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Post by Claire on Jul 25, 2013 12:36:40 GMT 1
Hi all, daren mentioning the Big Bang Theory, made me wonder if we have ever discussed our favourite comedies on here. So folks what are your favs, both past and present. And are there any you find about as funny as root canal?  I loved the Two Ronnies and in fact anything with Ronnie Barker in it - Porridge, Open All Hours, etc. Fawlty Towers - comic genius! One Foot in the Grave - more work of comic genius. I think i wet myself watching it that time he was buried in the garden with just his head sticking out! Waiting for God - Loved this. Diana Trent WAS my gran! ;D And I intend to be like her when I am old and grey Red Dwarf - for once sci-fi was funny I don't think I watch any of the sitcoms of today, I just don't find them that funny. I do like to watch the satirical/political type comedy shows like Have I Got News for You and Mock the Week tho. The one comedy which everyone raved about but I watched with a completely deadpan face was The Office. What do other people feel about this one? |
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 25, 2013 13:35:05 GMT 1
One that stands out in my mind is one I saw years and years ago, but I was visiting somewhere and have no idea what channel or show it was, but I think it was British.
I can't attempt to describe what was so funny about it because a) my memory is too fuzzy b) I would fail horribly anyways, but I am curious if anyone else recognizes the show, so here are some things I remember from it:
It was a new year's eve program that was giving awards in various categories to the man . . . or woman of the year. Their bits were absolutely hysterical but after each winner was announced they said "Unfortunately x couldn't be here with us tonight."
Margaret Thatcher was nominated/won several categories and so when they got to the main prize for the man . . . or woman of the year they were setting you up to think it was Thatcher.
There were two hosts, I'll call Bob and Alice
Bob> And the winner of the man . . . . or woman of the year is . . .
Alice> Tina Turner!
Bob> Unfortunately Tina couldn . . .
Alice> Um, Bob?
Bob> Yes Alice?
Alice> Actually she could make it here, here she is ladies and gentlemen, Tina Turner!
And then Tina walked out on stage and did a song or two.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2013 14:43:11 GMT 1
Loved The Office, hated Red Dwarf ;D
Never watched Waiting for God. But the others you mention I liked Claire.
I've tried to watch a few new comedies but they just don't make me laugh at all, apart from Gavin and Stacey.
I also liked Butterflies, Not the Nine O'clock news, The Young Ones, Black Adder and I'm sure I'll think of more........
Not heard of that one allyk
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Post by susanb on Jul 25, 2013 15:13:04 GMT 1
Love Waiting for God! Was lucky enough to catch Stephanie Cole on stage in Quartet when I was in London some years back. (You'll have to get in line Claire, everyone wants to be Diana Trent ) Also loved As Time Goes By, and (in the right mood) Are You Being Served....I found it particularly amusing when I was in retail. For American comedies, loved M*A*S*H, Frasier, Designing Women (the early years), The Odd Couple |
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Post by tintin on Jul 25, 2013 17:44:32 GMT 1
Ally - I think the Bob and Alice thing was a special of a Channel 4 show usually set in a TV News Room (The Day Today?)
I liked (in no particular order) Red Dwarf, Father Ted, Porridge, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Are you Being Served, Hi de Hi and Dad's Army
Phoenix Nights is one of my very favourites. Having worked in clubs all the characters are based on very real types and the humour is spot on.
Of US shows loved MASH, Frasier and Taxi
Not so long back because there was so little on TV I got some sets of DVD's of my favourite US shows when I was a kid.
Happy Days had worn well, Mork and Mindy not so well (bit too juvenile and a bit of a one trick pony), Laverne and Shirley was sort of in the middle. Discovered I still have a big crush on Laverne also having looked after someone with learning difficulties, Aspergers and ADHD Lenny and Squiggy now seemed more like cinema verite than comedy.
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Post by Claire on Jul 25, 2013 17:46:54 GMT 1
Ooh I forgot about Black Adder, the first series when it was less polished but he was much more of a pratt is still my favourite. I remember Butterflies too but that was more of a bitter sweet type of comedy wasn't it? Susan - I think I have more of a chance to push into the Diana Trent queue than most as my Gran was the spitting image of her and had the same feisty no-nonsense persona, so I have it in my genes. (In fact my friend says I am like Diana Trent already only not as nice!  ) Can't wait to start whacking people with my walking stick ;D Ally are you sure that wasn't a real awards ceremony that was cocked up. I seem to remember a notorious one with Samantha Fox as one of the presenters... |
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Post by susanb on Jul 25, 2013 18:10:06 GMT 1
It's been said of me that I've got a tongue that could clip a hedge.....we'll have to fight it out....walking sticks at dawn! ;D ;D ;D (Or maybe I could just be the American edition ) A bit surprised at how short my list of favorites is....there are others I enjoyed: the Norman Lear shows (Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude), The Cosby Show, Night Court, but I think my real first love has always been mysteries! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2013 18:53:04 GMT 1
Picked from tintins list I like
Father Ted, Porridge, Are you Being Served, Hi de Hi, Dad's Army, Phoenix Nights, MASH, Taxi, Happy Days.
Yep Butterflies was a bit bitter sweet.
Just thought of more, The good life, Morecombe and Wise, French and Saunders, spitting image and Only Fools and Horses
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2013 18:54:32 GMT 1
And also The Thin Blue Line. Anyone remember that one?
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Post by kunuma on Jul 25, 2013 19:32:40 GMT 1
Well I did love some of the old BBC sit coms, To the Manor Born, Keeping Up Appearances (Was that BBC??)The Good Life, Fawlty Towers. BUT my big addiction is......, sorry folks,...... American ones!! Mr Ed (of course) Bewitched, Third Rock from the Sun, Golden Girls, Kate and Allie, Everybody Loves Raymond, According to Jim, Friends, Married With Children, Sex and the City. In case anyone is still speaking to me (unlikely at this point I know, I might as well go the whole hog and admit my absolute favourite is Frasier! Forgot M*A*S*H! Mind you, it got less and less like a comedy towards the end! Yep, those are all as old as the hills - modern ones well there's, and there's, um, I can't think of any!!!  |
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Post by Claire on Jul 25, 2013 20:18:37 GMT 1
I've never really been much into American comedies (Sorry US folk!) but I did like the Golden Girls and loved Sex and the City, tho it was more of a comedy-drama than an all out sit com. Altho I thought they let the side of the singleton down when they all got married and turned into boring housey wives - except for Samantha, she is my heroine! May go thru a phase of her before I get to my Diana Trent phase ;D
Can't believe I almost missed out one of my all time favs - Dinner Ladies!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2013 20:39:20 GMT 1
Oo yes the Golden Girls and Dinner Ladies. That reminds me I use to love Acorn Antiques with the lady who sang "smack me on the bottom with a woman's weekly" Darned if I can remember her name!  |
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Post by susanb on Jul 25, 2013 21:09:04 GMT 1
I think I might have made it through one episode of Sex and the City, it just didn't appeal (nor did Friends, another blockbuster here).
I'd forgotten To the Manor Born, loved that one as well...and Chef!
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Post by Claire on Jul 25, 2013 21:45:03 GMT 1
the lady who sang "smack me on the bottom with a woman's weekly" Darned if I can remember her name! Victoria Wood. Talk about a classic line - that song always cracks me up. No Susan I never got along with Friends either, not really sure why I liked S and the City as I don't have much in common with those shoe and relationship obsessed women but i find it curiously addictive. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 6:42:02 GMT 1
That's it! I'm getting terrible at remembering names.  I liked Friends and To the Manor Born but for some reason never got into watching Sex and the City |
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Post by cally on Jul 26, 2013 11:18:25 GMT 1
The Good Life is my favourite TV show of all time and actually influenced my outlook on life and how to live it and still does to this day!
In no particular order, and I'll forget half of them:
Red Dwarf, Miranda, Open All Hours, Porridge, As Time Goes By, The IT Crowd, Black Books, Father Ted, The Mighty Boosh, The Goodies, Last of the Summer Wine, The Young Ones, Black Adder, The Two Ronnies, Only Fools and Horses, The Thick of it, Dad's Army, To the Manor Born...and there's more but I have to go and eat dinner!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 14:27:23 GMT 1
Oh yes The Goodies  That had me in fits as a child, those big ecky thump caps ;D |
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Post by garej on Jul 26, 2013 20:35:24 GMT 1
My favourite is Keeping Up Appearances. I have the 3 tie in books too. I am a member of the Official Keeping Up Appearances forum. And yes KUA is a BBC programme.
I dont like American comedies. I tried watching Friends, and I fell asleep!
I didnt like The Office, I didnt get it at all.
One I love but I havent seen a lot (because it's not shown over here) of is Are You Being Served?
Another one that I liked was a BBC Wales production (so most of you wont remember this) called Satelite City. Fortunately it's on YouTube, so you can at least watch it.
One thing that I notice is that Americans go crazy for our British comedies, they seem to love them if the KUA forum is anything to go by. The Americans dont seem to love one British comedy, they love several.
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Post by Claire on Jul 26, 2013 21:39:54 GMT 1
Oh yes The Goodies That had me in fits as a child, those big ecky thump caps ;D That still has me in fits when I watch the DVDs! I love Kitten Kong when the giant kitten runs amok and the Goodies and the Beanstalk. Great farcical fun! Not sure if the American forum members will have seen The Goodies as its rarely repeated on British TV and so I can't see it being show on US TV. |
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 26, 2013 22:02:46 GMT 1
Not sure if the American forum members will have seen The Goodies as its rarely repeated on British TV and so I can't see it being show on US TV. Never even heard of it (or lots of the shows mentioned here), but then I don't follow tv that closely. British comedies that I have heard of: Black Adder Dad's Army Eastenders Fawlty Towers The Office Monty Python Red Dwarf The only one I've seen any bits of is Monty Python and perhaps a scene from Black Adder on YouTube One's I hadn't heard of before: Acorn Antiques Are you Being Served As Time Goes By Butterflies Father Ted French and Saunders Have I Got News for You Hi de Hi It Ain't Half Hot Mum Keeping Up Appearances Mock the Week Morecombe and Wise Not the Nine O'clock news One Foot in the Grave Only Fools and Horses Open All Hours Porridge Spitting Image The Good Life The Goodies The Young Ones To the Manor Born Waiting for God The British show I've watched the most is probably Dr Who But like I said, I'm probably not the most representative sample as my tv viewing is very limited. As far as comedy shows generating 'buzz' here there's Community, Modern Family and Parks and Rec. I haven't seen enough of Community to form a judgment and haven't seen any of the others. I don't know if Duck Dynasty qualifies as a comedy, but it is also quite huge. Then of course there are the animated shows like South Park, The Simpsons and Family Guy. By FAR the most talked about show is Game of Thrones, which again I haven't seen, but is most definitely NOT a comedy. |
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Post by garej on Jul 26, 2013 23:00:41 GMT 1
Keeping up appearances is shown on PBS in the USA in most states. There's complaints when they don't show it on the kua forum.
Over here kua is shown on yesterday and gold. Waiting for god is repeated regularly on yesterday too. I don't think any of the other British comedies mentioned on this thread with the exception of blackadder and only fools and horses is shown on British tv (eastenders is a drama not a comedy).
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allyk
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Post by allyk on Jul 27, 2013 0:04:44 GMT 1
(eastenders is a drama not a comedy). Well, there you go. The Black Adder clip I watched was for Hugh Laurie. You know, that British accent he does is really fake |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2013 7:05:16 GMT 1
Monty Python, forgot that one. The cartoon bits in that are hilarious, I love the pram who ate people. And the Hells Grannies sketch |
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Post by Claire on Jul 27, 2013 9:01:36 GMT 1
Lol at Eastenders being a comedy - its the most depressing thing on the telly! ;D
Monty Python was good fun - if mad.
A friend and I were talking the other day about how British comedians love to dress up as woman. That one from Monty Python (forgot his name), the 2 Ronnies were always dressing up as women, and then there was Les Dawson. Oh yes and the Irish comedian who plays Mrs Brown.
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Post by cally on Jul 27, 2013 12:18:08 GMT 1
...a British sci fi comedy, fairly recent, starring Miranda Hart and the bearded guy who does lots of stuff with Simon Pegg- please help, not knowing the name is driving me NUTS.
Love / hate 'Keeping up Appearances' but Hyacinth reminds me of my mother with her snobbery.
Catweazle, The Brittas Empire, That Mitchell and Webb Look- especially the Sir Digby Chicken Caesar sketches- dangerously side splitting.
'Horrible Histories' is also brilliant as well as educational.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2013 18:01:33 GMT 1
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Post by cally on Jul 31, 2013 11:39:18 GMT 1
Could be, Rosie- I think the ship was called the S.S Camden Locke and they were trying to sell space in a real estate development technology park?
Also do love Big Bang Theory, Arrested Devt, and some other stuff that I only stumble across now and then. My humour and general inclinations tend towards the Brits though, in books, TV and films though I rarely see films. Reading more Wodehouse at present as I'm having lots of waits in waiting rooms and find myself laughing out loud.
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Post by susanb on Jul 31, 2013 16:23:32 GMT 1
You know, I've never seen Monty Python...but I saw the musical take-off on it, Spamalot (the musical of Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and absolutely loved it....most fun I've had in the theatre in years!
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Post by garej on Jul 31, 2013 17:49:43 GMT 1
I have never seen Monty Python either - before my time! Same for the Goodies
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Post by darenc1 on Aug 22, 2013 23:36:08 GMT 1
I just have to look at my DVD collection to see my favourite comedy series: American Dad! Beavis & Butthead The Cleveland Show Family Guy Father Ted Mongrels Spaced I used to like Red Dwarf, too, but haven't seen it in a long time!! Spaced, of course, is where the world discovered the awesome that is Simon Pegg and Nick Frost! |
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) Can't wait to start whacking people with my walking stick ;D
That had me in fits as a child, those big ecky thump caps ;D
