Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 26 2012, 3:41 PM GMTNow you've opened a can of worms - I'm paying £150 a year for Michael McIntyre and Russell Howard!
Well...all I can say is that Tesco doesn't really prosecute every single shoplifter much in the same way that the BBC doesn't really have detector vans.
(But if you do stop paying your licence fee they will send you an angry letter every month for the rest of your life)
Quote: Jinky @ January 26 2012, 3:50 PM GMT(But if you do stop paying your licence fee they will send you an angry letter every month for the rest of your life)
I used to own one of those TV/VHS combi things back in the day. I never bothered hooking the aerial up because I worked at a video store at the time and had all the entertainment I needed without needing the BBC. As a result I wasn't paying a license fee, so every few months someone would come to the house and check I wasn't poaching TV for free. After about a year they gave up and I did without for another 4 years. Sounds like they're a lot more dogged these days.
They shouldn't have agreed.
A TV licence isn't a licence to watch TV
It's a licence to own a telly.
No, it's a licence to watch live broadcast television.
Quote: sootyj @ January 26 2012, 3:59 PM GMTThey shouldn't have agreed.
A TV licence isn't a licence to watch TV
It's a licence to own a telly.
Not so. Here's what the TV License website has to say...
"You need a valid TV Licence if you use TV receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV."
My TV had no aerial so couldn't receive television programmes. It was only good for playing videos.
Quote: Aaron @ January 26 2012, 4:00 PM GMTNo, it's a licence to watch live broadcast television.
Perzactly.
It seems that the general opinion might be that British Comedy is no longer funny. But there is more of it getting commisioned than when there was only four channels. I think one of the problems is that now there are so many channels there is simply less money to go on development and production budgets. Its more of a risk to take a risk so to speak. There is E4, BBC 3, Comedy Central, etc. So the output is higher than it has been in years but many think the quality is low. But as much as some of us might moan, there are quite a lot of popular British Comedies out there.
For example I love ScreenWipe by Charlie Brooker, in fact I love all the stuff Charlie Brooker makes for the BBC. I think it's up there as some of the funniest TV being made but I don't bother getting angry that it's not more popular, I understand why it's not on BBC One at primetime. I can also watch Not Going Out and Outnumbered but it doesn't set my world on fire. I am not a fan of Miranda but I can see why it has appeal. Comedy is so subjective but I will argue that when British comedy does it well it's hard to beat. I loved Extras and Lead Balloon. Life's Too Short was a decent idea that was stretched to breaking point - I don't understand all the hate it gets even though I think it would have worked better as one film length mockumentary.
Sadly for many the auditions in X Factor is the comedy highlight of the year - and that speaks volumes in my opinion.
Quote: Aaron @ January 26 2012, 4:00 PM GMTNo, it's a licence to watch live broadcast television.
So you don't need a licence to watch catch-up channels on internet?
Quote: AJGO @ January 26 2012, 4:17 PM GMTSo you don't need a licence to watch catch-up channels on internet?
As long as it is catch up, and not live, that is correct. That does bring up a different moral question, but legally you wouldn't need one, no.
Quote: AJGO @ January 26 2012, 4:17 PM GMTSo you don't need a licence to watch catch-up channels on internet?
As far as I know you now need a TV licence if you don't have a TV but do have the internet.
I am going to move back to the UK from Spain and I was not planning on getting a TV licence (or a TV) but a friend told me I would need one if I wanted to have the internet.
If you think TV comedy in the UK is bad you really should try watching Spanish TV for a year and a half. The experience has reinforced my belief that the UK really does make most of the best TV out there. The US makes some good stuff but the ratio of good to bad is not as high as that of the UK in my opinion.
This is a really interesting thread. Aside from all the points about comedy writers etc, I still disagree that British broadcast comedy is on its arse right now. He's a list of some of the scripted TV comedies I really liked in 2011. There was some even better stuff on the radio, but most people are only interested in TV so I'll stick to that...
Ideal, Outnumbered, How Not To Live Your Life, Psychoville, This Is Jinsy, Pete Versus Life, Him & Her, Rev, Mongrels, Sorry, I've Got No Head, Burnistoun, Horrible Histories, Totally Tom, Not Going Out
Take another year, like sometime in the early 2000s, and I doubt my list for that year would be as long. Maybe yours would... but that's the whole different tastes thing.
If you're only after 'subversive' comedy, fair enough, but a good point was made earlier in the thread that the definition of 'subversive' changes so it is harder to be 'subversive' now (e.g. Life's Too Short ten years ago would have been received different to it is now)
Quote: David Bussell @ January 26 2012, 9:47 AM GMTIt seems there's more to Sky's output than I'd bargained for. I've heard good things about Jinsy, and if nothing else, it doesn't sound like the sort of mainstream, homogenised comedy that RC is railing against.
There's definitely more. Announced by Sky today for example: a dark gothic seven-part sitcom from Julia Davis... what's not to love?
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 25 2012, 7:40 PM GMTIf I had a website that depended on fans of British comedy (and that a significant proportion of my income was derived from it), then I would have cause to worry if the product got continually worse and fewer people watched it.
Just got to pick up this point as it's boring, but important to set the record straight I think. There is no 'significant proportion' of income coming from this site for me and Aaron. I work as a web developer on some of the most tedious databases alive to pay the bills. I'm probably on an hourly 'wage' of 1p whilst working on BCG! I think sometimes people forget we do this as a hobby as much as anything!
Anyway, the website's hits keep going up, so I'm not worried about this site suddenly registering a '0' on the visitor counter 
I won't depress you by listing the programme guides that get the most hits though... then you would think humanity had lost all sense of taste!
Quote: Bob Hicks @ January 26 2012, 4:15 PM GMTIt seems that the general opinion might be that British Comedy is no longer funny. But there is more of it getting commisioned than when there was only four channels. I think one of the problems is that now there are so many channels there is simply less money to go on development and production budgets. Its more of a risk to take a risk so to speak. There is E4, BBC 3, Comedy Central, etc. So the output is higher than it has been in years but many think the quality is low. But as much as some of us might moan, there are quite a lot of popular British Comedies out there.
For example I love ScreenWipe by Charlie Brooker, in fact I love all the stuff Charlie Brooker makes for the BBC. I think it's up there as some of the funniest TV being made but I don't bother getting angry that it's not more popular, I understand why it's not on BBC One at primetime. I can also watch Not Going Out and Outnumbered but it doesn't set my world on fire. I am not a fan of Miranda but I can see why it has appeal. Comedy is so subjective but I will argue that when British comedy does it well it's hard to beat. I loved Extras and Lead Balloon. Life's Too Short was a decent idea that was stretched to breaking point - I don't understand all the hate it gets even though I think it would have worked better as one film length mockumentary.
In total agreement with you there Bob.
Quote: Bob Hicks @ January 26 2012, 4:22 PM GMTAs far as I know you now need a TV licence if you don't have a TV but do have the internet.
I am going to move back to the UK from Spain and I was not planning on getting a TV licence (or a TV) but a friend told me I would need one if I wanted to have the internet.
Your friend is wrong.
Quote: Mark @ January 26 2012, 4:28 PM GMTThere's definitely more. Announced by Sky today for example: a dark gothic seven-part sitcom from Julia Davis... what's not to love?
Ooh, is that the thing with Jessica Hynes that was rejected by BBC?
Quote: Mark @ January 26 2012, 4:28 PM GMTThis is a really interesting thread. Aside from all the points about comedy writers etc, I still disagree that British broadcast comedy is on its arse right now. He's a list of some of the scripted TV comedies I really liked in 2011. There was some even better stuff on the radio, but most people are only interested in TV so I'll stick to that...
Ideal, Outnumbered, How Not To Live Your Life, Psychoville, This Is Jinsy, Pete Versus Life, Him & Her, Rev, Mongrels, Sorry, I've Got No Head, Burnistoun, Horrible Histories, Totally Tom, Not Going Out
I'm probably on an hourly 'wage' of 1p whilst working on BCG! I think sometimes people forget we do this as a hobby as much as anything!
Mark, I could pick apart your TV comedy list as being mainly returning shows rather then new for 2011 programmes, but I won't as it is rare to see you on threads and I'm just chuffed that you are taking part.
As for your hourly wage, when is the big Sky advertising deal going to come through? You and Aaron have plugged them enough over the last few weeks. 