Is British telly crap?
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danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
Well, I think it nicely sums up what Peep Show seems to be about. And I just don't think it's funny or even watchable. The guy out of it is good on QI, though.lontok2005 said:
In fact, I'm fed up with "comedy" that doesn't make me laugh. Call me old fashioned, but I think that comedy by definition should be funny. Lead Balloon, clever as it might be, isn't actually comedy in my book.
CalmerChameleon
famous destroyer of peace
I think there have been loads of great British comedy/sitcoms over the last few years - Black Books, Thick of It, Nighty Night, Peep Show, Spaced, League of Gentlemen to name a few. Obviously there are far more completely shite sitcoms, which often tend to be more popular. But with so many TV channels now, there's bound to be more poor quality programmes. You just have to work a little harder to search out the gems.
However, British drama on TV is atrocious. Compared to the American HBO dramas The Wire, Six Feet Under, Sopranos, Carnivale, Oz, Deadwood etc, we have absolutely nothing that's anywhere near the same league.
However, British drama on TV is atrocious. Compared to the American HBO dramas The Wire, Six Feet Under, Sopranos, Carnivale, Oz, Deadwood etc, we have absolutely nothing that's anywhere near the same league.
lontok2005
New Member
danny la rouge said:
No offence, but that's an obvious thing to say. If it doesn't make you laugh, then to you of course it's not funny. Not everything that is termed 'comedy' makes me laugh, either, but we've all got different senses of humour, so that's only natural. That doesn't mean that something isn't 'comedy'. 'Comedy' is a term that describes a type of entertainment whose primary aim is to evoke laughter rather than tears. Just because you don't find it funny doesn't mean it isn't by comedy. I can't begin to see what anybody finds amusing in Charlie Chaplin, but my dad near enough wets himself whenever he watches one of his films. I might not find it funny, but I do appreciate that it's comedy.
Anyway, this thread seems to have become too focussed on comedy, when I think the OP was hoping for a more general discussion.
lontok2005
New Member
imaginationdead said:
In my opinion, the best TV series ever written.
But then again, American TV has a great deal more money poured into it than ours does. And usually there is a bank of writers working together, which means a pooling of writing talent that doesn't quite happen here.
American TV certainly does have the resources to play with, and they produce half decent repeatable hits, Heroes, Lost, 24 all with Hollywood esque production values.
but you have to wonder at an industry which will cancel firefly in favour of somthing perceived to be better. Driven more by the popular market than anywhere else surely these budgets could be put to better use!
but you have to wonder at an industry which will cancel firefly in favour of somthing perceived to be better. Driven more by the popular market than anywhere else surely these budgets could be put to better use!
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
I think we should make a difference between the production side of things, and what people get to watch on TV in different countries.
The US produces vast amounts of series, a small amount of which is simply superb and second to none.
But if we're talking about how good TV output is, whenever I've visited America and watched a spot of TV I've always thought of it as a poor second to what you can see on British television. For every good show there are hundreds of piss-poor ones, not to mention an intolerable amount of advertisements and excessive censorship.
In Spain, apart from TVE's La 2 (kind of BBC2) TV there is nothing but appalling rubbish and endless gossip programmes a la Heat magazine.
We should count ourselves lucky that we have the BBC. Its output is generally very good, with some excellent and unique programming.
The US produces vast amounts of series, a small amount of which is simply superb and second to none.
But if we're talking about how good TV output is, whenever I've visited America and watched a spot of TV I've always thought of it as a poor second to what you can see on British television. For every good show there are hundreds of piss-poor ones, not to mention an intolerable amount of advertisements and excessive censorship.
In Spain, apart from TVE's La 2 (kind of BBC2) TV there is nothing but appalling rubbish and endless gossip programmes a la Heat magazine.
We should count ourselves lucky that we have the BBC. Its output is generally very good, with some excellent and unique programming.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
debaser said:
I didn't enjoy firefly, but I was absolutely astonished that fucking charmed limped on and on when a series by an award winning Whedon got canceld
I have to disagree with the notion that European television is better though. French TV is fucking dire, for instance.
Reno
The In Kraut
DotCommunist said:
Firefly was an expensive series on one of America's main channels (Fox) and whatever its merits, it simply wasn't watched by enough people to make it's money back in advertising revenue.
Charmed was a low budget series on a marginal channel (The WB, primarely aimed at teenagers) and was watched by fewer people than Firefly ever was, but for its budget and channel it was considered to hit the right demographic and make enough money for its sponsors to run for years.
Cid
Proper break this time
European TV is, by and large, utterly dreadful - Italy being the most hilariously dire.
British TV is often shit, yes, but we get comparatively good news coverage for those who want it (C4 is ok, BBC is shit but has newsnight etc), there have been plenty of comedy gems in the past few years (even if they interspersed with complete crap like tittybangbang, Miss Joceyln et al). BBC does wildlife docs extremely well and BBC4 often has very good docu series on. It has gone down hill of late in general (especially C4), but I would tentatively say that it's still considerably better than most.
British TV is often shit, yes, but we get comparatively good news coverage for those who want it (C4 is ok, BBC is shit but has newsnight etc), there have been plenty of comedy gems in the past few years (even if they interspersed with complete crap like tittybangbang, Miss Joceyln et al). BBC does wildlife docs extremely well and BBC4 often has very good docu series on. It has gone down hill of late in general (especially C4), but I would tentatively say that it's still considerably better than most.
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
its full of guff to keep the non-thinking masses, erm, non-thinking.
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
OK, does anyone here laugh at Lead Balloon?lontok2005 said:
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I am with the "it's crap, though not that crap relative to everyone else's telly" crowd.
British TV does seem to be particularly bad at doing drama these days, but as with the comedy, the few very good things that come out of the US overshadow how much crap they produce on the drama side as well. All sorts of simplistic, formulaic, terribly earnest, often nakedly propagandistic cockery (though glossy cockery with good-looking people in it).
British TV does seem to be particularly bad at doing drama these days, but as with the comedy, the few very good things that come out of the US overshadow how much crap they produce on the drama side as well. All sorts of simplistic, formulaic, terribly earnest, often nakedly propagandistic cockery (though glossy cockery with good-looking people in it).
Firefly was never given a chance. It was shown in the wrong order and in the wrong time slot.
I would love to see more tv like this, but unfortunately the bbc seem not to want to show popular cult tv (even Heroes was a year late over here ffs) and instead commission another series of something as unfathomably risible as the green green grass.
Christmas tv was just abysmal.
I would love to see more tv like this, but unfortunately the bbc seem not to want to show popular cult tv (even Heroes was a year late over here ffs) and instead commission another series of something as unfathomably risible as the green green grass.
Christmas tv was just abysmal.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
I've gotten far more pleasure out of Charmed than Firefly tbh.DotCommunist said:
1927
Funnier than he thinks he is.
UK TV currently is dire, but paying for cable or satellite wont improve matters, you'll just get more dire TV!
As more and more channels have popped up, the advertising revenue has been spreda more thinly so they are all operating on lower budgets, which means they all buy imported shit and produce cheap reality type programmes that appeal to the lowest common denominator. This is one reason we have to keep the licence fee imho, to ensure that atleast one broadcaster has a decent budget and can produce quality TV. I would however ensure that certain ground rules were imposed on the BBC.
I would certianly scrap the payment of high salaries to "stars". the likes of Wossy, Wogan and Norton are not prerequisite of making quality TV, and the BBC are actually setting the market rate for these types of non-entity.
I would prevent the BBC from competing with ITV for viewing figures, it doesnt matter how many npeopel watch cos they don't rely on advertising. I want the BBC to be making quality programming that wouldnt otherwise get made. Look at the programmes that they used to make that have gone or been watered down. Panorama is a 30minute shadow of its former self, programmes like Horizon and Arena were what the BBC was all about.
Stop fannying around with digital TV channels, reality programmes, paying over the odds for sporting events and celebrities, just make good solid quality programmes, please!
Sure ther's a lot of other things I would stop them doing, but can't think right now.
As more and more channels have popped up, the advertising revenue has been spreda more thinly so they are all operating on lower budgets, which means they all buy imported shit and produce cheap reality type programmes that appeal to the lowest common denominator. This is one reason we have to keep the licence fee imho, to ensure that atleast one broadcaster has a decent budget and can produce quality TV. I would however ensure that certain ground rules were imposed on the BBC.
I would certianly scrap the payment of high salaries to "stars". the likes of Wossy, Wogan and Norton are not prerequisite of making quality TV, and the BBC are actually setting the market rate for these types of non-entity.
I would prevent the BBC from competing with ITV for viewing figures, it doesnt matter how many npeopel watch cos they don't rely on advertising. I want the BBC to be making quality programming that wouldnt otherwise get made. Look at the programmes that they used to make that have gone or been watered down. Panorama is a 30minute shadow of its former self, programmes like Horizon and Arena were what the BBC was all about.
Stop fannying around with digital TV channels, reality programmes, paying over the odds for sporting events and celebrities, just make good solid quality programmes, please!
Sure ther's a lot of other things I would stop them doing, but can't think right now.
danny la rouge
Ninja swords for all disabled people
Absolutely. It's not too hard to understand, is it?1927 said:
I don't laugh out loud, but I do quite like it. It's nowhere near as good, but it fairly clearly based on Curb Your Enthusiasm (don't know where someone got The Office comparison earlier in the thread). CYE does make me laugh, but then Larry David is one of my two comedy gods. Armando Iannucci is the other if you're interested.
I think in terms of comedy the channels seem very nervous to risk anything different, and when they screen it it goes to BBC4 or More4. Despite their respective radio success, I do wonder whether the BBC would risk putting such out-there greats as Monty Python, The Day Today and The League Of Gentlemen on terrestrial.
invisibleplanet
porter des cornes
No - I'm watching Comedy Shorts: Best of 2007, and they're great little sketches that are bringing a smile to my face (and 'bath' will please all the Lush fans out there). The Street was just mindblowingly good drama (Jimmy McGovern). I've just begun watching the latest BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility (part 2 on Sunday) - again, more risque shots than previous interpretations, but capturing the true essence of what I believe to be among Austin's finest commentaries on society and status.
There's probably more, but I'm not a big Tv watcher
There's probably more, but I'm not a big Tv watcher
purves grundy
ambient clown remix
3333333333333334444444444444444444
I think it's good that BBC3 and 4 exist and have some sort of remit to broadcast new comedy. What matters, now it exists, is that someone bold enough to use it to its full potential gets to head it.stavros said:
purves grundy
ambient clown remix
lol that's the one I meant!Reno said:
As you can tell, I don't even have it, I just know it exists... but obviously get the numbers mixed up
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