Football related comedy Page 2

I'm a big football fan but have to admit it is very hard to reproduce such a situation in a sit-com. What little there has been has been very cliched, unrealistic and not very funny. Apart from the odd exception, it doesn't convert easily to film or to novels either.

The thing is, football itself provides its own humour whether it is through magazines, phone-ins, fanzines, websites and tv shows (admittedly there is an awful lot of crap as well). Its an internal thing - it just does not transfer easily to the masses who don't follow the game.

By the way, I thought Jossy's Giants was rubbish - even as a football mad kid!

I think it's really funny whenever Manchester United lose.

I think it's really funny bemusing why anyone likes it.

Fantasy Football is my favourite show of all time.

Frank Skinner did a show called Blue Heaven (which is good) but that wasn't about football.

Blue Heaven was shit. Barely funny, but most of all, depressing.

Quote: Aaron @ December 28, 2007, 10:53 PM

Blue Heaven was shit. Barely funny, but most of all, depressing.

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It looked grim, and lacked a laughter track but had some nice one-liners which fell flat due to the look of the whole piece.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually promote a laughter track before. Still, there's time I guess. I tend to want to laugh when I want to, not when someone tells me. Well when I'm a hundred and five maybe.

The best football scene must be in Kes, when Manchester United play Tottenham Hotspur....absolute comedy genius! "And that's how to take a penalty".

If you haven't seen it, check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UycWO0w852g

But be warned, it's quite a long clip (though worth every second!)

Quote: roscoff @ December 28, 2007, 11:55 PM

I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually promote a laughter track before. Still, there's time I guess. I tend to want to laugh when I want to, not when someone tells me. Well when I'm a hundred and five maybe.

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Should stand up have no laughter track? What about football on the telly - should that have the crowd removed.

It's not being told when to laugh, the sitcom is a live performance. It's a live event captured as is happening.

Quote: roscoff @ December 28, 2007, 11:55 PM

I don't think I've ever heard anyone actually promote a laughter track before.

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I'm a great supporter of a laughter track.

Am I being thick here? It wouldn't be the first time. I'm thinking that a laughter track is the same as canned laughter. I,e laughter that is put in after the fact that wasn't there originally. Is there some other added laughter I am not aware of? Do not beast me for my ignorance I beg you. Hang on. Is a laughter track like a sound effects mike at a football match. I.e there to capture audience reactions. Is this so Obi-wan?

I would have thought so. Although maybe I was part of a laughter track at the Harry Hill thing. They showed it on screen to a theatre audience and recorded us so we were actually laughing at what we saw.

Put it this way if a laughter track is just the audience reacting to what is being shown them during or after the fact well then that's fine diddlyine but if it's just canned laughter put in where people are supposed to laugh then it's just crap as far as I'm concerned.

Laughter track - studio audience.
Canned laughter - added in the editing suite, from a sound effects tape. Most likely courtesy of the BBC Radiophonics Workshop.

Note that a laughter track doesn't necessarily have to be done live as the programme is being recorded. Two shows which spring to mind that have been filmed and then shown to an audience on a big ol' screen later, The Peter Serafinowicz Show, and Last of the Summer Wine. Interestingly, PSS later had the laughter cut out.

Quote: Aaron @ December 29, 2007, 9:42 AM

Interestingly, PSS later had the laughter cut out.

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Surprised they could find any to cut out.