Is this funny?

Two CONSECUTIVE lines from a show I read or watched the other day.

DENIS:
My mum never has any food in on a Tuesday. Security's tight in Sainsburys, mid-week.

MRS. SMITH:
Of course he can stay, he needs feeding up. If you stood him and Phil side by side people would start taking penalties.

(obviously names have been changed)

Without knowing which show it was, did you laugh?

If you recognise it, please don't post the name, I'm just interested to know how much prejudice and emotional baggage we bring to a script - or not.

The first one was ok, but seems to be the norm now, with chavy sitcoms.

The second is a saying i've heard loads of times.

I didn't really laugh, no. But that's partly because I'm sure I heard that exchange too, and now it's bugging me that I can't remember where.

Second one isn't funny at all. The first one is quite good though.

I think a lot of it depends on performance really. And which character is saying it. I mean is this line funny:

David:
Y'no, play your cards right in a few years time you could be (points to his sit with both hands) in the hotseat.
On paper not funny. When performed brilliantly, yes!

Oh and Godot? Where has the Gavin and Stacey thread gone? I had a delicious quote for you from todays metro!!! x

I thought they were both quite amusing. Not hilarious though.

Sorry Josh - I agree - yours isn't funny at all. Is it a joke?

Quote: Josh Dulaney @ May 21, 2007, 8:10 PM

I think a lot of it depends on performance really. And which character is saying it. I mean is this line funny:

David:
Y'no, play your cards right in a few years time you could be (points to his sit with both hands) in the hotseat.
On paper not funny. When performed brilliantly, yes!

Oh and Godot? Where has the Gavin and Stacey thread gone? I had a delicious quote for you from todays metro!!! x

View original

I would like to second the point your making, I rarely laugh at the written word but preformed well it can come alive.

The Gavin and Stacey thread has been move to the “Other British Comedy”

https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/1801

Let me take this chance to welcome you Josh Welcome

Thanks Barry! I feel welcomed by you. x

Take a line out of any sitcom and you take it out of the context of plot, setting and character. Some lines are only funny because of one of these, or sometimes all three.

I don't know where the examples are from, but I'm guessing that Godot (nice name, btw) is suggesting these lines derived no funniness from plot, setting or character, and could only rely on being inherently funny on their own. In which case neither worked well for me.

Quote: Badge @ May 22, 2007, 12:01 AM

Take a line out of any sitcom and you take it out of the context of plot, setting and character. Some lines are only funny because of one of these, or sometimes all three.

I don't know where the examples are from, but I'm guessing that Godot (nice name, btw) is suggesting these lines derived no funniness from plot, setting or character, and could only rely on being inherently funny on their own. In which case neither worked well for me.

View original

Well they're both jokes, so potentially either or both could make you laugh. Most people seem to like the first one. I wonder if they would like it more if they knew where it was from – or less?

Quote: Josh Dulaney @ May 21, 2007, 8:10 PM

I think a lot of it depends on performance really. And which character is saying it. I mean is this line funny:

David:
Y'no, play your cards right in a few years time you could be (points to his sit with both hands) in the hotseat.
On paper not funny. When performed brilliantly, yes!

Oh and Godot? Where has the Gavin and Stacey thread gone? I had a delicious quote for you from todays metro!!! x

View original

Josh, are you really just the mate of the third asst. director or do you have a stronger connection to the show?

Both a bit obvious, sorry.

I can take a guess at where they came from.

I can also make a suggestion as to where they should have been filed....

Quote: David Chapman @ May 21, 2007, 8:29 PM

I thought they were both quite amusing. Not hilarious though.

Sorry Josh - I agree - yours isn't funny at all. Is it a joke?

View original

It's a line form the office.

The thing about the office is it was turned down originally, so they had to finance a demo to get the BBC to take notice. It's difficult to show something works on paper, it's part of the art of it. I have the Dads' Army scripts, which are phemnominal in that they work straight off the page. Very few works do that, because they lack the intonation and the visual aspect, obviously.

Increasingly you see shows where the writers have had an active input, esp in star/writer shows, because they have the gravitas to be able to say 'this will work if I' or 'we'll do some business here to beef it up'.

If you are outside that loop you have only your script to rely on. Look at Ab Fab, if you read the scripts, forget teh show, they are nothing special. Bt they worked because there was a *lot* of business which was made up during the filming. Some of it was improvised.

However, the trick is, with a new writer, to make the situation 'real'. If you can do that someone at some point will take notice.

Another problem I have noticed is the forcing of gags. For instance, increasingly some shows are having lines which don't belong. I was watching a show earlier today on tape which signposted things really badly.

The art is subtle. If you want to learn how to do subtle, how to signpost things without actually hammering the 'there's a bit coming up about this' watch things like One Foot In The Grave. The signposting is only obvious in hindsight. WHich is why it worked.

Of course, this only really works in one brand of comedy. It's just my opinion.

I agree with Godot though. out of context things rarely work. If they do they are normally catchphrases.

Anyone guess where the lines are from, then? There's a prize.

Ummm complete guess but Two Pints?

Two and a half men has some great lines yet it gets made fun of quite a bit (probably unfairly). e.g. CHARLIE: "If life gives me Lemons I make Lemonade, if you get Lemons you go right ahead and take a big bite of one."

The first line is okay cos it's an actual joke, although the content of it is not to my taste. The second line is pretty rubbish, like something a Mother would say really.

Now tell us what they are from .

How about this line, again I won't say what it's from (this game is quite good) people won't come with distorted views:

Bobby: I really think the reason you and I always fight is that, since we were little, Dad's always played us off each other.

Davey: Dad always said that was your fault.

Looks like we have ourselves a new competition, lol.