Modern British Comedy...

I've got to be honest with you, in my opinion most of the stuff that people are coming out with nowadays is cringe worthy, don't get me wrong the majority is great, but things such as The Inbetweeners and Coming Of Age is god-awful.

I hate how every story line revolves around amateur sex jokes. Does anyone else agree with me on this that comedy doesn't go anywhere nowadays like it used to? For instance, Fawlty Towers, Only Fools, etc will be remembered forever. Two Pints Of Lager... forgotten about the second it stops airing.

Where did it go wrong?

Edited by Aaron.

Quote: Tom Cartin @ October 28 2008, 4:55 PM BST

in my opinion most of the stuff that people are coming out with nowadays is cringe worthy, don't get me wrong the majority is great,

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Contradiction there?

You know what I mean...

Edited by Aaron.

Quote: Tom Cartin @ October 28 2008, 4:55 PM BST

I've got to be honest with you, in my opinion most of the stuff that people are coming out with nowadays is cringe worthy, don't get me wrong the majority is great, but things such as The Inbetweeners and Coming Of Age is god-awful.

I hate how every story line revolves around amateur sex jokes. Does anyone else agree with me on this that comedy doesn't go anywhere nowadays like it used to? For instance, Fawlty Towers, Only Fools, etc will be remembered forever. Two Pints Of Lager... forgotten about the second it stops airing.

Where did it go wrong?

Edited by Aaron.

View original

It's true.

I don't think you'll find many people here that agree with you about the Inbetweeners...

And er, you might want to sort your grammar and use of capital letters out before Aaron comes a knocking.

Well I'm not gonna really go into it, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I just can't laugh at that show. It just seems like a 3 year old with an extreme knowledge of sex wrote the first thing that came to his mind. Acting and all, it's not good (in my opinion).

Edited by Aaron.

I never watched 'the Inbetweeners'. I kept seeing the adverts though, and they looked OK.

I keep meaning to catch The Inbetweeners.

I don't think modern comedy is that hot. The only current things I REALLY like are 'The IT Crowd' and 'Harry and Paul'.

If you don't like it, all you can do is try and write something that you think is funny.

Quote: Tom Cartin @ October 28 2008, 5:13 PM BST

Well I'm not gonna really go into it, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I just can't laugh at that show. It just seems like a 3 year old with an extreme knowledge of sex wrote the first thing that came to his mind. Acting and all, it's not good (in my opinion).

Edited by Aaron.

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Hmm, certainly everyone can't like the same things!

Isn't there any modern comedy you like?

Quote: zooo @ October 28 2008, 5:23 PM BST

Isn't there any modern comedy you like?

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The IT Crowd, first two series of The Mighty Boosh, Spaced. I guess that because writers target teen audiences it automatically makes them think that filthy sex jokes are all that they find funny.

Edited by Aaron.

Isn't Coming Of Age for teenagers though? And as such there's bound to be smutty jokes....that's what kids thrive on, don't you remember?

I'm 16.

Edited by Aaron.

Are you a virgin? Only virgins don't find sex funny.

Edited by Aaron.

Quote: Nick Rivers @ October 28 2008, 6:16 PM BST

Are you a virgin? Only virgins don't find sex funny.

Edited by Aaron.

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All the virgins I slept with found it extremely funny.

Quote: Tom Cartin @ October 28 2008, 4:55 PM BST

I've got to be honest with you, in my opinion most of the stuff that people are coming out with nowadays is cringe worthy, don't get me wrong the majority is great, but things such as The Inbetweeners and Coming Of Age is god-awful.

I hate how every story line revolves around amateur sex jokes. Does anyone else agree with me on this that comedy doesn't go anywhere nowadays like it used to? For instance, Fawlty Towers, Only Fools, etc will be remembered forever. Two Pints Of Lager... forgotten about the second it stops airing.

Where did it go wrong?

Edited by Aaron.

View original

Well for one thing, IMHO Inbetweeners is a beautifully-written, brilliantly-performed comedy and I don't really have a bad word to say about it. As for Coming Of Age I've not seen much of it yet and I suspect it's probably not for me, but I do know it's there to serve a particular audience, and as long as the viewing figures hold up, that means somebody's enjoying it.

Also your comments about your dislike for sex jokes are fair enough, but then you hold up "Fawlty" and "Fools" as paragons of virtue which they definitely weren't. They had their fair share of bawdiness too. How about the "Flowery Twats" sign in Fawlty? Or "Farty Towels"? Or the episode where Basil fondles that blonde's tit by accident? Or in "Fools" where Del and Rodders get into the scrape with the blow-up sex dolls? Or you can go further back to Steptoe and Son where it turns out that Harold's Dad used to be in porn movies, or the one where Harold's trying to get his leg over some big-titted blonde but Albert keeps screwing it up for him...all sex jokes. Sex is funny, period. (Although periods AREN'T funny. Period.)

And when you ask "Where did it all go wrong?" I'm assuming you mean British comedy in general. But you're forgetting fantastic recent shows that WILL go down in history as classics such as The Office, Peep Show, League Of Gents, Father Ted, Royle Family, Pheonix Nights, Partridge...

I personally think Britcom's been in pretty f**king good shape in recent years.