I thought it was pretty funny, although VERY Inbetweeners with the use of modern language and all.
I would watch it, certainly.
Chickens - Pilot Page 6
Is it me or were Simon Bird and Joe Thomas basically playing their characters from The Inbetweeners but in war times and without the sexual humour and quick fire slagging matches? Jonny Sweet was indeed the most funny and the facial expressions were what got me. Do I like it? It seemed a little short but I keep forgetting it's because it was on C4 and I watched it just after My Family which lasts 30 mins, anything on ITV or C4 lasts about 23-25. I could get to like it and I did genuinely find some parts funny but I wasn't sure what to expect at all when I went into it. Certainly not another Inbetweeners, but even with that in the back of my mind saying "It's not The Inbetweeners, remember!" I still felt a little underwhelmed. Good potential though...
And now I get to roast Chickens, or Inbetweeners in Period Costume.
If written by better writers there could have been some good comedy in this situation, though I think the situation is one of those that's not untouchable perhaps, but in the bracket marked 'For Experts Only'. Or it SHOULD be. If written by a very good team who know the ropes, only then do I think it can be okay to mine this area for comedy.
But it was written by the Inbetweeners actors who simply transferred over the Inbetweeners humour, coarse and rampantly sixth form. Had a team like Monty Python, Milligan and Sykes, Galton and Simpson or Marks and Gran had a go at this, we would be laughing more and recognising the situation far more. They would have known far more about the subject, known far more what type of comedy to write and how to get real humour from the situation.
But alas, with this poor and inexperienced writing team we just get 2010s humour in a 1910s setting. They go overboard on the coarseness; they rely totally on their inappropriate Gervais & Merchant acting style; the referencing is cursory and the comedy they extract is both base and minimal. What we get is a product that's so overwhelmingly been given a sub Inbetweeners treatment.
All that's happened is, the three of them have totally exploited the niche that existed to pile in their immature and unsubtle brand of humour, hardly recognising the subject they want to exploit for their unpolished comedy. The only concession made to their subject really is the period costumes they wear, and the DHL beard Bird dons. Almost everything else looks and sounds wrong, false, forced, and as the editor of this site put it in his extremely generous review, anachronistic.
Personally I don't see it getting a series, but this is Channel 4, who seek to surprise and surprise, not the deadly predictable BBC. So who knows. I've seen enough already of this joke of a sitcom. Good evening.
Wait, you DIDN'T LIKE IT?! Am shocked.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 3 2011, 7:43 PM BSTWait, you DIDN'T LIKE IT?! Am shocked.
But he doesn't seem to have thought it offensive as far as its subject matter goes, so at least that's something...
No, I did think it was tasteless, yes. Which is what I feared from these three. Tasteless, peurile, unauthentic looking and badly acted. Sweet is the only one who acts instead of merely posturing. There were a couple of little moments I quite liked, but they were swamped over by the rest which I really disliked.
If I'd seen more respected writer-performers involved I wouldn't have made such a scene about it from the start. But Bird and co. I cannot abide. I'm not an Inbetweeners fan and I rightly feared this is roughly what we'd get again.
I thought it was pretty good. Some good parts to it. Better than I expected it to be.
Hope it gets a series
Watched it last night. Was a little disappointed, but with a few tweaks I think it could make a good series.
Quote: Benedict @ September 4 2011, 9:39 AM BSTI thought it was pretty good. Some good parts to it. Better than I expected it to be.
Hope it gets a series
Welcome to the forums Benedict.
I have to say I enjoyed it, especially the caning scene and Cecil urinating on the memorial tree. No doubt it will get the full series.
Quote: Ian Wolf @ September 4 2011, 10:44 AM BSTWelcome to the forums Benedict.
I have to say I enjoyed it, especially the caning scene and Cecil urinating on the memorial tree. No doubt it will get the full series.
Yes the caning scene was my favourite bit
I loved it!
I really hope they make this into a series, I personally like its setting, and that it deals with the men who didn't go to war. I didn't find it at all insulting to the brave men who fought for our country (both my great-grandfather and grandfather fought in the world wars, so believe me I'd have been easily insulted), considering the 'chickens' were treated like dirt by all the villagers. People need to stop finding the tiniest thing to complain about and realise that many other shows in the past have made comedy out of serious subject matters.
Good. Enjoyed. Are there similarities between this and The Inbetweeners? Yes, of course there are - that's because the shows have two of the cast in common. Bit of lazy criticsm really, to suggest that that, in itself, is a bad thing.
Pleny of potential. Will be shocked if it doesn't get a series. Jonny Sweet'll be beating off the women with a shitty stick!
Quote: john lucas 101 @ September 5 2011, 9:58 AM BSTJonny Sweet'll be beating off the women with a shitty stick!
He's very good in Radio 4 sitcom Party. Although I notice he only really has one tone of voice.
Quote: chipolata @ September 5 2011, 10:47 AM BSTHe's very good in Radio 4 sitcom Party. Although I notice he only really has one tone of voice.
Yeah, but it's the kind of tone that'll get the gash flowing, innit.
john lucas has a new crush!