I've been wondering why the BBC can provide such good radio comedies yet such dire TV ones. Warren is awful, Mrs Brown's Boys is a 70s throwback, Fleabag is not only not funny but actively offensive etc etc. QI and the various comedy panel shows are good but the sit coms? Just no. Somehow Channel 4 does them well. From the early days of Cheers and the incomparable Frasier to Father Ted and the IT crowd they provide comedy gold. Currently Derry Girls is excellent. Amazing to find such fun against a sectarian background. Of course it's the characters that do it! Come on BBC what's wrong with you?
W1A was brilliant. DD, who worked for the BBC for nearly 10 years, couldn't watch it as she said it was too close to what working for the BBC was really like.
In Fleabag it felt like she had a list of offensive/unpleasant topics that don't usually crop up in comedies and talked about them using the same formula of directly talking to a viewer as Miranda. I never found Miranda funny in the first place and at least she didn't go on about anal sex or burst into the toilet where someone was having a miscarriage for example. Funny? Not even slightly.
The last TV comedy that actually made us laugh out loud was "W1A". Before that, we did love "Outnumbered", particularly the early episodes where the children were not necessarily scripted...
Agree with Dragonfly46. I love Lee Mack...and Not Going Out always makes me laugh. Good old fashioned situation comedy. He is also very clever and quick witted. I think Warren is actually really offensive. Ghastly old fashioned stereotypes consisting of a nasty misogynistic man and his stupid wife, who is too dim to protect her sons from his abuse. Why Martin Clunes accepted the role I don’t know. I do love the new Alan Partridge though. Steve Coogan is a genius.
Radio 4 comedies range from being dire to mildly amusing. The six thirty slot in the evening can be embarrassingly awful.
BBC TV comedies are usually dated and farcical. There are only so many times you can watch repeats of The Good Life, Dad’s Army and other similar programmes. American shows are so superior now with slick scripts and great acting.
Another vote for Fleabag. Both comic and sad with brilliantly drawn characters. Also love Upstart Crow for its clever script and acting and WILTY especially when Bob Mortimer is on.
I agree. Dinner ladies is superb and WILTY is a must see. I gave Warren a try and was very disappointed, Mrs. Brown’s Boys is getting old and tired. QI is still excellent and I will always watch As Time Goes By. There is too much anger and angst in humour today. A sign of the times! Oh, and Upstart Crow is a must!
The only thing I ever laugh anymore at is QI..... I defy anybody not to find this funny and Quite Interesting. If I can’t find it on tv anywhere i’ll hunt it down on Netflix. Most tv progs are dire now ... thank goodness for Netflix and also for their ,own- made shows. By producing their own stuff they show off the superior quality..... also you cannot beat the documentaries made by Ken Burns.... if it weren’t for Ken and QI .... I wouldn’t bother turning the box on.
Agree the Beeb have nothing much to offer in the way of comedy. Agree Lee Mack is funny and works well opposite David Mitchell. Have gone off HIGNFY, Merton and Hislop have become a bit smug IMO. The Americans seem to have made a better fist of comedy without swearing since Friends, Frasier, Becker. All three generations at Peardrop Castle do enjoy Modern Family.
Comedy is all about timing and being dead-pan. "Modern" comics think that laughing at their own jokes is what a comedian does. Take Michael MacIntyre, he has not got a clue about timing or dead-panning, yet audiences love the guy as he laughs at himself...or is he actually laughing at the stupid audience that he is taking money from? He would not get a bit part 25 years ago. The female comics are worse than the men. They think it is the in-thing to be more foul mouthed and offensive than the men, Think Jo Brand for starters.