British Comedy Guide

How Not To Live Your Life - Series 1 Page 7

Quote: jdubya @ August 13 2008, 1:05 PM BST

A lot of suspender belts.

Two different characters flashing theirs suspender belts and calling the lead a sex god. Must be nice to write your own material and have the sexiest women you can find act out your fantasies for you.

I tried it with she who must be delayed but she's not interested in carp fishing.

Quote: chipolata @ August 13 2008, 11:58 AM BST

I thought this was pretty bad. Dan Clarke seemed thoroughly unlikeable and I doubt very much whether I'm going to want to spend the next six weeks in his company. The central conceit was mildly intriguiing, but it's been done before in Run Lola Run and Shaun of the Dead. All in all a charmless show with a charmless central character.

Re his being unlikeable, that was the whole point of the show. As his Nan said, he's a dickhead. I think that the draw is probably meant to be what the others have to go through?

Quote: Marc P @ August 13 2008, 1:15 PM BST

Two different characters flashing theirs suspender belts and calling the lead a sex god.

Two? I only noticed the (incredibly sexy) boss. Who else was that naked?

Quote: Aaron @ August 13 2008, 1:16 PM BST

Re his being unlikeable, that was the whole point of the show. As his Nan said, he's a dickhead. I think that the draw is probably meant to be what the others have to go through?

Two? I only noticed the (incredibly sexy) boss. Who else was that naked?

She wasn't naked but the sequence in the bar with another woman. 'I think you are a prick but I want to have sex with you' bit. She leapt on his lap and flashed her suspenders.

I don't know why, but I am a comedy purist, I notice these details.

:)

That was just his imagination though wasn't it?

Quote: Aaron @ August 13 2008, 1:16 PM BST

Re his being unlikeable, that was the whole point of the show. As his Nan said, he's a dickhead. I think that the draw is probably meant to be what the others have to go through?

But there has to be something you care about. For example David Brent is a dick head but there is something so sad and deluded about him, you end up caring.

Jill in Nighty Night is a truly awful person, but she's pantomine and bad that you want to see what happens to her - even if it's her comeuppance.

I didn't feel anything for this character.

So far, I only like his character becasue he was funny (most of the time) I don't feel sorry for him yet, or care about him for any other reasons. Maybe that'll come along after the first episode.

Quote: zooo @ August 13 2008, 1:24 PM BST

That was just his imagination though wasn't it?

It's all his imagination Zooo, he's the writer. I think the boundaries got blurred in his own mind. Lol.

:)

Laughing out loud

Noo, I just mean, of course in the character's imagination every woman would find him sexy, it's only one woman who has actually said he was sexy.

Yes and he had her wearing clothing from Agent Provacteur (ahem) when she said it. I mean fair play to the man.

:)

Definitely.

Quote: Aaron @ August 13 2008, 1:16 PM BST

Re his being unlikeable, that was the whole point of the show. As his Nan said, he's a dickhead. I think that the draw is probably meant to be what the others have to go through?

Unlikeable characters have a long and honourable tradition in the British sitcom, and you could argue that some of our greatest creations have been pretty challenging individuals (Partridge, Brent, Rigsby). However, they were all three dimesional rounded characters whom we came to care about through brilliant writing and performances, that showed us the pathos behind the horror.

This guy's just a two-dimesional arse, and I don't particularly want to spend any more time with him over the coming weeks. Sure, the show was snappy and moved along at a zippy pace, but there was no depth to it. It was all flash and no substance. In other words, another duffer from BBC Three.

Like I say, maybe in the next few episodes we'll see more three dimensional...ness to him.

Quote: zooo @ August 13 2008, 2:11 PM BST

Like I say, maybe in the next few episodes we'll see more three dimensional...ness to him.

Oooh, zooo, such an innocent young girl. What are we going to do with you? ;)

Let her watch comedy without being a big pre-judgemental poo?

Well, this IS the first sitcom I've ever watched.

Share this page