Underrated, undervalued or forgotten gems

Don't know if there's been a thread on this or not. But I'd be interested in hearing about any stuff that's not so well known, or forgotten or you consider underrated but good. Doesn't have to be top of the picks but you must consider it at least good. Of course, it is all very subjective, but please don't post just anything that comes to mind or you think might be fogotten. You've got to at least think it rates as 'good' if not 'excellent'.

- YOU RANG, MY LORD?
Underrated excellent sitcom for me is You Rang, My Lord?. It's one of those you don't appreciate fully till you've watched it right through back to back I think - as it's a bit of a drama/soap as well as a comedy. Production standards are excellent, in my view. I think the longer episodes probably made it harder for people to get in the swing of and it probably stopped repeats? It's one of my top favourites. Quite a bit is satire.

- HI-DE-HI!
Not exactly forgotten but undervalued. Hi-De-Hi!, while successful in its day, is often criticised. But again - when you watch the lot in order you appreciate it more. Although it's still valued by many I don't think it deserves the negative criticism it sometimes get from a number, so I'd call it underrated. Up there with Dad's Army in my opinion. It's from an era where TV was to comfort not ONLY poke fun at - which so much of today's stuff seems to be limited to.

- EXECUTIVE STRESS.
Watched all three series recently. Stars Penelope Keith, Geofery Palmer and Peter Bowles. (Scuse poor spelling.) My kind of comedy. It was quite successful in its time - the 1980s. But I'd say is largely fogotten. I'd rank it as very good to excellent. Although the themes are dated they are very strong so still make for good stories. Peter Bowles replace Palmer after the first series - but this transition is forgotten after an episode or so. I think the transition might have been even smoother if Bowles has lost the moustache - a bit too 'Manor Bornish' - but forgivable. Everything Keith has done has been good. So it's not surprising this is good too. I'd call this a forgotten gem - but some probably wouldn't call it a gem because of its limitations of the humour and because themes have dated. Although this didn't bother my taste.

I'll post some more if I think of them and if this thread develops.

How Do You Want Me?

Dylan Moran's first sitcom, also featuring a brilliant turn by Peter Serafinowicz. 'Tis a low key beaut.

Okay then:

Ever Decreasing Circles - Popular at the time, pretty much ignored ever since, in favour of repeated reruns of The Good Life. Has a fan base now of people who absolutely love the show, but there aren't that many of us. Briers at his anxiety-ridden best.

Nathan Barley - Hardly anybody watched it, some of the first critiques missed the point and were quite damning. However, it's a very funny show, inverting the trad sitcom premise. Great scripts from Brooker and Morris and superb casting. Picked up a fan base in recent years thanks to the DVD.

15 Storeys - Great Sean Lock sitcom that never really had a decent time slot or channel. Very subtle and underplayed. It would probably be on BBC Four if it was starting now and grabbing more attention that it did on the nascent BBC Three.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ November 17 2009, 9:21 AM GMT

How Do You Want Me?

Dylan Moran's first sitcom, also featuring a brilliant turn by Peter Serafinowicz. 'Tis a low key beaut.

View original

Ah, good choice. Some of Simon Nye's best work.

Quote: john lucas 101 @ November 17 2009, 9:21 AM GMT

Nathan Barley - Hardly anybody watched it, some of the first critiques missed the point and were quite damning. However, it's a very funny show, inverting the trad sitcom premise. Great scripts from Brooker and Morris and superb casting. Picked up a fan base in recent years thanks to the DVD.

View original

Yes, it was great, but really kicked about when it aired.

FILTHY, RICH AND CATFLAP

A spin-off show from "The Young Ones" and, in some ways, a precursor to "Bottom". Written by Ben Elton and featuring Nigel Planer, Rik Mayall and Ade Edmundson.

I can't remember an awful lot about it now but it was a mixture of the extremely juvenile (fart and nob jokes) and the satirical (knocking Thatcher, celebrity culture etc).

Like The Young Ones it featured loads of cameos from comedians around at the time, Alexei Sayle, Arthur Smith, Norman Lovett etc.

Anyone remember it?

Quote: john lucas 101 @ November 17 2009, 9:22 AM GMT

Nathan Barley - Hardly anybody watched it, some of the first critiques missed the point and were quite damning. However, it's a very funny show, inverting the trad sitcom premise. Great scripts from Brooker and Morris and superb casting. Picked up a fan base in recent years thanks to the DVD.

View original

Been trying to pick up a copy of Brooker's 'TV Go Home' book (print collection of all the online stuff, including the Nathan Barley listings), but just seems to really pricey rare editions on Amazon . . .

Quote: john lucas 101 @ November 17 2009, 9:22 AM GMT

15 Storeys - Great Sean Lock sitcom that never really had a decent time slot or channel. Very subtle and underplayed. It would probably be on BBC Four if it was starting now and grabbing more attention that it did on the nascent BBC Three.

View original

15 Storeys was absolutely brilliant, quite how it never got onto "proper" telly (BBC Two) and become a success I'll never know, Sean Lock must be severely pissed off about it as it's his finest work to date.

Quote: Tony Cowards @ November 17 2009, 9:25 AM GMT

15 Storeys was absolutely brilliant, quite how it never got onto "proper" telly (BBC Two) and become a success I'll never know, Sean Lock must be severely pissed off about it as it's his finest work to date.

View original

It did get onto BBC Two in the end but it was dicked about timewise.

As for Filthy, Rich... that show was great. At the time it was my favourite thing that the Mayall gang had done.

Again, 15 Storeys.
Grass.
Uncle Rubbish Presents Shit Club - Only a pilot but I liked it.

Quote: YesNo @ November 17 2009, 9:39 AM GMT

Uncle Rubbish Presents Shit Club - Only a pilot but I liked it.

View original

? Sounds interesting.

I think there are some clips on the RoughCut website.

Quote: john lucas 101 @ November 17 2009, 9:38 AM GMT

It did get onto BBC Two in the end but it was dicked about timewise.

View original

I didn't know that, I only ever caught it by accident on BBC Three, it seemed to be the very definition of a show killed off by poor scheduling.

Agree with the following: Nathan Barley, 15 Storeys, Ever Decreasing Circles and Grass.

Also, as usual as I'm always boring people with this, Joking Apart.

Respectable was excellent too, but almost completely ignored.

Dan

Sketch show wise, I'd go for:

Who Dares Wins - classic cast of Jimmy Mulville, Rory McGrath, Julia Hills, Tony Robinson and Phil Pope. Pretty near the knuckle stuff for the time.

Absolutely - another forgotten Channel 4 show, in the wake of lesser shows like The Fast Show. A star turn from John Sparkes as Frank Hovis, but great ensemble performing and writing.

Armando Iannucci Shows - (Channel 4 again) Perhaps the most consistently funny sketch show there's ever been. Just the one, brilliant series. More recently he did Time Trumpet, another great show that never gets much attention.

Quote: john lucas 101 @ November 17 2009, 9:59 AM GMT

Armando Ianucci show - (Channel 4 again) Perhaps the most consistently funny sketch show there's ever been. Just the one, brilliant series. More recently he did Time Trumpet, another great show that never gets much attention.

View original

I will second that, 15 Storeys, Nathan Barley and How Do You Want Me? with the late Charlotte Coleman.