British Comedy Guide

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme Page 2

Quote: gappy @ September 3 2013, 10:08 PM BST

I found that quite trying, to be honest - well done, but took a very long time to dissect a pretty easy target.

Easy target, perhaps, but a very deserving one, which is why I liked it. I suppose my enjoyment of the sketch was proportional to the amount I detest that sort of drama.

Quote: Nogget @ September 4 2013, 11:48 AM BST

Easy target, perhaps, but a very deserving one, which is why I liked it. I suppose my enjoyment of the sketch was proportional to the amount I detest that sort of drama.

I won't argue that it wasn't immaculately written, it just felt about twice as long as it should have been, and never as funny as the opening line about "Saying The Plot". And he'd kind of already nailed radio drama with the Archers sketch in series one (which sadly now seems to be off YouTube, so I can't check).

Just listened to episode 2 of the new series. Very funny and extremely cleverly thought out and put together.

Finnemore = quality assured.

Never heard of this or him and missed this thread before. I'll try to look out for it. Is it on iPlayer?

Quote: Chappers @ 25th October 2014, 10:14 PM BST

Never heard of this or him and missed this thread before. I'll try to look out for it. Is it on iPlayer?

:O Never heard of Cabin Pressure?

Yes, Souvenir Program is on iPayer. He came on here to ask for a name for his show.

https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/21632/

Just listened to ep 1. A wee bit slow to start, but I loved Snap and Don't Vote. Quite sweet when the audience cheered the Weird Tales intro music.

Quote: gappy @ 26th October 2014, 6:11 PM GMT

Just listened to ep 1. A wee bit slow to start, but I loved Snap and Don't Vote. Quite sweet when the audience cheered the Weird Tales intro music.

Just listened to the same episode as you Gappy and thought the same thing. I've enjoyed various bits of it over the years. It's unashamedly intelligent with a biting edge: classic Radio 4 really.

It's just really good writing that makes it work, isn't it? I'm not sure JF has the vibrant imagination of, say, a Peter Cook or a Python or lots of writers for Not The 9.00 News, but he is fantastic at shaping his scripts into a formthat outshines the concept beneath them.

Snap was a dumbarse premise made hilarious by just the right number of repetitions/variations on the one joke; Don't Vote was a ruthlessly thorough deconstruction of one truism. Neither would have been anywhere near as good without the literary chops and logical approach to expand on the ideas so that he can milk every drop of comedy from the set-up.

Epsiode 5 is definitely the ebst of the series, really funny.

Sometimes I wish that Finnermore could write a sketch that wasn't based on ruthlessly applied logic and could find a point to make other than "cliches can be a bit annoying", but that aside it's pretty impeccable stuff. In some ways he's like Douglas Adams - I listen to his stuff thinking "I made that point, and nobvody listened. I essentially wrote that sketch, how come my version seemed embarassingly obvious and yours appears insightful?" >_<

Wat oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed in a nutshell, I suppose.

Quote: gappy @ 13th November 2014, 8:10 PM GMT

Epsiode 5 is definitely the ebst of the series, really funny.

Sometimes I wish that Finnermore could write a sketch that wasn't based on ruthlessly applied logic and could find a point to make other than "cliches can be a bit annoying", but that aside it's pretty impeccable stuff. In some ways he's like Douglas Adams - I listen to his stuff thinking "I made that point, and nobvody listened. I essentially wrote that sketch, how come my version seemed embarassingly obvious and yours appears insightful?" >_<

Wat oft was thought, but ne'er so well expressed in a nutshell, I suppose.

I found episode 5 the worst, possibly because I read your post first, and was expecting something amazing! :P But for me, the store detective sketch just wasn't funny, and the fact that they kept revisiting it just annoyed and bored me. The rest of the series has been great though. The episode where they offended Belgium is my favourite so far. :)

I've only heard two or three snippets but I have to say I found it very twaddly and not to my taste at all. I like comedy with heart over head. Give me Benny Hill Time over this anyday. Sorry :(

I'm not a huge Beny Hill fan, I must admit, but I know exactly what you mean, Finnemore is definitely all brain and no viscera.

I also agree the store detective bit was strung out, but it was worth it for the fake sponsorhip announcements, they cracked me up.

All hail Finnemore! Series 3 and 4 not as good as first 2, but whatever. Still my favourite sketch show.

Love this sketch - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00xq26x (me loving this sketch says plenty about me).

Finnemore is a comedy god.

I just hope that he continues writing comedy, and doesn't do what Stephen Fry did, giving it up for presenting/acting/general national treasure duties.

Share this page