Plowman Making Points
He makes some good points.
"...'People aren't going to be buying boxed sets of Casualty this Christmas.
‘So why is there so little new comedy? Why is it treated so badly by broadcasters? Why is it funded so badly?
‘The common perception is the comedy isn't as good as it used to be. Is it because the talent are not being given the chance, not given enough practice? If you don't put any comedy on, we won't get any better at it.' "
And I think that new comedy shows that do get made aren't given a good chance either. It'll either be put on at stupid o'clock, up against something like Jonathan Ross (that's you Channel4) and - like drama - if the first series doesn't go well, that's it and the show is dumped for ever. I guess everyone knows about how badly Only Fools did at first, but the BBC persevered. I can't imagine that happening now.
There's plenty of time available for comedy on the schedules if there was less soap - the quality of which have dramatically dropped in converse proportion to the number of episodes a week there now is.
Personally I also think the nation needs more comedy (in all its forms; light-hearted, gentle, silly, dark, clever). It makes us all better, happier people.
*Nods in agreement*
Jon Plowman has the most annoying and most punchable face I think I've ever laid eyes on. I'm not usually a violent person, but I seriously want to do him some harm.
He makes some good points but isn't somebody always making these points? It seems to me that every six months, probably less, a big comedy cheese comes out and says we need more comedy, more funding for comedy, blah, blah, blah...
And although Casulaty doesn't sell many boxsets, dramas like Ashes to Ashes, 24 and Lost do. Not to mention the vast numbers of films sold on DVD. And, I hate to say it, if John Plowman had made better fist of being Head of Comedy, and actually produced more quality populist shows, then maybe the comedy landscape would be in better shape at the moment.
Quote: Eat_My_Shirts @ September 18 2008, 3:34 PM BSTJon Plowman has the most annoying and most punchable face I think I've ever laid eyes on. I'm not usually a violent person, but I seriously want to do him some harm.
Michael Jacob's face is almost exactly the same.
I agree with Jon Plowman completely, sitcom is dying although it will never be totally dead. It's not right that the only sitcom I'm looking forward to is Gavin & Stacy at Christmas which is a few months away with nothing really in between.
What does frustrate me is that the BBC, ITV etc etc always moan about not having enough comedy on TV nowadays, thats not our fault, but their lack of faith in taking a chance on new writers.
I'd rather see money go to a new writer being given a shot rather than the BBC spending it on "Golden handshake deals" with people like Matt Lucas and David Walliams who haven't done anything since they signed a big money deal with the BBC.
Maybe we're all comedied out and there's no where else to go.
All TV is worse than it was and has to be since the profileration of stuff to watch. Some corkers every now and then though.
Totally agree with the double D's take on soap and it's exponential decline. More worrying is the stranding of drama across the prime time schedules and the soapification of it... like Holby, The Bill etc.
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ September 18 2008, 3:20 PM BSTThere's plenty of time available for comedy on the schedules if there was less soap - the quality of which have dramatically dropped in converse proportion to the number of episodes a week there now is.
I agree with everything except the above. The quality of soap has always been as low as it's possible to get. How can it drop?
Dan
Quote: Marc P @ September 18 2008, 3:46 PM BSTAll TV is worse than it was and has to be since the profileration of stuff to watch. Some corkers every now and then though.
Totally agree with the double D's take on soap and it's exponential decline. More worrying is the stranding of drama across the prime time schedules and the soapification of it... like Holby, The Bill etc.
But isn't the bottom line viewers? We all whine about wanting more variety and risk taking in our programmes, but when they do it, we just don't watch. So you can't blame broadcasters for falling back on the relative safety of drama-soaps like Holby and The Bill.
Well the point is The Bill and Holby didn't use to be drama soaps they used to be dramas and got good figures - better figures than they do now.
When Eastenders was only twice a week I remember one episode getting over twenty two million viewers.
If the BBC can't meet the requirements of the charter, it will have it taken away from them. And soapifying isn't the way to go.
Quote: swerytd @ September 18 2008, 3:48 PM BSTI agree with everything except the above. The quality of soap has always been as low as it's possible to get. How can it drop?
Dan
Lol. It really has. I used to love Eastenders, watched it from the first episode. I'd watched Corrie since I was a child. Same with Brookie but never liked Emmerdale. They all have good and bad patches but something happened a few years ago when the number of episodes went up and I haven't watched any since. Well that and the fact I don't have the time to keep up with them. I saw an interview recently with one of the younger members of the Corrie cast who was asked what it was like acting with the Duckworths. She said they told her off for doing dramatic pauses; she was told there was "no time for all that acting lark".
Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes has been successful critically and ratings-wise, yet didn't the original script sit in a drawer for 7 years because no one would touch it? Wonder how many other equally good scripts are sitting in drawers right now and probably will never get made because the writer will eventually give up on the idea....? (well I have one or two for starters 
)
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ September 18 2008, 3:59 PM BSTLol. It really has. I used to love Eastenders, watched it from the first episode. I'd watched Corrie since I was a child. Same with Brookie but never liked Emmerdale. They all have good and bad patches but something happened a few years ago when the number of episodes went up and I haven't watched any since. Well that and the fact I don't have the time to keep up with them. I saw an interview recently with one of the younger members of the Corrie cast who was asked what it was like acting with the Duckworths. She said they told her off for doing dramatic pauses; she was told there was "no time for all that acting lark".
Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes has been successful critically and ratings-wise, yet didn't the original script sit in a drawer for 7 years because no one would touch it? Wonder how many other equally good scripts are sitting in drawers right now and probably will never get made because the writer will eventually give up on the idea....? (well I have one or two for starters
Come on Dolly... what have you got in your drawers?
Quote: Dolly Dagger @ September 18 2008, 3:59 PM BSTLol. It really has. I used to love Eastenders, watched it from the first episode. I'd watched Corrie since I was a child. Same with Brookie but never liked Emmerdale. They all have good and bad patches but something happened a few years ago when the number of episodes went up and I haven't watched any since. Well that and the fact I don't have the time to keep up with them. I saw an interview recently with one of the younger members of the Corrie cast who was asked what it was like acting with the Duckworths. She said they told her off for doing dramatic pauses; she was told there was "no time for all that acting lark".
Even being made to read about four or five different soaps in one paragraph, I felt my brain numbing and slowly atrophying to nothing...
Unfortunately, the credit crunch will soon hit and broadcasters will fill the airwaves with the cheapest TV they can. Which means 24x7 soap/reality shows.
Who's for group suicide?
Dan
I think it was the 'idea' rather than the actual script.