Hi there. I'm new to this forum but I thought it would be an opportunity to discuss comedy with like-minded people. I've been a big fan of the likes of The League of Gentlemen, Spaced, The Office, Peep Show, Pheonix Nights, etc. for a long time and it got me thinking. Why does Scotland never seem to produce high quality, original, translatable sitcoms? All I could think of was Rab C. Nesbit which I was never really a fan of and which made a 'comeback' earlier this year. It was old-fashioned writing that had no connection or relevance to the world, never mind Scotland. Then we have Still Game. This was a show that I genuinely liked and the acting wasn't too overplayed. It had a heart to it but in the end it carried on too long and suffered for it. Then I discovered Limmy a couple of years ago. It was not only a joy to discover that an original, talented Scottish writer and performer was being noticed but a huge relief. I always knew Scottish people were funny because we have so many great stand-ups but I could never understand why our sitcoms were so dated. Limmy made his own way on the internet and built up a following of people who were sick of being presented with parochial characters and obvious set-ups in grim Scottish council estates. Limmy enevitably and deservedly got a series commissioned with the BBC and did not lose his way in the process. On the other hand, the show Burnistoun seemed to take a step back on behalf of the genre. It was poorly paced, unoriginal, and the actors seemed forced in their performances. Not to mention that jokes were repeated in more than one episode. Chewin' The Fat did this aswell but was a far superior programme due to the strong performances from its two leads. So where do we go from here? Is Scotland not producing as much good comedy as it should or are we just not finding it? I was recently told by a friend that he'd seen this new show on YouTube. Once again I was relieved to see something that seems to be going in the right direction. Check it out here. http://www.youtube.com/user/SamedayScientists
