The Goggle Box Thread

[playtheace]

Just off the top of my head, these wouldn't be acceptable now
Anne -mental health
Ting Tong - racist
Dafydd- Homophobic
Emily - Transphobic ( I know he wasn't trans)
Fat Black Lady - Blackface racist

It hasn't aged well

But it wasnt to be taken all at face value, for instance, the Anne character would stop and have a normal conversation on the phone then go back to "ehhhh uhhh".

Some of the funniest sketches were one offs...
"mi black mates" sums up a few folks i know.
The driving instructor / ex copper sketch is hilarious.
It git shttier has it went on but i still laugh at the early ones now as opposed to apparent classics like Only fools or Dads Army which i never laughed at originally.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Only Fools was bloody brilliant for a long time, and then some of the later episodes were very poor.

Rodney winning the holiday in a children's competition is brilliant, as is the Christmas batman and robin episode.

And then there is the chandelier episode. Which is still class.

Interestingly, when talking about older comedy, I put Fawlty Towers on, and the kids just didn't get what was funny about it at all. Same with Airplane.

 

[sycophantia]

Father Ted more than compensates for Mrs Browns Boys

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

To an extent it's subjective, I think Python is bloody terrible but people who I know aren't morons think it's a work of genius. I think The Office is the pinnacle of British comedy but plenty would disagree.

Whereas stuff like Miranda, Citizen Khan, Oh Doctor Beeching, Keeping Up Appearances, Mrs Brown's Boys, Bless This House, The Wright Way etc I think we can universally agree are appalling.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

There's also the different question of how stuff ages and viewing it in context. I loved Game On and Men Behaving Badly (bar the final couple of series, which went too slapstick) in the 90s but you couldn't pitch that now. But that was then.

I don't think Morecambe and Wise or The Two Ronnies have aged very well. Not in terms of offensiveness, they're just not very funny now. Ronnie Barker's best work was easily Porridge and that does still stand up.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

The UK Office was brilliant. So well written and acted.

The US just didnt capture that awkwardness.

I used to love The Fast Show

 

[sycophantia]

Python is an odd one, lots of embarrasing dross with the odd nugget, apart from the films, Life of Brian and Holy Grail I still watch regularly. The Office I just didn't get....doesn't mean it was bad. I actually liked Bless This House but in my defence I was only about 12, I'm amazed you've heard of it never mind seen it, thought you were only a yoof

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Python is superb in places, but I think there is a bit of covering of the cracks about weaker skits in there because everyone remembers the classics.

The Office is utter excrement. I cannot begin to express how much I despise it. But other people's mileage varies, so that one is just me.

Taste is individual, and long may that be the case.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Python is an odd one, lots of embarrasing dross with the odd nugget, apart from the films, Life of Brian and Holy Grail I still watch regularly. The Office I just didn't get....doesn't mean it was bad. I actually liked Bless This House but in my defence I was only about 12, I'm amazed you've heard of it never mind seen it, thought you were only a yoof

I'm 40 next year my friend :icon_lol:

Look good for it, like.

 

[Kenny]

The US just didnt capture that awkwardness.

If you ignore Season 1 where they cram 12 epsiodes of the UK version into 6, then the US version is very very very good. The relationships between the characters are really good but you have to view it as a stand alone comedy rather than a version of Brent's world

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Rising Damp was very, very good. As was some of Reggie Perrin.

My parents laughed at Are You Being Served. Which was an odd experience as I would have preferred root canal surgery.

And yet we all laughed ourselves stupid at Blackadder II when it came out in 1985. And I would still happily watch that series, even though I can probably recite every episode. It's three hours of perfection.

 

[sycophantia]

I'm 40 next year my friend :icon_lol:

Look good for it, like.

Thats youthful to me, I was married and moved out of my childhood home before you were born.....I could easily be your dad

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If you ignore Season 1 where they cram 12 epsiodes of the UK version into 6, then the US version is very very very good. The relationships between the characters are really good but you have to view it as a stand alone comedy rather than a version of Brent's world

Yeah, it's great overall - definitely ignore season one, you'll lose nothing - but not the same.

Final two series aren't great (Catherine Tate is just an odd addition, it doesn't make any sense on any level) although I liked how it was all wrapped up.

The UK edition is 14 perfectly crafted episodes and there's not a second of wasted time. And that's the real quiz.

 

[Keef]

Expecting grief for this,but never thought fools and horses was as great as people remember,it's got some funny episodes,but an awful lot of filler,but when it was good it was brilliant,excellent supporting cast as well,wouldn't have worked as well without them.
I'd go blackadder as best comedy,even with the average first series,
I'm Alan partridge is up there as well,along with father ted,the office and the day today
Miranda was a lot funnier on the radio

 

[Kenny]

And yet we all laughed ourselves stupid at Blackadder II when it came out in 1985. And I would still happily watch that series, even though I can probably recite every episode. It's three hours of perfection.

Same here on Blackadder. Oddly for years, I dismissed the first Season, mainly as II was a masterpiece but I went back an watched it a few years ago and loved it, so many brilliant lines and set ups for the future seasons. Still not a patch on II but can't hold that against it

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Rising Damp was very, very good. As was some of Reggie Perrin.

My parents laughed at Are You Being Served. Which was an odd experience as I would have preferred root canal surgery.

And yet we all laughed ourselves stupid at Blackadder II when it came out in 1985. And I would still happily watch that series, even though I can probably recite every episode. It's three hours of perfection.

Rising Damp is still very good. Leonard Rossiter was brilliant although he was in Tripper's Day for his final ever role which was dreadful. Later became Slinger's Day with of all people....Bruce Forsyth. Genuinely one of the worst things you will ever see.

Are You Being Served is the height of 70s camp and wouldn't get past one readthrough now.

Blackadder is one where I disagree :icon_lol: I'll take the third series as good and the fourth is ok although it does verge into self-parody at times. The first series is dreck and I just can't get on with the second series. So much awful hammy acting and lazy writing.

 

[Kenny]

Yeah, it's great overall - definitely ignore season one, you'll lose nothing - but not the same.

Final two series aren't great (Catherine Tate is just an odd addition, it doesn't make any sense on any level) although I liked how it was all wrapped up.

The UK edition is 14 perfectly crafted episodes and there's not a second of wasted time. And that's the real quiz.

Tate was actually very good in it.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Tate was actually very good in it.

She was alright in terms of acting and delivery but the character makes no sense, she has no proper plotlines, we never even know why she's there...

I think they really went through the motions towards the end.

 

[Paul]

Rising Damp was very, very good. As was some of Reggie Perrin.

My parents laughed at Are You Being Served. Which was an odd experience as I would have preferred root canal surgery.

And yet we all laughed ourselves stupid at Blackadder II when it came out in 1985. And I would still happily watch that series, even though I can probably recite every episode. It's three hours of perfection.

Rising damp was good, agree on the Monty Python that 10% was genius the rest was awful (same for Spike Milligan Q series) but as truly worship Laurel and Hardy and Tony Hancock I cannot comment on how things have aged

 

[sycophantia]

Rising Damp is still very good. Leonard Rossiter was brilliant although he was in Tripper's Day for his final ever role which was dreadful. Later became Slinger's Day with of all people....Bruce Forsyth. Genuinely one of the worst things you will ever see.

Are You Being Served is the height of 70s camp and wouldn't get past one readthrough now.

Blackadder is one where I disagree :icon_lol: I'll take the third series as good and the fourth is ok although it does verge into self-parody at times. The first series is dreck and I just can't get on with the second series. So much awful hammy acting and lazy writing.

Thats interesting Blackadder 2 and 4 were my favourites, while we're owning up....I loved watching Coupling with my then teenage daughter, it made proper laugh out loud, I mean it was very middleclass and a couple of the actors were a bit irritating but the characters and their interaction were so good