British Comedy Guide

Alma's Not Normal Page 4

Only me.not since the second series of pulling have I most anticipated the return of a sitcom.It really has been two and a half series since Alma finished and I saw the Bolton press pictures of this being filmed last September.

I'm probably repeating myself again but this came on my telly the other night, so I stayed with it as long as I could. How is this commissioned and listed in the press as a sitcom? I ask. It's far more drama than comedy and saturated in adult content and depressing storylines. She is clearly a far more natural actor than most stand-ups handed their own sitcoms with little scrutiny of how good it reads on paper but that can't make up for the heavy storylines and shouting matches to rival Eastenders on a bad day.

☹️ There he is.

She has said it's basically her life story.
She has pushed humour into a very sad upbringing.
Write what you know they say.

Yeah I get it and her and all that, and realise a lot of folk like this stuff, that's fine, but don't call it a sitcom when it ain't and potentially stop truer sitcoms being shown in the same slot is all I'm saying. Do your stuff, but call it something else like 'meta dramedy' so as not to confuse more set in their ways people like me.

Anyone else noticed that since she won an award for this she seems to have totally dumped it to do anything else but it. Series 2 was filmed end of last year and it's been off TV for a whole three series now. Some of the stuff she has done has been pure reality panel show throw away junk stuff too. Smacks of don't forget your roots Sophie love.

Loved this sitcom and thoroughly enjoyed her on Taskmaster

Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 15th August 2024, 10:31 AM

Loved this sitcom and thoroughly enjoyed her on Taskmaster

Agreed. She's great. Certainly hasn't abandoned her roots.

She's rapidly going to go like Roisin Conaty, once her sitcom is over she will be on celebrity catchphrase before she's 40.

Nothing wrong with her either
Not sure why the gap between the two series of Alma means she must have abandoned her roots.

Quote: tonecapone @ 15th August 2024, 9:03 PM

She's rapidly going to go like Roisin Conaty,......................

I have to admit, I didn't like her at first, but then she seemed to get funnier, especially on 8 out of 10 etc.

She reminds me of what Jessica knappett did after drifters ended , just going on anything for a quick cash grab and a bit of media attention.Nothing personal against her I mean I really liked her to start with but some of the corny low rent stuff she has done since her series ended has really put me off her.So iam not rooting much for series 2 as enthusiasticly as i was.Others like Diane Morgan and Julia Davis just seem to have more integrity and have focused more on writing their own things.

I don't think I've ever seen Sophie R in anything other than Taskmaster and Alma.
I don't remember seeing Roisin or Jessica K in anything I'd consider rubbish either.
We should remember anyway that all these people work for a living and often need to take whatever work they can get. Diane M does plenty of voice-over work on adverts, for example, not to criticise her either.
I doubt Sophie R is super-rich. It's precisely because of her poor background that she needs to take work.
And why you are exclusively attacking female comedians with this stuff?

Sophie is one of the cast in Ludwig, which begins next month.

I think there's very little credence being given by tone to the wider processes of TV. Even a return series, never mind a first, can take years to come to screen, for any number of reasons.

Remember back in 2005 just after max and paddy and cutting his writers out when solo taking an award for phoenix nights , thus falling out with them and never write anything again with them Neil fitzmaurice said of Peter kay fame affects different people in different ways.What irks me is just that when someone starts slowly becomes credible than rapidly dashes it on anything that resembles the opening of an envelope just to get on TV.The oversaturated thing becomes grating and you just cant watch them no more.the main ones I instantly turn off now are Peter kay , Alexander Armstrong and defiantly romesh though years ago i was a fan off them.Oh well the career trajectory is now if it does not work out the bbc will give you your own cheesy quiz show.Which i really hope sophie does not do.

The case of Peter Kay is quite different from all the other people you mention.
Are there any comedians at all who have ever lived up to your lofty ideals?

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