British and American Television Comedy

Brit comedies:
Blackadder is awesome.

Yank comedies:
quite fond of Scrubs.

Gavin and Stacey had some funny characters (ness and bryn), but the domesticity of it was depressing.

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Originally Posted by Furunculus

Gavin and Stacey had some funny characters (ness and bryn), but the domesticity of it was depressing.

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It was depressing. To imagine people are even like that. I guess the show would be boring if they were simply normal.

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Originally Posted by Beskar

It was depressing. To imagine people are even like that. I guess the show would be boring if they were simply normal.

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"You've got to hold and give
But do it at the right time
You can be slow or fast
But you must get to the line!"

The thing is, that show is like Little Britain in a way; you know that it's stereotyping and taking the mickey out of us, but we watch it anyway because it's good, compulsive viewing.

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Originally Posted by Secura

The thing is, that show is like Little Britain in a way; you know that it's stereotyping and taking the mickey out of us, but we watch it anyway because it's good, compulsive viewing.

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Actually, Little Britain is pretty true. Such as Andy (the character in the wheelchair), if you worked with people with learning disabilities, it is unfortunately very close to the real thing, except they are legitimately disabled.

True fact, any comedy shown on BBC 3 isn't funny. two pints of lager and a packet of crisps needs to be burned and eradicated from the BBC archives.

Only real comedy I like these days is peep show. I watch quite a few American comedy's like two and a half men but not to many actually make me laugh out loud. A lot of them have a trend of deteriorating rapidly as they go on as well. Scrubs started going down hill after season 6, season 8 was shocking and I prefer to blank the current season from my memory.

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Originally Posted by tibilicus

True fact, any comedy shown on BBC 3 isn't funny. two pints of lager and a packet of crisps needs to be burned and eradicated from the BBC archives.

Only real comedy I like these days is peep show. I watch quite a few American comedy's like two and a half men but not to many actually make me laugh out loud. A lot of them have a trend of deteriorating rapidly as they go on as well. Scrubs started going down hill after season 6, season 8 was shocking and I prefer to blank the current season from my memory.

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So Doctor Who isn't good? That is pretty much a BBC3 comedy.

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Originally Posted by Beskar

Actually, Little Britain is pretty true. Such as Andy (the character in the wheelchair), if you worked with people with learning disabilities, it is unfortunately very close to the real thing, except they are legitimately disabled.

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So they're all balding, pot-bellied men with bad hygiene and mono-syllabic responses?

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Originally Posted by Beskar

So Doctor Who isn't good? That is pretty much a BBC3 comedy.

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Doctor Who is a BBC1 show that is repeated on BBC Three. :P

I like BBC4.

I think I'm the only person in Britain who watches it.

Was it BBC 4 had "The History of Christianity" a few months ago? I think I've watched a few things on it.

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Originally Posted by Secura

So they're all balding, pot-bellied men with bad hygiene and mono-syllabic responses?

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Thanks to the wonders of genes, a terrible diet, a dodgy lifestyle and a state-school education, I resemble that remark. But I think he means they're unintentionally manipulative, selfish, and have a tendacy to play up their disability for petty benefit. I've met a few such people, though they're hardly indictive of the whole.

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Originally Posted by Subotan

I like BBC4.

I think I'm the only person in Britain who watches it.

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I watch it from time to time. Despite m'self being a commited philistine, the Andrew Graham-Dixon art documentaries were grand.

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Originally Posted by Subotan

I like BBC4.

I think I'm the only person in Britain who watches it.

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Sometimes I forget it even exists as a channel.

Occasionally it has some good stuff but it's usually BBC 2 repeats. BBC2 though has to be the champion of British television. It actually justifies the need to buy a tv licence. Settling down for an evening of intellectual programming is always nice, especially if David Attenbourgh is doing one of his nature documentaries.

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Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Was it BBC 4 had "The History of Christianity" a few months ago? I think I've watched a few things on it.

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I know it was on BBC2 a couple of weeks back, I watched a bit of it.

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So they're all balding, pot-bellied men with bad hygiene and mono-syllabic responses?

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Depends on the disability of course. People who are dyslexic come in all shapes and sizes and that is a learning disability. Very broad term that.

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Originally Posted by Centurion1

Depends on the disability of course. People who are dyslexic come in all shapes and sizes and that is a learning disability. Very broad term that.

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Well, I assumed that Beskar was referring to Andy's physical disability, really.

Dyslexia, dyspraxia and other such learning difficulties aren't really a laughing matter, just the same as race or gender. :3

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Originally Posted by Secura

So they're all balding, pot-bellied men with bad hygiene and mono-syllabic responses?

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No, but the behaviour is quite similar, such as suddenly changing their mind, etc.

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Well, I assumed that Beskar was referring to Andy's physical disability, really.

Dyslexia, dyspraxia and other such learning difficulties aren't really a laughing matter, just the same as race or gender. :3

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I don't even know what show you are speaking about. i wan't laughing two of my cousins are dyslexic, i don't really giggle about it after seeing the trouble they have with reading

No, no, you misunderstand, Cent! :3

I was speaking about Andy from Little Britain.

I'm saying that I don't find it a laughing matter. Some of my closest friends are dyslexic... I'm saying that I don't think any comedy shows should take the mickey out of disabilities just as they shouldn't make racial or sexist remarks either.

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they shouldn't make racial or sexist remarks either.

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oh ok i understand now after seeing that clip, thats really not that funny im sorry to say. yeah but good luck trying to get sexism out of comedy.

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Originally Posted by Secura

Dyslexia, dyspraxia and other such learning difficulties aren't really a laughing matter

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Hear, hear!

Me, I'd never joke over lysdeixa.

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Originally Posted by Subotan

I like BBC4.

I think I'm the only person in Britain who watches it.

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Let me dispel your doubts.

It's about the only channel that I watch and is by far the best in Britain.

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Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Was it BBC 4 had "The History of Christianity" a few months ago? I think I've watched a few things on it.

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now that was an interesting show, watched all of them on iplayer.

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Originally Posted by Justiciar

I watch it from time to time. Despite m'self being a commited philistine, the Andrew Graham-Dixon art documentaries were grand.

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I hate art, and I absolutely loved his Russian Art series. I was just transfixed all the way through, and Repin's stuff had me in awe.

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Originally Posted by bobbin

It's about the only channel that I watch and is by far the best in Britain.

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I thought I was the only one...

Beskar

You need to lighten up or take it to the backroom, people in general aren't out to offend.

Back on the subject has anyone mentioned QI or Mock the Week, although Mock the Week isn't what it used to be since Frankie Boyle left, such an angry man but as a fellow Weegie I know where he's coming from, very funny.

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Originally Posted by Ja'chyra

Back on the subject has anyone mentioned QI or Mock the Week, although Mock the Week isn't what it used to be since Frankie Boyle left, such an angry man but as a fellow Weegie I know where he's coming from, very funny.

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I mentioned MTW in my first post I think, it's sheer genius. Frankie Boyle is a fantastic comedian (if a little... vulgar at times), but he doesn't make the show; the likes of Andy Parsons and Russell Howard are as integral to the show and as funny, in their own way.

I love QI, although I kinda wish Alan Davies wasn't a core feature of it. With a smaller panel of just four people... I'd like to see him rotated off, if only because I find him irksome and boring.

QI (Stephen Fry!) and Mock the Week (Dara Ó Briain) are absolutely incredible.

I love QI's ability to make you laugh and go "oh, seriously?" simultaneously, and Dara Ó Briain is one of my favourite comedians; combine that with politics and you get Mock the Week.

I never really liked Frankie Boyle that much. His humor was okay, but too crude for me.

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Originally Posted by Hax

I love QI's ability to make you laugh and go "oh, seriously?" simultaneously

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One of my favourites was an occasion where Stephen Fry presented a long chemical formula:

C6H12O6(S) + 6O2(g) -> 6CO2(g) + 6H2O(g)

He simply gave the clue that it was related to food and would be worth two hundred points if someone could describe it correctly.

There was a female 'contestant' (Helen Atkinson-Wood, her sole appearance) who correctly ascertained that the formula was known as an explosion in a custard factory, and represented the oxidation of glucose; I was completely astounded, as were Stephen and the rest of those playing. Apparantly it's a standard thing to learn in Home Ecomomics! o_O

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I never really liked Frankie Boyle that much. His humor was okay, but too crude for me.

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Exactly; you can be funny without every other word being an f-bomb, which Frankie does in every single round without fail. Russell Howard's my favourite on the show, but I know a few people who loathe him. :<

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Originally Posted by tibilicus

Sometimes I forget it even exists as a channel.

Occasionally it has some good stuff but it's usually BBC 2 repeats. BBC2 though has to be the champion of British television. It actually justifies the need to buy a tv licence. Settling down for an evening of intellectual programming is always nice, especially if David Attenbourgh is doing one of his nature documentaries.

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It's hard to say where he's of most value. As the BBC2 controller, he virtually made it the innovative, intelligent, yet populist channel that it is at its best. However, if he hadn't got tired of that and moved on, we'd never have got the wildlife documentaries that he's likely to be remembered for.

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Originally Posted by Secura

One of my favourites was an occasion where Stephen Fry presented a long chemical formula:

C6H12O6(S) + 6O2(g) -> 6CO2(g) + 6H2O(g)

He simply gave the clue that it was related to food and would be worth two hundred points if someone could describe it correctly.

There was a female 'contestant' (Helen Atkinson-Wood, her sole appearance) who correctly ascertained that the formula was known as an explosion in a custard factory, and represented the oxidation of glucose; I was completely astounded, as were Stephen and the rest of those playing. Apparantly it's a standard thing to learn in Home Ecomomics! o_O

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It shows that Mrs Miggins knows all about anything pie-related.

Ach, let us not forget the horrible "Acropolis, where the Parthenon is"-incident.

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Originally Posted by Secura

I mentioned MTW in my first post I think, it's sheer genius. Frankie Boyle is a fantastic comedian (if a little... vulgar at times), but he doesn't make the show; the likes of Andy Parsons and Russell Howard are as integral to the show and as funny, in their own way.

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Frankie Boyle is pretty lightweight compared to the likes of Jerry Sadowitz.

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Originally Posted by Subotan

Frankie Boyle is pretty lightweight compared to the likes of Jerry Sadowitz.

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Did you see frankie boyles live show (on dvd lol) by todays standards, hes as heavyweight as allowed (some of his remarks got more gasps, even boos, than laughs :creep: )