Quote: Jass @ November 19, 2006, 12:24 AMI didn't say it was a classic. The person who started this said, "Anybody know of any obscure sitcoms that came and went without anybody noticing, but were actually pretty good."
Happy Families deserves to be mentioned in this thread.
I wasn't suggesting that you had, purely stating my view.
Forgot to mention these when this thread was active, but I used to love Colin's Sandwich and Comrade Dad. As far as I'm aware, neither have ever been released on DVD or get shown on any digital channels, but I have fond memories of both. For those who didn't see them, Colin's Sandwich was about a struggling horror writer played by Mel Smith, and Comrade Dad was about a communist run Britain.
Quote: chipolata @ September 11, 2007, 10:14 AMForgot to mention these when this thread was active, but I used to love Colin's Sandwich and Comrade Dad. As far as I'm aware, neither have ever been released on DVD.
I've heard an un-confirmed rumour that Colin's Sandwich is going to get a DVD release - probably not till next year though.
Quote: Aaron @ November 17, 2006, 4:04 PMI've never actually seen Operation Good Guys. Worth buying?
I've often watched it and thought "I should be splitting my sides now", but wasn't. It had the deadpan humour I like, and the characters & idea were spot on, but somehow it didn't quite work. DI Beach and DS Ash are classic characters. Bring them back.
Top 20 Lost Gems:
Brilliant Terrirory
1. Two in Clover (Sid James and Victor Spinetti become self sufficient)
2. First of the Summer Wine (The charactors in Last of the Summer Wine as young men in war time Britain)
3. Seven of One (Seven pilots starring Ronnie Barker, two of which were Open all Hours and Porridge)
4. Barbara (Gwen Taylor stars as Barbara, an unreasonable wife)
Very good territory
5. Curry & Chips (A Johnny Speight series starring Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes)
6. Don't Drink the Water (Blakey from On the Buses and his sister move to Spain)
7. Up the Elephant and Round the Castle (A sitcom for that awful comedian, Jim Davidson- awful standup, but great in this and Big Break)
8. Dear John (John Sullivan sitcom about divorced people)
9. Sorry (Ronnie Corbett as a moddycoddled 41 year old man)
10. The Fosters (Britains first all black sitcom. Starring Norman Beaton and an early role for Lenny Henry, first broadcasted in 1976)
11. Desmonds (Another black sitcom starring "The Fosters" star Norman Beaton, set in a hair dressers shop)
12. Never Mind the Quality Feel the Width (60's sitcom by Vince Powell and Harry Driver set in a tailors shop. It starred John Bluthal who played Frank Pickle in "The Vicar of Dibley)
13. Nightingales (One of the most surreal comedies ever set in a security guards office. Starring Robert Lindsay and Shameless star David Threfall)
14. A Sharpe Intake of Breathe (A forgotton David Jason sitcom starring him and Richard Wilson)
15. Mrs Merton and Malcolm (Simular to Sorry. Written by and starring Caroline Ahern and Craig Cash in the midst of "The Royle Family" Only one series made.
16. Keeping Mum (Stephanie Cole stars as a dotty old woman. Also in it was David Haig (Grim from the Thin Blue Line and Meera Syal)
17. The Fitz (One series made about an Irish family)
Mediocre Territory
18. The Rag Trade (Written by On the Buses creators Ronnie Wolfe and Ronnie Chesney with the OTB star Reg Varney in a leading role, this was first made in 1961 and was the first sitcom where the main stars were women, later revived by LWT in 1977)
19. My Husband and I (A sitcom starring Mollie Sugden married to her real life husband William Moore. Moore had the catchphrase "LANGUAGE TIMOTHY! in Sorry)
20. George and the Dragon (Starring Sid James, Peggy Mount and John Le Mesurier where as ever Sid can't keep his hands to himself)
So there you have it. I noticed one member put Citizen James, I don't think I've seen that, there isn't a DVD release is there?
There was a sitcom called 'Dressing for Breakfast' in the mid/late 90s about two women. One of them was played by Holly Aird.
I can't remember a *thing* about it just that she in particular was really funny. (A bit like Mel and Sue).
Now she's in dramas, like that new one (advertised in every flipping ad break) about a mother who thinks she's seen her teenage daughter who died as a baby.
That's what reminded me of it. Obviously.
Quote: chipolata @ September 11, 2007, 10:14 AMForgot to mention these when this thread was active, but I used to love Colin's Sandwich and Comrade Dad. As far as I'm aware, neither have ever been released on DVD or get shown on any digital channels, but I have fond memories of both. For those who didn't see them, Colin's Sandwich was about a struggling horror writer played by Mel Smith, and Comrade Dad was about a communist run Britain.
Yes, Colin's Sandwich was a good sitcom (more of a tragi-comedy in parts) although being such a long time ago, I don't know if it has aged well.
I think there's one or two clips on Youtube if anyone wanted a taster.
Quote: Jack Massey @ September 11, 2007, 8:05 PM20. George and the Dragon (Starring Sid James, Peggy Mount and John Le Mesurier where as ever Sid can't keep his hands to himself)
So there you have it. I noticed one member put Citizen James, I don't think I've seen that, there isn't a DVD release is there?
George and the Dragon is much better than that!
And no, there isn't a DVD of Citizen James. I've got a few eps though.
Unashamed thread hijack - lost gems - bring back the liquorice midgetgems http://www.gopetition.com/online/14220.html
Quote: Aaron @ September 11, 2007, 9:32 PMGeorge and the Dragon is much better than that!
We've had this conversation before Aaron and "George and the Dragon" is very predictable and not very funny. I love Sid in the Carry Ons, Two in Clover and Bless this House, but this just wasn't funny.
Quote: Jack Massey @ September 11, 2007, 8:05 PM3. Seven of One (Seven pilots starring Ronnie Barker, two of which were Open all Hours and Porridge)
4. Barbara (Gwen Taylor stars as Barbara, an unreasonable wife)
Very good territory
8. Dear John (John Sullivan sitcom about divorced people)
9. Sorry (Ronnie Corbett as a moddycoddled 41 year old man)
13. Nightingales (One of the most surreal comedies ever set in a security guards office. Starring Robert Lindsay and Shameless star David Threfall)
14.
I agree with those I've left above. None of the others really made any impact onme though.
I remember the name of A Sharpe Intake of Breathe. I can't remember what it was about at all though
Quote: Jack Massey @ September 12, 2007, 5:01 PMWe've had this conversation before Aaron and "George and the Dragon" is very predictable and not very funny. I love Sid in the Carry Ons, Two in Clover and Bless this House, but this just wasn't funny.
But is it predictable because it's predictable, or is it predictable because more recent shows that we're more familiar with have copied it? IMO, it's no more predictable than anything else, but each to their own I guess.
Got to admit though, brilliant cast. Sid James, John Le Mesurier, Peggy Mount, and the guest stars! Yootha Joyce springs to mind particularly.
Superb cast, undoubtably, but Vince Powell and Harry Driver's scripts were a little dissapointing, there scripts were so much better for Sid in "Two in Clover" and "Bless this House"
Quote: David Chapman @ September 12, 2007, 5:09 PMI remember the name of A Sharpe Intake of Breathe. I can't remember what it was about at all though
He plays Peter Barnes who is married to his wife (Can't remember her name). He would get himself involved in simple situations that would just go wrong, like going to collect a parcel and one thing after another would go wrong often caused by Richard Wilson (who would play a different charactor in every episode), and Barnes would have a nervous breakdown. Very funny
A few more recent nominations. Andy Hamilton's Bedtime which went out in a similar way to Outnumbered and, in my opinion, was far better. I saw both series of Bedtime on sale in HMV recently (but, bizarrely, in the drama section).
Also worth mentioning is Human Remains, starring Rob Brydon and Julia Davies. This was an amazing series, probably one of the darkest shows there's ever been, and it's a shame they never got a second series.
Look Around You was also a minor classic - both the ten minute shows and the thirty minute shows - but never seemed to connect with a wider audience.
Finally, The Amando Iannucci Show was great, but only lasted a miserly eight episodes (although I'd guess it was hugely expensive to make if some of the elaborate sketches in it were anything to go by).
Quote: chipolata @ September 21, 2007, 10:33 AMLook Around You was also a minor classic - both the ten minute shows and the thirty minute shows - but never seemed to connect with a wider audience.
Finally, The Amando Iannucci Show was great, but only lasted a miserly eight episodes (although I'd guess it was hugely expensive to make if some of the elaborate sketches in it were anything to go by).
Love those two.
I miss the old Friday/Saturday Night Armistice shows too. They were great.
God, Armando really has been on our TVs for bloody ages hasn't he?