British comedy
In the past we had some of the best; Blackadder, Python, Fawlty Towers, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (which probably died with Humph), Peter Cook, Father Ted*, Not the Nine O' Clock News and many besides. All either pointed a scathing mirror at society or provided a completley absurd look at life, history or panel games. Or both. Having immersed myself in these comedies, I was sure that long would it continue.

Now what do we have? Ricky Gervais, with his embarrassing silences and "irony". The Mighty Boosh, with their act consisting of acting like indie students. And in possibly the worst case of British comedy going down the drain; Have I Got News For You essentially acting as Boris Johnson's personal advertising campaign resulting in him being elected Mayor of London.

*I'm an imperialist
(Cuthbert Annihilator, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 0:06, 16 replies)

HIGNFY is not the worst example of recent British comedy
Not with:

Gimme Gimme Gimme
The Thin Blue Line
The Brittas Empire

and of course Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, a televisual experience with about as much inherent comedy value as being drowned in boiling acid.

I'm with you on the Mighty Boosh though. It's like they looked at Monty Python and concluded the reason that it was successful was not because of its brilliant jokes and superb acting, but because it was a bit weird.
(Axeman Jim, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 0:26, closed)

British Comedy...
Mighty Boosh I don't get... Am sure it's funny but I don't quite know how. Then we've got the worst offender of all.

Little Britain.

First serious pushed the boundary quite well, but since then it sank into a mire of cliched in jokes you know full well are coming. Yawn.

HIGNFY is great, it's a news satire taking the piss out of people we desperately need to ridicule more often. Then there's stuff like QI, entertaining and funny.

Ricky Gervais is occasionally funny, but not worthy of the mass media todger fondling he's currently getting.

Bah, comedians... They were funny in my day... Now the likes of Lenny Henry is reduced to shit Travelodge ads.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Sun 29 Jun 2008, 0:36, closed)

"Ricky Gervais is occasionally funny, but not worthy of the mass media todger fondling he's currently getting. "
Actually, I haven't heard much from him since he died on his arse at the Diana concert. Or maybe I've just filtered him out?

He was good on the 11 O'clock show though.
(Axeman Jim, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 0:39, closed)

HIGNFY occasionally shows brilliance
And is usally quite funny, but it's not a patch on what it was before Angus left really. It seems to be less about brutally satirising public figures than inviting them onto the show and just having a bit of a laugh with them. And in the case of Boris Johnson, promoting him to London Mayor.

And The Thin Blue Line? Well it wasn't the greatest, but it's streets ahead of anything today. I mean, I didn't list every shit comedy around, that would take ages.
(Cuthbert Annihilator, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 0:45, closed)

Whilst waiting for Dr Who to start
I caught the last 15 mins of the Nicholas Lyndhurst 'comedy' 'After You're Gone'.

It makes watching 'My Family' feel like a night at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with Brian Blessed buying you pints.
(Northern Lovely, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 0:51, closed)

Too many have gone on too long
Even Python wnet downhill after the third 12 / 13 episode series. Look at Fawlty towers (2 series of 6 episodes), Blackadder (1 x 8 and 3 x 6) etc. Early series are great, but as they drag on the writers run out of material. Look how Red Dwarf tailed off. Even the Brittas Empire, One Foot in the Grave and Little Britain were great early on then sagged quickly. One offs, or short series like Big Train and the Fast Show were fine. The pressure is to crank out more and more of less and less quality (not enough time put into writing).

Fawlty Towers took over a year or so to write one six episode season (and not coincidentally so too did Ploce Squad)! Can you imagien that now? Too many writers means there is no theme (look how The Simpsons and Fraiser went downhill - how can 25 writers come up with coherency) and it's all doen too quickly.

Here endth Bob's pontificating.
(Bob the Scutter, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 4:57, closed)

i'm quite happy with comedy today
we've got peep show, time trumpet, simon amstell and bill bailey has made buzzcocks actually watch worthy, flight of the conchords wouldn't have happened without radio 4...

plus the mighty boosh.
(Bunbury, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 7:31, closed)

the Pwner here
All shit comedies but has anyone ever seen "Titty Bang bang"? Dear God that is DIRE. And it had 2 series!!!
(kitescreech still here, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 9:36, closed)

Comedian wise
search for Stewart Lee on youtube. Thank me later
(LickOutTheJamsMotherfuckers!, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 11:11, closed)

If you're dissatisfied with British comedy
then I think that you should just Look Around You. Superbly funny and simply class.
(Evilweevil is covered in bees, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 12:21, closed)

Ah Stewart Lee
Now there's a good example of increasingly rare excellent British comedy these days. I'm not really a massive fan of stand-up, but there are about five or so really good stand-ups these days, and he's certainly one of them. But generally stand-up has gone down as well, as too many are chatty ones who can't think up proper routines.

Also, far too many panel shows these days. Most of them are amusing distractions, but hardly any are great. Obviously, ISIHAC was excellent right up until the end, and HIGNFY used to be also. QI is a cut above most of them as well. But I think an over-reliance on panel shows is part of the problem.
(Cuthbert Annihilator, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 13:43, closed)

Bob-
Red Dwarf didn't "tail out". After series 6, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor had a massive arguement and fell out big time. They both agreed to write a book each; Grant did Colony and Naylor did Last Human. Doug Naylor got the rights to keep on writing the series- read the books and you realise that Rob Grant is the funny one, hence why the series went so dark and rubbish for 7 and 8.
( Madam Marlboro wonders if you've found her yet, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 14:04, closed)

Three words
Mock

The

Week.



Urrrghh.
(Generator cannot be named for legal reasons, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 14:31, closed)

peep show
peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show peep show.
( the brass moustache putting the ass moust in brache since, Sun 29 Jun 2008, 21:34, closed)

Hmm, time for some rambling, disjointed thoughts:
Mighty boosh series 1 and 2 were really, really funny, but I'd be hard pressed to explain why, and a lot of folks I know didn;t like it.

Little Britain was funny for nearly a whole series. Nearly.

QI remains brilliant.

Mock the week seems very changeable. Sometimes it's sublime, but all too often the show gets in the way of the funny. The most unusual thing about it is that the end of season clips show is usually f'ing hilarious, rather than a waste of TV as you'd expect.

Black adder: I bought BA4 the other day... I couldn't belive it only had 6 episodes. I was sure I could remember dozens from my youth :D

Black Books: I WISH this was still going. Sort of. As long as it was still good, anyway.
( Mockingbird Practitioner of SCIENCE, Mon 30 Jun 2008, 14:11, closed)

Hmmm
You want to try coming over to France to test the "comedy" we get on TV. I think i'd go mad without torrents bringing me anything with Sean Lock, Russell Howard and Frankie Boyle in it.
(Alaning, Thu 3 Jul 2008, 9:39, closed)