I didn't watch this because I knew I wouldn't like it. But from the clips I saw, one thing that jumped out was how the small the set was! The cast were basically falling over each other. Looked as if they filmed it in the prop cupboard. Couldn't they afford a studio?
Quote: David Carmon @ December 3 2009, 6:09 PM GMTYou don't like Absolutely Fabulous then Aaron?
It's terrible. But that's not for here.
Everyone is mentioning 'Mad about Alice' and 'Kiss Me Kate' but are forgetting about 'Celeb', the first studio audience sitcom she did - with Harry Enfield. That was bad but is the best thing she's done (along with 'The Grimleys') compared to 'Big Flop'.
Quote: johnny smith @ December 3 2009, 7:36 PM GMTEveryone is mentioning 'Mad about Alice' but are forgetting about 'Celeb', the first studio audience sitcom she did
Apart from Kiss Me Kate.
Amanda might be better at drama? I don't know, I've never seen Wild At Heart.
I can't believe Messrs Gazzard and Brown are allowed to mention AbFab and Big Top in the same sentence without Aaron having to ban himself for having more bad taste than Jim Davidson.
AbFab a well written hit
Big Top a pile of s--t
Quote: Griff @ December 3 2009, 9:08 PM GMTIt's certainly up there with Life Of Riley. What's going on at BBC1? Their post-watershed sitcoms are great - The Old Guys, Outnumbered - but the pre-watershed ones are all stinkers.
That's probably the point. They're supposed to appeal to the whole of the family.
Quote: Aaron @ December 3 2009, 7:42 PM GMTApart from Kiss Me Kate.
I fell in love her in Kiss Me Kate, she was soooo cute...
but she didnt have to say any funny lines
Talk about an underrated sitcom, "Kiss Me Kate" very funny with great 3 actors plus Amanda with her looks.
luis
I haven't watched this but judging by the reaction the thread title is looking a bit optimistic.
Quote: Aaron @ December 3 2009, 9:46 PM GMTAb Fab was, largely, rather tedious.
Thou not a superb sitcom, I enjoyed Ab Fab cause Saunders is/was Edmonson-Bottom wife, so she was from a rebel group of comedians that weren't afraid of anything, were not worried with comunion in Sunday's mass or not being invited to Oprah Winphrey well behaved afternoon show to talk about motherhood.
Sex, drugs, alcohol, rock and roll, a daughter that is typically counter-revolutionary, conservative. I liked the way she took life easily and at the same time showing vices and desires common to most. In retrospect, a good sitcom challenges social values, not following the "American" trend policy of well behaved all-family political correct and nice storyline such as...2point4 Children, The Babysitter, for example.
luis
Quote: luis kmentt @ December 4 2009, 1:25 AM GMTThou not a superb sitcom, I enjoyed Ab Fab cause Saunders is/was Edmonson-Bottom wife, so she was from a rebel group of comedians that weren't afraid of anything, were not worried with comunion in Sunday's mass or not being invited to Oprah Winphrey well behaved afternoon show to talk about motherhood.
Sex, drugs, alcohol, rock and roll, a daughter that is typically counter-revolutionary, conservative. I liked the way she took life easily and at the same time showing vices and desires common to most. In retrospect, a good sitcom challenges social values, not following the "American" trend policy of well behaved all-family political correct and nice storyline such as...2point4 Children, for example.
luis
How much money have I won in your state national lottery and where do I send my bank details again? 
Those "rebel" bunch of comedians were mainly nice, middle-class drama students who, though they did some great work, were always really looking to join the establishment rather than smash it.
And back on topic, does anyone (Aaron) know when the pilot for this was shot and when the subsequent series was commissioned? I'd be interested to know the time scale please? 
I don't recall that there was a pilot. But studio recordings were in late December 2008 (I think) and January this year, so commissioning cannot have been any later than mid 2008.
Cheers. Well it certainly does appear "sat on" since the series recordings then. I would be interested to find out whether episode one of this series was the pilot episode and, if not, would love to see what the pilot episode looked like.
No, it's not an unusually long wait these days. If you really want 'sat on' then see something like ... well I don't remember what it was called, but the ITV1 comedy drama from May-ish with Darren Boyd about the snobby neighbours and the private school. They had that on the shelf for something stupid like 2 years IIRC, and Five have recently started showing the rest of that God awful The What In The World Quiz, which they pulled after 3 eps last Octoberish.
Seems that the BCG is down at the moment so I can't check, but I don't remember reading anything about there having been a Big Top pilot.
