So much confidence in it they're hiding it on BBC 4.
Twenty Twelve - Series 1 Page 2
A blatant rip-off of The Games.
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/45014.html
A story appeared recently in The Sunday Times in London about the fact that the BBC is about to broadcast a program bearing marked conceptual similarities to The Games, a show we created in 1998.
It featured a good-looking bald man and Gina Riley, Bryan Dawe and Nicholas Bell. Two series, each of 13 episodes, were produced in the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics and it was, at that time, the highest rating comedy in the history of the national broadcaster, the ABC (all stand).
In 2006, shortly after London was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games and following approaches from several overseas producers interested in making their own versions of the show, we spoke with producer Rick McKenna who had experience in overseas markets with Kath and Kim. Rick McKenna travelled to London and met with BBC comedy head Jon Plowman.
At a later date Jon Plowman introduced Rick McKenna to writer John Morton with the prospect that perhaps we might consider John Morton as one of the writers on the project. John Morton was lent DVDs of The Games. At the time he acknowledged he had never previously seen nor heard of the show and was impressed and keenly interested.
After many phone conferences, meetings and almost four years of email exchanges, Mr Morton and Mr Plowman have now apparently made a satirical series for the BBC about the organising committee of the London Olympics (set to air next Monday March 14 on BBC4 in the UK), without our participation or permission.
In other words, it seems that in 2008/9 Morton had already had the idea he'd never heard of and was so excited by, and he was interested in obtaining episodes of The Games only so he could check out how someone had created his original idea in Australia, 12 years previously. We have suggested that once Mr Morton finds out that repressed memory is not an Olympic event, perhaps he could return the DVDs.
Ross Stevenson and John Clarke are awaiting their royalty cheques...
Quote: KLRiley @ March 9 2011, 8:21 PM GMTSo much confidence in it they're hiding it on BBC 4.
It will have been commisioned through BBC4, not a case of deciding it's rubbish and putting it on a lesser watched channel.
Quote: KLRiley @ March 9 2011, 8:21 PM GMTSo much confidence in it they're hiding it on BBC 4.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ March 11 2011, 7:37 PM GMTIt will have been commisioned through BBC4, not a case of deciding it's rubbish and putting it on a lesser watched channel.
Yes, all about the funding. If anything, the fact it's on BBC Four should be a mark of quality as they do have a pretty high 'hit rate'...
Getting On, Lead Balloon and The Thick Of It are just some of the shows that started on BBC Four, and you'd be hard pressed to call any of them rubbish.
Quote: Mark @ March 12 2011, 12:50 PM GMTYes, all about the funding. If anything, the fact it's on BBC Four should be a mark of quality as they do have a pretty high 'hit rate'...
Getting On, Lead Balloon and The Thick Of It are just some of the shows that started on BBC Four, and you'd be hard pressed to call any of them rubbish.
Sorry. Should have put an irony warning on the post. But after the mess they made of Dirk Gently ... but that's a dscussion for another thread which has doubtless already been had.
Quote: KLRiley @ March 12 2011, 1:55 PM GMTSorry. Should have put an irony warning on the post. But after the mess they made of Dirk Gently ... but that's a dscussion for another thread which has doubtless already been had.
https://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/15318/
Generally positive reception if I remember correctly...
Quote: GGdown @ March 12 2011, 6:15 PM GMThttps://www.comedy.co.uk/forums/thread/15318/
Generally positive reception if I remember correctly...
You probably do but I wasn't around at that point so I was trying not to get into another argument. 
Good pedigree on this, I'm looking forward to it. Not least because my Mondays have been a bit empty since Episodes finished.
And shouldn't this be in Sitcoms?
It's been marketed variably as a 'comedy drama' and a 'mockumentary' - so no.
Quote: Aaron @ March 14 2011, 1:24 PM GMTIt's been marketed variably as a 'comedy drama' and a 'mockumentary' - so no.
Well, The Office, People Like Us and Operation Good Guys are all mockumentaries that also happen to be sitcoms. And the copy of the Metro I found on the train this morning described it as a sitcom.
And Bellamy's People is a mockumentary that some said was a sitcom and some said was a sketch show. What's any of that got to do with Twenty Twelve?
Quote: chipolata @ March 14 2011, 1:26 PM GMTWell, The Office, People Like Us and Operation Good Guys are all mockumentaries that also happen to be sitcoms.
I'm not sure People Like Us counts strictly as a sitcom, does it?
(I've never seen Operation Good Guys, but would feel far more comfortable categorising The Office and People Like Us squarely as 'mockumentary' rather than 'sitcom'.)
I'm looking forward to watching this, though none of the clips shown so far have tickled me.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ March 14 2011, 1:28 PM GMTI'm not sure People Like Us counts strictly as a sitcom, does it?
Yes, thank you, Peter Pedantic. The point is this has recurring characters in a continuing comedy narrative. So it's at least as much of a sitcom as say Episodes.