jak ohara
Thursday 4th December 2008 4:02am [Edited]
7 posts
this is my essay so far... feel free to rip me apart..
To what extent does Peep Show challenge the conventions of a traditional British sitcom?
In this essay I plan to ask myself how Peep Show challenges the conventions of a traditional British sitcom. The definition of a Sitcom is:
‘A humorous radio or television series featuring the reactions of a regular cast of characters to unusual situations, such as misunderstandings or embarrassing coincidences'
www.digitaldeliftp.com/FTPSite/ftp_genre.html
By looking at this definition I want to understand what it is that puts Peep show and traditional British Sitcoms such as ‘Faulty Towers' and ‘Only Fools And Horses' into the same category and also what it is that makes them so different. I will also look at what makes a sitcom traditional compared to sitcoms of today.
The peep show is directed by Becky Martin and written by Andrew O'Connor, Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, David Mitchell and Robert Webb it was originally aired on E4 but found its way to Channel 4 and has been lucky enough to win several awards including a BAFTA.
The show is about Mark and Jez that are a couple of twenty-something roommates who have nothing in common - except for the fact that their lives are anything but normal. Mayhem ensues as the pair strives to cope with day-to-day life.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387764/
Mark played by David Mitchell is the more sensible of the two main characters. Mark owns the flat that he and Jeremy live in and is a lot more careful in how he plans and executes things but at times can also have moments of impulse and erratic behavior. Mark looks for Jeremy for social guidance even though his aware of intellectual inferiority he seems to be plagued by paranoia on how other perceive him, and doubts over weather his actions are normal.
Jeremy also known as "Jez" played by Robert Webb is "work shy freeloader" that has not had a job for most of the series. He aspires to a musician and also enjoys recreational drugs, as well as casual sex. At times he can be spiteful, obnoxious and selfish and he considers himself to be attractive and desirable among others.
Peep show is broadcasted on Channel four at 10.30pm from this time slot I can gather that its audience is aimed at the more older youths of around 15-30. I give it this age bracket as people in this scope are more likely to be able to relate to the characters situations and mannerisms. For example in season 4 episode 1 Mark travels to see his fiancée Sophie's parents, he is expected to gain Sophie's fathers trust but instead made it clear unintentionally that he didn't love Sophie. Although the majority of viewers have never been in this situation, many have had to meet future mother and father in laws and know the stress of trying to fit in and gain their trust.
Fawlty Towers and Only fools and horses are seen as one of the most iconic British sitcoms to date. Some of the things that distinguish themselves from modern sitcoms such as Peep Show and Extras, is the use of live audience's and closed sets. Performing in front of a live audience meant actors could play of an audience's response also a live set was what traditionally made the British sitcom so special as it meant people could see how shows where put together and there response to the situation unfolding in front of them was recorded and included in the show that was broadcasted.
Also as time has passed it seems that the old gags that where raised in sitcoms such as Fawlty Towers have perished with the times. The definition of a gag is:
A joke: a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Although Peep Show regularly makes witty humorous remarks, gags on programs such as Fawlty towers where more direct to the subject. For example in Fawlty Towers when Basil is attending to German Guests and tries not to mention the war but it seems everything he does results in the war being brought up. In Peep show it's more banter between the two main characters.
Referring back to the introduction of to what extent does Peep Show challenge traditional British sitcoms in many ways it still follows many conventions that traditional sitcoms followed using only fools and horses as an example I will discuss some points, such as how characters are put into categories such as the main characters which is Jeremy and Mark in peep show, and Del boy and Rodney in Only Fools And horses. Next is supporting Characters which in peep show is Sophie,
