Do you think sitcoms are relevant these days? You know, the Butterflies type, like 'My Family'. I personally find My Family quite funny but a little empty considering the scope of it, same old 2.4 children issues. Also most sitcoms these days seem to resort to purile fantasy such as Green Wing (bloody hilarious!) but is it what you really want? Would you prefer a gentler aproach, more well written than surreal? Or is the world too screwed up to take a gentle aproach anymore?!
I never get tired of a good sitcom. True they often push the same formulae, but if they're good, it can work well. After all, if they're funny, if they entertain, then they've served their purpose. Red Dwarf has to be one of my all time favourite sit coms - space with no aliens, great setting. The last human a Liverpudlian, awesome. Imagine Paulfreespirit being the last human alive On the other hand there are a lot of really crap sit coms out there where I can see the situation, but can't see any comedy. Two Pint of No Laughter and a Packet of Piss being a good bad example.
Most current comedy produced is not funny. One of my best friends is a comedy writer, he has just finished recording a show with Rik Mayall which i'm looking forward to, but he's been TOLD by the head producers at the Beeb that he cannot use funny names for his characters, because it "positively screams Oxbridge". What hope have writers got if their potential producers put restrictions on them? And who the hell are THEY to say what is funny or not? Particularly when they are pumping out the shit they are, like Little Miss Jocelyn, Catherine Tate, Little Britain, My Hero, Titty Bang Bang, etc ad nauseum. Armando Iannucci recently did a tour where he discusses the death of comedy, and obviously it is ironic in part, as he is hilarious, but it has a very pertinent point to make. TV bigwigs are not interested in comedy currently, and if they are, it's the cheap, lazy comedy that proliferates our screens at the moment. There are a couple of exceptions, but very few. This is terrible. As for sitcoms, ignore these "death of the sitcom" programmes that are so trendy at the moment, the ONLY thing that matters about comedy is whether it is funny or not.
Nothing wrong with screaming Oxbridge But I can't imagine Rik Mayall being called anything other than Rick, Richey, Richard Richard, or Richey Rich, so at least his character's sorted. I love Little Britain, I think it's brilliant. I wouldn't say the name Catherine Talentless Tate in the same breath though....
Oh, sorry, went on a bit of a rant there..! To actually answer your question, i think UK Gold and all those satellite and freeview stations prove there is still a market for the more gentle sitcom. As is the fact that Last of the Wine is still going strong, amazingly. I personally am more than happy with them. I just think it's a damning indictment of modern comedy that repeats of Dads Army and Hi De Hi are the funniest things on tv currently.
I read an article he wrote in his role as Oxford's "visiting professor of broadcast media". He has a good point ... in the olden days popular comedy was often actually really good. Or to put it another way, good comedy was actually popular. Reggie Perrin, Fawlty Towers ... these were primetime shows, and they were really original and different. There haven't been really brave new ideas in primetime sitcom for years, maybe not since the 70s? Now the only really decent sitcom writing is hidden away in "cult" slots. Some great stuff on BBC3 in the last few years for instance - "The Mighty Boosh", "15 Storeys High". "Extras" on BBC2, that could be primetime BBC1 couldn't it? Is it because they aren't prepared to take risks in primetime, or have we got so clever and ironic that the only decent comedy being written will only have a tiny audience? One exception maybe - The Royle Family - popular and good? Discuss...
I like Matt Lucas, and Rock Profiles was good, but Little Britain is awful..!! It's the same show repeated over and over and over for 4 series's, and all the jokes are "look how bad taste we are!". Just my opinion of course, you are just as entitled to yours.
That sit coms don't tend to make prime time may, in part at least, be due their content these days. Fawlty Towers was pretty tame - but shows now have enough swearing and adult content that it would be difficult to get them on before the watershed I'd have thought.
I think to be honest that it's just a reflection of fewer people watching TV in general, plus all the choice available to those who do watch tv. The days of 16 million viewing figures have gone, except in unusual circumstances, but the TV bosses don't seem willing to admit that. As for the Royale Family, well i've never seen that many, but i've chuckled at a few of the ones i have seen, i'd hardly say it was the comedy revelation that these "100 greatest..." talking heads list programmes would have you believe.
I agree with the swearing thing, it seems that in order to get your show aired you have to shock people into laughter instead of gradually building up to a crescendo of hilarity. Most people now-a-days need instant gratification, no patience. The Mighty Boosh is a fine show and stands on it's own as being surreal, yet gentle in its approach. I saw them live on stage not so long ago and they made me roar with laughter; it was a bit more 'blue' than the TV stuff but they are true performers. More of that please!
