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There does seem to be a desire for comedy to be edgy and stick it to some man all the time, and anything just gently humorous is therefore not worth watching.
Many comedian's and comedy shows forget that they should be funny first, if they can weave in some social commentary or edginess then that is a bonus. When their ill informed unfunny rants don't go down well they cry "cancel culture" when in reality they had one job to do and failed at it.
Plenty of current shows and comedians are far more edgy and offensive than anything that would have been acceptable for most of my life, there has been a liberation of where they can go, not a restriction, it's just that most people have moved on from finding tired bigoted tropes as being funny. I enjoy comedy not the abuse of a public platform to bully the weak.
Why has nobody mentioned Citizen Khan? It's on BBC iPlayer.
In the finest tradition of British pantomime and '70s sitcoms, it's riddled with lazy stereotypes and depends on casual racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia and probably many other worse things that go way over my head. I bloody love it, me.
Why has nobody mentioned Citizen Khan? It’s on BBC iPlayer.
In the finest tradition of British pantomime and ’70s sitcoms, it’s riddled with lazy stereotypes and depends on casual racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia and probably many other worse things that go way over my head. I bloody love it, me.
Again, classic British sitcom relying on stereotypes and comedic "formula". Enjoyed the first few but started to feel a bit contrived after a while.
It does raise a lot of cultural issues though - it's a British Asian using a stereotype of his community elders in a way that a white comedian could (and should) not, but the character traits are recognisable in all cultures. In the same way that Goodness Gracious Me did 20 years ago.
Many comedian’s and comedy shows forget that they should be funny first
Exactly. David Croft's stuff is mostly not very funny.
So what’s British, funny, fit for the family but in the same farcical vein?
How the hell have we got three pages in without anyone mentioning Blackadder?!
One of the very few comedies that is pretty much timeless.
Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are both obviously dated yet also completely relevant today.
I remember family TV nights from 80's / 90's watching Dad's Army, Allo Allo and Open All Hours but a lot of them are a bit cringey now or simply not funny.
Recent comedies - Ghosts is excellent.
Code 404 also has its moments.
Many comedian’s and comedy shows forget that they should be funny first
Exactly. David Croft’s stuff is mostly not very funny.
So David Croft's success was purely based on the social commentary that he provided?
I remember family TV nights from 80’s / 90’s watching Dad’s Army, Allo Allo and Open All Hours but a lot of them are a bit cringey now or simply not funny.
Wether or not they are funny is down to the individual but cringey? how so? times and attitudes move on. Are you not able to look back and see things in the context of the times they were made? Is it not good to revisit stuff from times gone by to highlight that we have actually moved on as a society? No point in sweeping this stuff under the carpet its part of our history, journey as a culture and vitally important we understand it, warts and all.
I can watch stuff form the '70's and though I might not find it laugh out loud funny, I can understand and appreciate the humour and the talent of the individual comic actors.
Fundamentally as I said before, the underlying comedy is the same as it is today. Just different setting and context but the jokes are essentially the same. So perfectly possible to appreciate the comedy whatever the context.
OP - have a look at Still Game if you've not seen it already.
So David Croft’s success was purely based on the social commentary that he provided?
What I think is being missed is the intelligence of the audience. Not education, not covert (or overt) racism. Just good old fashioned intelligence. To be blunt Croft's humour works/worked for dafties. So also Mrs Brown's Boys. Half of the nation's population have below average intelligence so good viewing figures can be gained from appealing to this target market. Nothing wrong with that - stupids need entertaining as much as anyone else (arguably more so) and pay their license fees so deserve material intended for them.
Just don't try to find deeper reasoning for why it does or doesn't appeal.
What I think is being missed is the intelligence of the audience.
Yes I totally missed that, it hadn't even occured to me.
I can't stand Alan Davies. Every time I see him on QI I want to punch him in the face for ruining an otherwise excellent programme, with his inane and totally unfunny comments.
How Sue Perkins gets away with calling herself a comedian is beyond my understanding, and yet she appears to be somewhere on the telly most days.
What does my strong opinions concerning two highly popular comedians say about my intelligence?
Am I below average intelligence for not finding two very funny people funny?
Or does it provide proof of my remarkable intelligence that I don't find funny two people who are hugely popular?
Count Arthur Strong seemed to have me amused for a while...I got drawn in to the character and found it amusing - not side-splitting hilarious, but it was funny - predictable but funny.
How the hell have we got three pages in without anyone mentioning Blackadder On The Buses?!
It's been airing recently on some crappy daytime TV slot and is truly cringingly awful. The poor actresses that had to pretend to be attracted to the two imbeciles playing the main characters! I hope they were well-paid roles, although I suspect not. It's just crap.
See also every Carry-On film ever made.
See also every Robin Askwith film ever made.
Reggie Perrin was brilliant . Jimmy's secret army was very funny at the time, not so funny now when most of them are in downing street.
Speaking of Downing Street - Yes Minister was very good - still enjoy a good binge on it despite knowing it word for word!
Has anyone ever listened to the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore tapes? Very funny!
Recent comedies what my low brained intelligence haves enjoyed recently, but might've slipped under some radars were
Frank of Ireland
The Walshes
This Way Up
Dead Pixels
they aren't family comedies though. I don't think they bother making them anymore cos kids don't watch tv. Miranda was probably the last one to appeal to all ages (or none). Or Ghosts as already mentioned.
Plebs
You had a central character that was bemused about the nonsense of what was going on around him…him seemingly being the only sensible person in the whole thing that understood the folly of what was going on.
Like "The Chorus" in Ancient Greek comedy - there to narrate and comment on the action.
Actually by far the best modern British sitcom farce is Toast of London.
Not one to watch with the kids though.
Toast of London is good but it's more into the realms of surreal/absurd comedy than purely farce I would say.
Actually by far the best modern British sitcom farce is Toast of London.
Yeah, some friends were really into it and I watched an episode with them. Didn't really get it at first but once it clicked, it was excellent.
don’t forget such classics as to the manor born and what was that one with ‘Penny’ in and the bloke she married in the last episode.
Just Good Friends.
I’ll be honest, Monty Python and Fawlty Towers were more miss than hit for me
Speaking as a big fan of Monty Python,
There is a lot of dross in that show. We all remember the classics because they get repeated again and again, but I have the entire run as a box set and the signal-to-noise ratio was surprisingly low.
There's less of Faulty Towers than you'd think, like a dozen episodes total.
There is a lot of dross in that show. We all remember the classics because they get repeated again and again, but I have the entire run as a box set and the signal-to-noise ratio was surprisingly low.
I just posted a video in the Spam thread and LOLed. Again.
Toast of London is good but it’s more into the realms of surreal/absurd comedy than purely farce
True, but there's tons of farce in it.
Stath Lets Flats.
Comedy foreign accents. Check.
Prat falls. Check.
Actually very funny. Check.
Year of the Rabbit was decent as well - not really family comedy. Looks like a second series will be out at some point as well, which is good.
Anyone seen Brassic? Not family friendly, but slapstick is very much alive..
Anyone seen Brassic?
That's like asking has anyone seen Idris go "Did you know, Sky has an awesome loyalty programme?"
If you've got Sky, you can't friggin miss it.
Father Ted and Black Books (just not the third series).
Has anyone mentioned The Good Life yet? For me one of the great classic British sitcoms. In fact I was outside the two houses the other day having my photo taken. Lots of praise to whoever did the casting. You couldn’t have found four actors and actresses more suited to their roles.
Oh and of course the Vivian’s brilliant Good Life rant in TheYoung Ones.
3 pages in and I can't see any mention of The Royal family or Early doors,if you want surreal try Spike Milligans Q series and Malcolm in the middle for an American sitcom
Miranda – the planet from Serenity, where everyone just gave up on life and died of apathy? How apt.
👍🏼
Modern Family has some farce elements in it too actually.
I’ve often wondered who watched shows like Miranda and Allo Allo to give them their (to me, inexplicably) massive viewing figures.
Now I know. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose.
Best comedy on at the moment is Alma’s Not Normal on iplayer. Plenty of laugh out loud moments in it, some of it very inappropriate. Probably not one to watch with the kids.
Aside. GO and listen to the theme tune from ‘Allo Allo.
Then listen to the theme from the mandalorian.
We just did this, so funny! My partner was in stitches
This is waaaay funnier than Mrs Brown's Boys or Miranda.
😀
Alma’s Not Normal
Ah yes, I think earlier I said "Alma's not right". Anyway it is brilliant. Bleak, but the best comedy is.
Sorry... not sorry... but Miranda is funny, even though it uses sitcom cliches as old as the hills. And, unlike much current UK comedy (there's probably only Ghosts doing this at the moment), works across all age groups. Agree that Alma’s Not Normal is the best thing on at the moment... but not sure I'd watch it with my Mum though. And then we're back to 'allo 'allo... the first few series, at the time, were enjoyed by people from little kids all the way up to the ancient. And it needed to, with the narrow broadcasting we had (people weren't in different rooms watching different things on iPlayer... most of us only had one screen in the house back then), as people had to watch together. Yes, it isn't funny when you watch it now. Yes, after series two, even at the time, it was lazy rubbish that people were only really watching out of habit. But the skills to make that kind of programme were substantial, even though it's hard to see the value they once had, now we arguably don't need them at all (although in the case of the Ghosts team, personally I'm glad someone has shown it can still be done).
I think a lot of the programmes mentioned here are best summed up by watching Extras, which is itself a superb comedy.
The attitude of Andy towards the sitcom he wrote - When the Whistle Blows - that he then despises as it’s just become a lazy collection of tired stereotypes and cliches, held together with endlessly repeated catchphrases, which he depressingly realises seems to be all the audience actually want
held together with endlessly repeated catchphrases, which he depressingly realises seems to be all the audience actually want
Arse.
I think a lot of the programmes mentioned here are best summed up by watching Extras, which is itself a superb comedy.
Yeah, but it's got Ricky Gervais in it, who I find about as funny as root canal surgery.
I used to think his one saving grace was that he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. But no, he's outed himself as a vocal TERF so he can get in the sea. I'd rather eat pins than watch anything he's in.
Another vote for Ghosts, it's so well-crafted that it has many different types of humour in it - my 8-year-old son also loves it even if he doesn't get some of the more clever / subtly adult stuff that we do.
I think my problem with Mrs Brown's Boys, Are You Being Served, Little Britain and so much other repetitive catchprase stuff is that it's humour that punches down. It mocks people, whether that's The Gays, or The Foreigns, or The Poors, or The Stupids, and while that gets easy laughs if you don't think too much about it, it helps reinforce stereotypes and discrimination and that general right-wing dislike of The Other.
Without sounding too whingey about it, that's why I don't really like Family Guy any more - I've found it edgy and really funny at times, but punching down and mocking every group you can identify is still punching down, and that gets tiresome after long enough. Life's too short to be mean.
mocking every group you can identify is still punching down, and that gets tiresome after long enough.
Surely what makes it acceptable is that Family Guy mocks absolutely everyone, no one is spared.
And repetitive humour is hugely appealing for many people.
"DRINK! ****! ARSE! GIRLS!" still makes me smile whenever I hear Father Jack say it.
Don't think I've seen it mentioned yet but 'Mum' was excellent. Probably too steady/grown up for kids though...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09sykkn
Good call! Heartbreaking at times though.