It's time to stop baiting each other now, please.
Either discuss the original thesis of the "death" of comedy in Britain or vacate the thread. Easy peasy.
The Death of British Comedy Page 10
It's not each other, they hunt in packs
Quote: Aaron @ 13th February 2022, 6:26 PMIt's time to stop baiting each other now, please.
Either discuss the original thesis of the "death" of comedy in Britain or vacate the thread. Easy peasy.
Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 13th February 2022, 6:38 PMIt's not each other, they hunt in packs
Now that made me laugh 
Like being savaged by a pack of chihuahua's until they're told to stop and sent off to bed!
Ah yes, I see my new thread has been moved to: https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/36521/ I suspect that will attract the same characters though.
Original poster said " Perhaps it's just me, but I find the non-judgemental PC scripts of today utterly boring and devoid of any humour. Your thoughts?"
Comedy is subjective but I actually agree in part with this.
Pilot episode: poor Rupert hasn't had sex for ages, as he can only perform with his signed photo of Steve Bannon next to the bed, which gives his wife nightmares.
He chats up a gorgeous bit of totty, as he calls it, in his local pub, only to find whilst groping her in the car park that she's a pre-op transexual!! Recoiling in horror, he falls and knocks himself out.
Coming to in hospital, he makes a nuisance of himself by demanding proof of the nurses' heterosexuality and non-Marxist leanings before allowing them to touch him. He's on the point of being discharged when he comes down with Covid caught from someone in the pub. He's a non-Vaxxer of course, and has an amusing argument with the doctor about the reality of the virus, and can they treat him with bleach and worming tablets, before he gets a lot worse and is rushed to intensive care. In a further twist, the doctor is revealed to be bisexual and a Labour Party member.
Will our hero survive? Of course. Will he have learned from his experience? Of course not, or it wouldn't be a sitcom.
Maybe horses were just further away in the old days...
To be fair it's not even a real thesis as it proposes that all comedy has to be viewed on 'Mainstream TV' Which is not the case as it completely ignores the level of comedy on the internet which is not censored . Nor does it take into account the the theatre which again is uncensored in the main? From what I can gather this is the collected thoughts of someone who doesn't like whats on The BBC after they've had their dinner.
Quote: beaky @ 13th February 2022, 7:01 PMPilot episode: poor Rupert hasn't had sex for ages, as he can only perform with his signed photo of Steve Bannon next to the bed, which gives his wife nightmares.
He chats up a gorgeous bit of totty, as he calls it, in his local pub, only to find whilst groping her in the car park that she's a pre-op transexual!! Recoiling in horror, he falls and knocks himself out.
Coming to in hospital, he makes a nuisance of himself by demanding proof of the nurses' heterosexuality and non-Marxist leanings before allowing them to touch him. He's on the point of being discharged when he comes down with Covid caught from someone in the pub. He's a non-Vaxxer of course, and has an amusing argument with the doctor about the reality of the virus, and can they treat him with bleach and worming tablets, before he gets a lot worse and is rushed to intensive care. In a further twist, the doctor is revealed to be bisexual and a Labour Party member.
Will our hero survive? Of course. Will he have learned from his experience? Of course not, or it wouldn't be a sitcom.
Now, now. You were told to stop all this weren't you.
I got carried away and didn't see the edict. I've now stopped. Did it make you chuckle?
Quote: Rupert Bear @ 13th February 2022, 5:54 PMRemember when comedy was comedy? Probably not, but people were getting Knighthoods for their contributions, I'm thinking Billy Connelly, Ken Dodd, Lenny Henry ... These people were household names on the level of pop-stars. They had a talent that couldn't be copied and that's because they were left alone to get on with it without political interference.
And now? Obviously those of us here are nowhere near that level, but I'm looking at the Critique thread and among the dozen I've read I haven't found one that even made me smile. To each his own, but if you have to be careful what you say it's not going to work. My opinion is my own, feel free to disagree but please don't equate today's comedians with the greats that went before them.
Your personal thoughts towards me are of no interest to me. Below this thread is another one I've just started. Maybe you find it funny, maybe not, but honestly, I couldn't care less.
Now a question for you. Find me one world famous comedian that hails from a society where free speech is restricted.
I promise I have nothing against you personally (though your "abomination" statement didn't set me jumping for joy) I just think that your arguments are flawed and poorly expressed.
But, I do appreciate the response above, though I'm afraid I still don't find your logic entirely convincing.
Firstly, the Critique section of this message board, whee amateurs toss around new ideas is not really a barometer of British comedy, so we'll ignore that.
It's interesting that you note that comedians were once as famous as pop stars. Funny thing is, pop stars now aren't as famous as pop stars were - Kanye West and Billy Eilish are a fraction as influential as Madonna, Prince or Freddie Mercury once were (excuse the abomination-adjacent references). I think all you're describing is the fragmentation of culture and the end of the shared reference (I actually think that this makes comedy harder to write, but I think the effect is incidental).
Touching on knighthoods, I'm not sure it's hugely relevant. Firstly, it's not my litmus test for importance, but also Lenny Henry got his in 2015, 30 years since he was famous. Tony Robinson around the same time. We'd need to wait until at least 2030 to find an equivalency in the cases of Stewart Lee or Bob Mortimer.
But more significantly, I feel you're naive to think that comedians in the past were free to say precisely what they wanted. Ignoring the fact that swearing and explicit sexual references are now OKand were once stringently controlled - compare a Connelly routine from the 70s and the 00s for proof - but also religion and other morally sensitive areas were once off-limits, at least where things were recorded...in some ways, the real change in today's world,regarding sensitivity and censorship, is that everything is recorded, or at least we act as if it might be. Different things are taboo now, but this is not proof that taboo is a new thing.
Your final challenge is interesting. Of course, in countries where free speech is significantly curtailed, we inevitably get very little culture filtering through. But, more importantly, I can't really name you any comedians from foreign non-Anglophone nations without oppressive regimes, because of the nature of the art. Don't ask me my favourite Belgian comedian, for example. So, I guess this won't help us solve this issue.
As it happens, I'm no cheerleader for lots of things in our current society, but I still don't believe they are generally the reason why you don't like comedies now as much asBlackadder.
Quote: beaky @ 13th February 2022, 7:15 PMI got carried away and didn't see the edict. I've now stopped. Did it make you chuckle?
It certainly did. Was it a lucky guess, or are we on the same wavelength? Is it true then that trolls only come out when its dark and hunt in packs? Don't worry, your friends will be back with their gibberish when they think the coast is clear.
Having read some of their attempts at humour, I'm not surprised they've given up and taken to trolling. I expect great things from you beaky, don't dissapoint me (attempts a cynical smile).
Oddly enough for a lefty, I have lots of right wing friends. I gently try to point out the error of their ways, but in vain...
NB for some context, I love Billy Connelly, though oddly I find him better from the 90s onwards, and not in his apparent heyday. Ken Dodd is not for me, though I admire the artistry. I've never found Lenny Henry very funny, actually - the only time he"s made me laugh a lot as an adult was a crap jokes to a funk rhythm thing one one of the Secret Policeman's Balls.
Often what some describe as a 'Pack' normally transpires to be nothing more than a general consensus, which they are unable to compute. I think that your initial post is fraught with inaccuracies and shows scant understanding of the subject. This is my honest opinion and its part of my independent thought process and is not in conjunction or collusion with other parties.