Before I forget.
What was that Sitcom with Ed Byrne & Davina Mccall?
Is it on the list, and more to the point does it have it's own thread?
A Comedy Roast Page 2
I don't think I like these shows. There's the odd good joke. But the whole format is too kiss-arse. I'd prefer to see comics just ripping the piss out of each other until one has a break down and murders Rob Rouse (who isn't even on the show)
The American ones are a lot better.
Quote: Steve Sunshine @ October 16 2010, 3:02 AM BSTThe American ones are a lot better.
Agreed. I thought this was pretty poor, and too nice.
I don't know what to think of these shows. I've watched a few of the American ones and while some of the content was funny, some of it went too far. Much too far. I saw the Joan Rivers roast a few months back - someone took the piss out of her husband's suicide and Gilbert Gottfried turned on Robin Quivers (who was raped by her Dad as a child) and said;
"Anyone who has ever listened to the Howard Stern show has heard Robin Quivers talk about being molested by her father, but what she conveniently leaves out of her delightful anecdote was that even as a kid she was so ugly that her father would close his eyes and think about her sister - who was no looker herself I may add. Oh the shame that poor man must have felt, having to hide the fact that his molestation standards were so low."
Call me a pussy but that doesn't just cross the line, it pole-vaults across it.
Wowww. 
I don't know if I think that's terrible but brave, or just terrible.
We should do this on BCG instead of the birthday threads...
I have no desire to watch these kind of shows. Pointless rubbish, really.
Quote: Lee Henman @ October 16 2010, 12:01 PM BST"Anyone who has ever listened to the Howard Stern show has heard Robin Quivers talk about being molested by her father, but what she conveniently leaves out of her delightful anecdote was that even as a kid she was so ugly that her father would close his eyes and think about her sister - who was no looker herself I may add. Oh the shame that poor man must have felt, having to hide the fact that his molestation standards were so low."
Quote: Steve Sunshine @ October 16 2010, 2:39 AM BSTBefore I forget.
What was that Sitcom with Ed Byrne & Davina Mccall?
Is it on the list, and more to the point does it have it's own thread?
It was called Sam's Game if memory serves. Davina did a Johnny Vaughan really, tried her hand at sitcom, it wasnt very popular so she went back to doing what she does best, whatever that is 
Quote: Lee Henman @ October 16 2010, 12:01 PM BSTI don't know what to think of these shows. I've watched a few of the American ones and while some of the content was funny, some of it went too far. Much too far. I saw the Joan Rivers roast a few months back - someone took the piss out of her husband's suicide and Gilbert Gottfried turned on Robin Quivers (who was raped by her Dad as a child) and said;
"Anyone who has ever listened to the Howard Stern show has heard Robin Quivers talk about being molested by her father, but what she conveniently leaves out of her delightful anecdote was that even as a kid she was so ugly that her father would close his eyes and think about her sister - who was no looker herself I may add. Oh the shame that poor man must have felt, having to hide the fact that his molestation standards were so low."Call me a pussy but that doesn't just cross the line, it pole-vaults across it.
May I say that the point is that these celebrity comedians do not have to do it if they are going to take offence at what's hurled at them. I agree that some of the Ameican shows I've seen have been way OTT, but remember this is the American way (in everything), it generates a lot of response which turns into revenue for the network and helps elevate profiles and reignite dormant careers.
They know what they're letting themselves in for, or certainly should do. The Americans do go in for the outright insult rather than the subtler dig or satirical barb we British would do, but then we are culturally more refined and evolved than them fat arsed big mouths.
I think the comedy roasts can be fun if the target isn't thin skinned. It's definitely a balancing act and it's not helped that in this online age I've seen people try to pass off blatant attacks and trolling as 'a comedy roast'. It's an idea that works best when you have the physical attendance, with the target front and centre.
These C4 ones are so contrived as to make them just pointless exercises in (generally) weak gag-telling. Lining up a bunch of comedians and Jack Whitehall to take the piss out of people they, at best, only vaguely know, rather misses the point of the exercise. The American tradition relies on the fact that the "roasting" is done (mostly) by the victim's actual friends - thus allowing the attacks to be far more biting: friends being in a better position to judge the limits of what they can get away with (and hence more likely to stretch them).
We British should perhaps stick to our own traditional version of roasting, i.e. that which involves six Premiership footballers, a drunk/drugged 16 year old, a central London hotel suite and the services of a top criminal lawyer.
Good point Tim. The series does feature some quite fine auto-cue gags though. I tune in for them.
I was reading an interview with Patrick Kielty the other day and it reminded me of his involvement in the comedy roast of Barbara Windsor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quKZ-_DlSuQ
Some great scripted retorts ....