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I stumbled across some of the Fast Show sketches on YouTube this morning with my 13 year old son.
I was quite disappointed at how poorly it seems to have aged. The canned laughter is intrusive, and some of the sketches/characters wouldn't pass muster today.
Channel 9 - how can that not be viewed as racist, the same but sexist for the the does my bum look big in this sketches.
I feel sad, 🙁
So you decided to bring us all down with you?
I watched Ace Ventura for the first time in years, and it turns out to be horribly homophobic and transphobic. ☹️ Ruined one of my all time favourite films.
Times change I suppose, what seemed fine 25 years ago isn't now.
Thing is I've never been homophobic (a gay sister tends to make you realise whether you are or not quite quickly!) So how come I didn't pick up on this at the time? Odd.
Does my bum look big isn't sexist, is it? They have created a silly character who does silly things - just happens to be a woman, no? Plenty of daft women out there, we should be able to take the mickey out of them same as we do for men, surely? Competitive Dad was just as much male stereotyping?
NB this post is meant to be provocative, personally I'm not sure if it counts as sexist but it's worth discussing.
Athethe athethethethe Chris Waddle.
It was all just the same joke repeated over and over, even the good ones weren't worth waiting around for the punchline in 15 episodes time...
Black.
Black
..and mental ilness-ist
Bring back, 'Love Thy Neighbour', that's what I say.
There'll be no such thing as 'humour' before long anyway, one persons humour is always someone else's 'ism'
Nah, it was all done ironically.
The 90s was the age of ‘Policial Correctness’ it was different, but equally soul serching when it came to not upsetting anyone.
it was always pish
You want racist, homophobic and sexist then read some Ian Fleming.
Channel 9 – how can that not be viewed as racist
Which race is it discriminating against?
Rowley Birkin QC.....BRILLIANT ....I was very very drunk
jessies diets - fattist
Bob Flemming - coughist
Ron Manager - stereotypist
In such puritanical times it's easy to dissect the past looking for heretics. But what's the point?
And OP, I've reported you to the police as your name contains the words 'OLD' and 'HOES'
In such puritanical times it’s easy to dissect the past looking for heretics. But what’s the point?
It's a good point, well made. The main issue was that I wanted my son to share in it, and like it - I'm just left feeling that it isn't appropriate for this this time.
What pisses me off even more is that Monty Python hasn't suffered the same fate - and I'm no fan of Monty Python (but that's a whole different thread 😉 )
Oh give over. I suppose Unlucky Alf is ageist? Well I'm rapidly approaching old age and I think it's funny. Lighten up.
I loved Baywatch, am i sexist, nope.
Channel 9 – how can that not be viewed as racist
Channel 9 was a parody of the foreign TV that people saw when abroad on holiday in Spain, Greece etc. By UK standards many of their television programmes were rubbish. Taking the mickey put of them was not being racist. Indeed, you may recall that the cheesy Channel 9 adverts for the orange pumping gadget (which had a different purpose each week), ended with a blonde woman in a bikini making a pop sound pulling a finger out of her mouth. It's a shame you failed to realise that the Fast Show was parodying the sexism in those foreign cultures that was visible in their TV programmes.
As for sexist, well no not really either. One of the characters played by Arabella Weir was an smart woman who was routinely ignored by the (less intelligent) men around her. Her character would voice the solution to a problem which the men would pretend not to hear, until one of the men said the exact same thing and was then praised by the other blokes for being so clever.
Unfortunately what I have written above is rather dull and not funny, which is what happens when you have to explain humour.
Fast Show was comedy. Brilliaaaannnnt! Comedy. If you don't like it, watch modern stuff like Mrs. Brown's Boys. Suits you sir.
OP - it may be racist and/or sexist - I really can't be arsed to analyse the ins and outs of a comedy show from the past. But why on earth does it make you sad?! Have you not got more important things to worry about...
Arse.
Fast Show was comedy. Brilliaaaannnnt! Comedy. If you don’t like it, watch modern stuff like Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Suits you sir.
Imagining these two programmes as polar opposites on each end of the comedy spectrum actually made me laugh, well done 😀
Estaba bastante decepcionado por lo mal que parece Chris Waddle haber envejecido. La risa enlatada es intrusiva, y algunos de los bocetos / personajes no pasarían hoy.
Me siento scorchio
OP I guess it applies to lost of repeats
Caroline Ahern is an anagram of combat eighteen. Makes you think.
Which was nice.
It’s “suit you sir”. Not suits.
Let’s off-road!
Butros Butros Gali!
Oh, and living in Australia, we actually have a Channel 9. I can confirm that it makes the Fast Show's parody seem both sensible and intelligible. This is odd as allegedly the presenters on Australia's Channel 9 are supposed to be speaking in English.
I was going to try to explain why the comedy might not be so relevant but then I ... **** it - clearly not worth it.
Loved it at the time, the 'dodgy' bits are clearly parody/pastiche/satire.
The Ted/Ralph unrequited bromance story was genius.
Some of it was filmed on a friend’s farm, I have had my lunch in Jessie’s hut. “Oooh!”
I have had my lunch in Jessie’s hut.
What were you mostly eating?
Probably a ham sandwich.
What were you mostly eating
Roasted chickens.
You lock me in the cellar and feed me pins.
This week, I are mostly ruining classic comedy.
I would just say it's less sophisticated humour than we get these days. The context is not either of those things.
I always find it interesting that we're more offended by TV racism/sexism per se than other problematic areas of modern culture.
I think humour about people with disabilities still doesn't get the same hysteria.
It’s worth listening to Arabella Weir’s interview on the comedians comedian podcast http://www.comedianscomedian.com/podcasts/
OP - you watched the programs the first time and enjoyed them. Then you watched them again some years later and you didn't enjoy them. The program hasn't changed, you have changed.
Do you feel guilty for having enjoyed them the first time?
Sounds great, thanks for the headsup op.
If you think it is racist or sexist then you have missed the point/joke as it is neither.
All humour is at the expense of something, even if its yourself. Poor taste or good taste just depends on if you find the butt of the joke acceptable or not. And that often depends on how you look at it.
Look at all the debate about Love thy Neighbour.
Try watching "It An't Half Hot Mum". Casual racism, classism, homophobia and body shaming? or a clever critique of the morals and attitudes of the late British empire? or just a couple of ex-squaddie script writers trying to make some sense out of a traumatic time in their lives?
I would just say it’s less sophisticated humour than we get these days.
Not really... got any examples of more sophisticated modern humour?
What were you mostly eating?
Taramasalata. Whilst wearing Issey Miyake.
Not really… got any examples of more sophisticated modern humour?
Due to the current weather that sophiscated and utterly hilarious sketch of old men slipping on ice has been doing the rounds again. My sides are still aching.
Cheesy peas. Brilliant!
Ton piney shiney, Futha Mucka.
I used to watch loads of comedy on the telly and laugh at most of it.
Now I either don't understand what's so funny about new comedy or it's perhaps just not very funny.
makes you think.
What pisses me off even more is that Monty Python hasn’t suffered the same fate
If you go looking for it MP has its share of one-normal prejudices and insensitivities.
"Which great opponent of Cartesian dualism resists the reduction of psychological phenomena to a physical state and insists there is no point of contact between the extended and the unextended?"
"Ooh, I dunno"
"Well, have a guess"
"Henri Bergson"
"Is the correct answer!"
"That was lucky - I've never even heard of 'm. I don't like darkies"
"Who does?"
If you go looking for it MP has its share of one-normal prejudices and insensitivities
Is that prejudice, or using a character to piss-take someone else's prejudice? Pretty sophisticated for the 70s I reckon. Not as sophisticated as ice-slippage, I grant you.
I think that MP quote above is meant to be satire.
Also, my daughter likes cheese on her peas.
Is that prejudice, or using a character to piss-take someone else’s prejudice?
Should be known as the Ali-G question.
Good thread. Laughing at the memory of some of those great Fast Show sketches. Isn't milk briiiilliant! Then again I read (and regularly laugh at) Viz, which surely ticks every racist, sexist, homophobic, BLTist, transgender, casual bullying, domestic abuse, animal cruelty, vegan, toilet humour, 70s porn star ist box (and then some). Still bloody funny though and (mostly) ironic..
My Mrs’s is still good friends with Paul, he really is a funny chap in real life too. I’ve only met him about 4-5 times, in a pub we used to go to.. He has a very funny observational character about him. “Brilliant” sketch was filmed on Redcar Beach where Paul’s ex used to live..
They used to live in a flat in Bow, him and Charlie, and my Mrs’s was with them the day they tried to lift a grand piano into a third floor flat through the window.. hoisted by some bits of rope from thier mates 5th floor flat.
Comedy gold right there.. I do wonder why they never made a scene out of it.
As for it aging well, I’m kinda glad it hasn’t TBH. It was of its time and very funny back then.
I do wonder why they never made a scene out of it.
It's been done more than once already I believe!
Not really… got any examples of more sophisticated modern humour?
I'm going to come undone aren't I - but I will put myself out there and say things like 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' attempted to break away from the sketch driven and/or archetypal sit-com where the humour is more about what offends us/bothers/makes us uncomfortable rather than just laughing at slap-stick. Certainly where Ricky Gervais got his inspiration.
Things like 'The thick of it / In the Loop' have raised the bar as to where humour can come from too. I'm not saying satire is new but people like Chris Morris advanced what was around in the late 80s-90s.
Even something as trite as 'Modern Family' was cleverly observed (for the first few seasons) and the format of fly-on-the-wall gave way to a completely different type of expectation with what you could do with the 20-30 minute comedy show.
Where have you been for the past 20 years is how i would retort?
The Fast Show was ace. Saw some re-runs recently and for the most part it was still ace.
As someone else said OP, it's you that has changed, not the program.
Where have you been for the past 20 years is how i would retort?
Modern humour he said.
Modern humour he said.
Yes, but to see how comedy has evolved you should have witnessed it change over the last 20 years or so.
If we still think comedy sophistication is the same as the fast show nowadays I would still ask where have you been?
I’m going to come undone aren’t I – but I will put myself out there and say things like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ attempted to break away from the sketch driven show and the humour is more about what offends us/bothers us rather than just laughing at situation. Certainly where Ricky Gervais got is his inspiration.
Yes you are. Gervais was already established before CYE came along and the Office hit the screens less than a year after CYE first aired in the USA.
Yes you are. Gervais was already established before CYE came along and the Office hit the screens less than a year after CYE first aired in the USA.
And Larry David wasn't established way before Gervais?
So we concur CYE hit the screen before The Office and Larry David was knee deep in Seinfeld before Gervais had done what of notability? (the small bits of 11 o'clock show?)
" I was just rummaging around in the attic, and I found an original copy of the holy Bible.
Which was nice. "
I see what your saying rone - but you're just talking about different genrés of comedy, it's not how it has "evolved" at all.
Anyway, analysing the shit out of comedy is one sure way to make it not funny. Some of the Fast Show stands the test of time, some doesn't, much like most comedy. And just like some of it wasn't particularly funny at the time too - "Hi, I'm Ed Winchester"..
Not a Stewart Lee fan then?Anyway, analysing the shit out of comedy is one sure way to make it no funny.
I'm pretty sure this is both racist and sexist:
To be honest, all of us sat here micro analysing what was funny then and now, the protagonists and what deeper meanings were in thei.... oh-oh... ooohhh,
*shakes leg* I’m terribly sorry, I’ve just cum.
The "piano thing"? Laurel and Hardy did that in the 1930s so hardly new.
Few comedies are consistently funny even at the first viewing so unsurprising that X years down the line they feel a bit hit and miss. Especially true of satire since by its nature its target is someone/something topical at the time. The ones that do remain funny tend to be ones that target human foibles which don't change very much over time.
Anyone remember Jim Davidson and his "Chalky White" character?
That was pretty racist even in the context of the time.
Taramasalata
Was that a deliberate reference? Reminds me; 3.46 onwards
Might just be me but it seems like there are more people around these days trying to find things to be offended by.
It's like it's the latest fashion to be offended by something then before you know it it's spread like a disease through society and you end up with more and more people looking for things to be offended by!
That is just you. You can now just see that people are offended due to social media whereas in the past their offence would have been a stern letter to the TV channel, newspaper etc,. or moaning about it to their friend.
Anyone remember Jim Davidson and his “Chalky White” character?
Not sure how this related to a Fast Show thread. Or any discussion about comedy really.
Not a Stewart Lee fan then?
Saw him live just the other week. Was brilliant. 🙂
HTF can Ricky ****ing Gervais be even mentioned in a Fast Show thread? He has about 3 jokes and 1 character.
The Fast Show was and still is BRILLIANT!
It's neither racist or sexist and if you really think it is, give your head a shake.
Constantly being offended by everything = no current good comedy on TV
I really can't see the Fast Show in any other light than progressive / liberal in its politics, e.g.;
Ted and Ralph - exploring the intricacies of homosexual relationships in rural / macho cultures.
Competitive Dad / Monkfish - taking the mickey out of alpha male types.
Channel 9 - How can European actors (sorry Brexiteers, the Brits are European whether you like it or not) skitting European telly be considered racist?
At least half of the cast are either a. female or b. gay. Chubby Brown / Bernard Manning this ain't.
OP have you ever listened to Derek and Clive? Highly recommended.
Might just be me but it seems like there are more people around these days trying to find things to be offended by.
No - you are assuming everything was great and hunky-dory in the 'good old days'. Let me guess, you are male, straight and white aren't you?
Ted and Ralph – exploring the intricacies of homosexual relationships in rural / macho cultures.
Agree to an extent. This was about awkwardness and ludicrous mis-match, it was NOT about homosexuality even though it featured a gay man - it went straight through that, there were no gay jokes really. That's why it was progressive. You really felt for and identified with Ralph for many facets of his situation and character, despite your own sexuality. At least I did.