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British Comedy Primer
	Topic by: underdog Posted: September 20, 2004 - 11:08 AM PDT Last Reply: October 7, 2004 - 4:56 AM PDT

author	topic: British Comedy Primer
underdog	post #1  on September 20, 2004 - 11:08 AM PDT   Blessed are the cheesemakers! Here's your place to write about the wacky world of British comedy, as seen in our British Comedy primer by Gregg Rickman. Talk about Bean, Python, Goons, Leigh, Guiness and Ealing, Britcoms, and all that rot.. right here!
underdog	post #2  on September 20, 2004 - 1:45 PM PDT   Just to follow-up, I really enjoyed (editing and reading) this primer. My only quibble with Gregg is he seemed to give short shrift to some of the most recent, original British comedy TV shows, like The Office. But it's probably best to stick to that which one has perspective on. Anything else you thought was missing? Or kudos/plaudits?
Cinenaut	post #3  on September 20, 2004 - 2:30 PM PDT   Where the smeg is Red Dwarf!? But seriously, I think it's a pretty good overview, even including Alfred Hitchcock in the mix -- not the first go-to guy for comedy. In the Britcom category: As Time Goes By is good if you want a massive Judi Dench fix. Waiting for God is chock-full of curmudgeonly goodness.
amit	post #4  on September 20, 2004 - 3:03 PM PDT   Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham is also from Britain. Amit
IronS	post #5  on September 20, 2004 - 11:38 PM PDT   > On September 20, 2004 - 2:30 PM PDT Cinenaut wrote: > --------------------------------- > Where the smeg is Red Dwarf!? > Yeah! > But seriously, I think it's a pretty good overview, > I agree with that, too. What about P. G. Wodehouse? Jeeves and Wooster is an excellent series, capturing the rather Edwardian 1920's and '30's England of Wodehouse's stories.
hamano	post #6  on September 21, 2004 - 6:27 AM PDT   I'm wondering how Hugh Laurie (Wooster)'s genius will translate to American TV... Judging by Mark Addy's career maybe Laurie should just stay on his side of the Atlantic....
underdog	post #7  on September 21, 2004 - 12:25 PM PDT   > On September 21, 2004 - 6:27 AM PDT hamano wrote: > --------------------------------- > I'm wondering how Hugh Laurie (Wooster)'s genius will translate to American TV... Judging by Mark Addy's career maybe Laurie should just stay on his side of the Atlantic.... > --------------------------------- I'm wondering that, too. Looks real unfortunate and I'm doubtful it'll be worthy of his talents (the person reviewing it on IMDB sure didn't think so). Why oh why do they make people like him force American accents? He's so British it's not funny. Yes, Jeeves and Wooster would be a good addition to the primer, indeed... I love those. C
KPman1	post #8  on September 23, 2004 - 3:15 AM PDT   I'm surprised the name Tom Stoppard didn't appear. Objectively speaking, Red Dwarf sucks.
Cinenaut	post #9  on September 23, 2004 - 9:19 AM PDT   My favorite British teleplay from the 70s is Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests. Long before Memento played with the chronological structure of its plot, Ayckbourn wrote three plays based on a single three-day weekend at a house in the British countryside. One play takes place in the dining room, one play takes place in the living room and one takes place outside. All three plays take place concurrently, so you don't know the whole story of what happens that weekend until you watch all three. Anyway, it's hilarious and I wish it were on DVD!
Bowwow	post #10  on September 23, 2004 - 5:13 PM PDT   > On September 23, 2004 - 3:15 AM PDT KPman1 wrote: > --------------------------------- > I'm surprised the name Tom Stoppard didn't appear. > > Objectively speaking, Red Dwarf sucks. > --------------------------------- I love Red Dwarf even though I always get this weird feeling when I watch it because Lister *really* reminds me of a guy I dated in high school. I feel like my old boyfriend got sucked into some sort of alternate reality and was given an English accent and some weird friends.
artifex	post #11  on October 7, 2004 - 4:56 AM PDT   I always tell people that PBS warped my young mind, but nobody believes me until I start reciting 36+ Britcoms they've shown over the years. I grew up watching things like To The Manor Born and Good Neighbors (The Good Life, in Great Britain). Later on, I grew to love Yes, Minister, and Yes, Prime Minister... Ripping Yarns, Black Adder, /b>, etc.