no activity'

mark e, Friday, 29 September 2023 19:30 (one year ago) link

I watched Australia on the dodgy streaming services, T, but even they didn't have all the episodes so I had to resort to dodgier download sites. I think some of it is on YouTube?

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Saturday, 30 September 2023 09:33 (one year ago) link

Yeah, we just downloaded it in the end.

trishyb, Saturday, 30 September 2023 09:39 (one year ago) link

I've been enjoying all the contestants on the new series of Taskmaster, but particularly Julian Clary. I think there's something about that style of camp that involves a defiant dignity, regardless of what humiliations life inflicts on you, that makes him a perfect fit for the show

soref, Friday, 6 October 2023 10:00 (one year ago) link

lol I was gonna say this is the first Taskmaster season I've caught live where I really don't find anyone particularly engaging, still a good watch tho

Daniel_Rf, Friday, 6 October 2023 10:01 (one year ago) link

I think Clary in the blindfold saying "I expect you're enjoying this, aren't you Alex?" while Horne cracks up was my favourite moment from any series

soref, Friday, 6 October 2023 10:07 (one year ago) link

Sue's "portcullis" thing was also glorious a couple of weeks ago. She's such a delightful opposite to Julian Clary (and I agree, his general air of disdain and distance is a brilliant fit)

Also Susan is great fun. She reminds me very much of Katy Wix as a contestant. Completely off her trolley without seemingly trying too hard to be all "look at how wacky I am".

ailsa, Friday, 6 October 2023 11:45 (one year ago) link

'distance' is a good word for it, feel like usually a contestant conspicuously not entering into the spirit of the show wouldn't work, but he pulls it off

soref, Friday, 6 October 2023 11:53 (one year ago) link

I'm at the total opposite end of the scale. I don't like him, so I don't think he pulls it off. oo-er, etc. I think his sense of humour is old-fashioned, and not in a charming way. It was really cemented for me when he was on that reboot of Friday Night Live recently, and he took the piss out of some woman in the crowd because of how she was dressed. Unless he knew her (and even then, we didn't know if he knew her or not) it was completely uncool and is just not how the good comedians do it these days. But I guess that's personal taste for you.

trishyb, Friday, 6 October 2023 12:18 (one year ago) link

Perhaps if I'd seen that I may feel differently, but I'm literally only going on this which is the first time I've seen him on anything for over a decade. I wasn't a huge fan back in the day, but his demeanour is pleasingly at odds with the others and doesn't seem mean-spirited. I bet he's a total bitch next week now.

ailsa, Friday, 6 October 2023 13:27 (one year ago) link

I seen him on tv for years either, but the format of the show means that the only person he really has an opportunity to be mean to on Taskmaster is Alex, which feels fair enough given that Alex is the one making them play these annoying games, maybe I'd find it less enjoyable on a different show

soref, Friday, 6 October 2023 13:33 (one year ago) link

It's very easy to carry baggage and expectations though, but I like it when people change them by being on Taskmaster. I mean, Lucy Beaumont irritates me hugely elsewhere with her "what is this... [perfectly normal thing] *giggle* " schtick which might not even be a schtick, she might actually be that ditsy all the time, but ditsy people doing Taskmaster is fun, so it's ok in a way that watching her baffled by the concept of words and numbers on Countdown just isn't.

ailsa, Friday, 6 October 2023 13:36 (one year ago) link

I only have indirect dislike of Beaumont because of her horrible husband but I realise this is unfair and sexist.

Daniel_Rf, Friday, 6 October 2023 13:40 (one year ago) link

three weeks pass...

this week's taskmaster started terribly but was saved by contestants in the second half

i sometimes wonder if the pre-recorded tasks for a given episode can be chosen to dictate the winner (although Greg is too unpredictable with his scoring and the bookend tasks are live so...) but i think they may be chosen to mix the dull tasks with the more successful ones. and i guess there could be tasks that just don't make it.

koogs, Saturday, 28 October 2023 08:05 (one year ago) link

AIUI there are a fair number of tasks that don’t make it, plus there are the tie-break mini-tasks and occasionally if one of those is super-funny they’ll promote it to a main task.

Tim, Saturday, 28 October 2023 08:31 (one year ago) link

yeah how do they film the tie breakers? they're pre-recorded but as koogs says the final results are up in the air, so do they just film a bunch of them with every contestant and then apply as needed? if so, they must be sitting on mountains of outtakes that a reasonably ravenous fanbase would probably pay for...

they do manipulate the results at least a little so that every contestant gets to win at least once (think there's an exception to this but can't remember who).

Daniel_Rf, Monday, 30 October 2023 10:01 (one year ago) link

romesh (s1) didn't win an episode (6 episodes)

wilkinson (s2) " (5 episodes)

pasco (s3) " (5 episodes)

aisling, nish (s5) (8 episodes)

wang (s7) (10 episodes)

judi (s13) (10 episodes)

frankie (s15) (10 episodes)

koogs, Monday, 30 October 2023 12:00 (one year ago) link

four weeks pass...

i absolutely fucking hate lucy beaumont

here 1st (roxymuzak), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 03:12 (one year ago) link

Only a couple of eps in to this series but I've found her very funny - classic Taskie-washing effect of the show rendering funny and likeable the very people I generally find tedious.

Yngwie Azalea (stevie), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 09:12 (one year ago) link

Probably the weakest lineup of recent years. I found Sam Campbell funny at first but got sick of him fairly quickly. Susan Wokoma is likable enough. Don't mind Clary, but he's not exactly hilarious.

chap, Tuesday, 28 November 2023 09:33 (one year ago) link

i found lucy beaumont's act pretty funny and well suited to the show, clary had a few good moments but he was, unsurprisingly perhaps, too aloof.

organ doner (ledge), Tuesday, 28 November 2023 09:42 (one year ago) link

yeah it's a weak season

Daniel_Rf, Tuesday, 28 November 2023 09:56 (one year ago) link

one month passes...

qi xl last night. the alex edelman guy, i think i saw him doing 15 minutes at a josie long black heart gig a while ago, like 5 years easily, talking trash about Neil Armstrong. something obviously stuck with me that i remember that.

we didn't talk about Lenny on Christmas taskmaster. brave choice, really, given his age and his circumstance but i don't think there was ever going to be any other winner.

and great to see all the winners again, and kyell, in the third champion of champions.

also been watching Significant Other on itv. comedy drama = no jokes. but ok.

koogs, Saturday, 27 January 2024 14:15 (ten months ago) link

Christmas (New Year) Taskmaster was great, and Kojey Radical really should get a promotion to the main series.

ailsa, Saturday, 27 January 2024 14:24 (ten months ago) link

He was very funny. NY Taskmaster for me was very much him, Deborah, and Lenny. The other two were also there.

trishyb, Saturday, 27 January 2024 15:04 (ten months ago) link

Haha, I genuinely had to look it up to remember who the other two were, and it was only on about a fortnight ago

ailsa, Saturday, 27 January 2024 15:11 (ten months ago) link

They seemed to be more focused on not making tits of themselves than on winning, which is not how you play Taskmaster.

trishyb, Saturday, 27 January 2024 15:21 (ten months ago) link

Yeah Kojey was great, seems like a lovely bloke as well.

chap, Sunday, 28 January 2024 19:40 (ten months ago) link

Steve Pemberton and Nick Mohammed are the only two of the new contestants I particularly know, both of whom I can imagine being good (better Pemberton than Shearsmith anyway). John Robbins rings a vague bell, could just be his generic name though.

chap, Sunday, 28 January 2024 19:44 (ten months ago) link

I only know him from his radio show with Ellis James. Seems nice enough but not sure if he's funny or not. Big fan of prog and post rock, but also a Queen uber-fan to a worrying degree. Apparently infamy comes from both him and Sara Pascoe doing shows about their breakup and her getting the panel show career despite his winning the awards.

The other two are best known as writers I think?

Hello I'm shitty gatsworth (aldo), Sunday, 28 January 2024 20:32 (ten months ago) link

Sophie Willan wrote Alma's Not Normal which is the epitome of critically acclaimed though I don't know anyone who has actually watched it. Joanne McNally does a podcast with Vogue Williams. I've got reasonable faith in the Taskmaster casting team that they'll be fine.

ailsa, Sunday, 28 January 2024 20:39 (ten months ago) link

i saw and enjoyed Alma

koogs, Sunday, 28 January 2024 20:47 (ten months ago) link

is Outsiders the second thing to make the jump from Dave to proper tv? (after Taskmaster). didn't watch series 1 when it when it was on dave so good to catch up. Jessica Knappett (born "1983/84" according to wikipedia) has grown on me, quoting wilfred owen etc.

koogs, Thursday, 8 February 2024 17:26 (nine months ago) link

("Greg Davies Live – Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog" was apparently a (one-off) Dave original, as seen recently on ch4)

koogs, Thursday, 8 February 2024 17:36 (nine months ago) link

Big crush on Jessica Knappett, she was great on Taskmaster too.

Daniel_Rf, Thursday, 8 February 2024 20:08 (nine months ago) link

she was a massive factor in the very enjoyable/chucklesome CH4 Drifters before Taskmaster.

mark e, Thursday, 8 February 2024 20:57 (nine months ago) link

two weeks pass...

outsiders, and maybe taskmaster before it, makes me think i don't ever want to cross ed gamble.

Alma's Not Normal gets a repeat from monday (ahead of her taskmaster appearance)

koogs, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 09:01 (nine months ago) link

I don't entirely like Ed Gamble but this may be because he went to the private school in the area where I grew up and all those kids were dicks

impostor syndrome to the (expletive) max (stevie), Wednesday, 28 February 2024 09:09 (nine months ago) link

i enjoy ed gamble on taskmaster because he gets really intense about the tasks. his recent meltdown on a champion of champions task was pretty funny.
i don't know if i'd want to be best friends with him but listening to the off menu podcast helped humanize him for me somewhat.

na (NA), Wednesday, 28 February 2024 14:15 (nine months ago) link

two weeks pass...

If you're not allergic to podcasts Adam Buxton's chat with Jessica Knappett is very charming and quite revealing in how much she views Drifters as a kind of lost opportunity (while still being proud of it).

First ep of that Noel Fiedling show was very meh, wish there was more cool popcult about highwaymen aside from the song "Highwayman" by the band the Highwaymen.

Daniel_Rf, Monday, 18 March 2024 10:33 (eight months ago) link

tim key’s “poetry programme” is back (not actually a poetry programme)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001xdnb

Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Monday, 25 March 2024 12:20 (eight months ago) link

E2 of this season is genuinely brilliant imo.. the kind of thing you can only do with audio

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b03pn5pl

Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 30 March 2024 13:02 (eight months ago) link

Mandy is back. it is nonsense, but it's also short.

was struck by the scope of the first episode, it felt expensive, but probably wasn't

and the second episode was worth watching for the reveal at the end

koogs, Saturday, 30 March 2024 13:23 (eight months ago) link


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