It was part of a weird sort of satire that seemed popular at the time. Kind of when satirists couldn't deal with the "Labour's in power and they're pretty shit" paradigm. And so made lots of silly stuff that just repeated what was happening in the world rather than satirising it.
Quote: sootyj @ February 20 2012, 2:56 PM GMTIt was part of a weird sort of satire that seemed popular at the time. Kind of when satirists couldn't deal with the "Labour's in power and they're pretty shit" paradigm. And so made lots of silly stuff that just repeated what was happening in the world rather than satirising it.
I'm still waiting for the boom of brilliant satire now that we've got a Conservative government. Have all the satirists died in the interim?
Quote: sootyj @ February 20 2012, 2:56 PM GMTIt was part of a weird sort of satire that seemed popular at the time. Kind of when satirists couldn't deal with the "Labour's in power and they're pretty shit" paradigm. And so made lots of silly stuff that just repeated what was happening in the world rather than satirising it.
Quote: Harridan @ February 20 2012, 3:17 PM GMTI'm still waiting for the boom of brilliant satire now that we've got a Conservative government. Have all the satirists died in the interim?
This is what I've been saying for years. I don't think it's a coincidence that the left-leaning satire boom peddled off in the late 1990s (last series of Spitting Image was in 1996, for example), and as sootyj says, what has come since has been half-hearted. 10 O'Clock Live Series 1 just seemed to underline the notion that in the years between, everyone had forgotten how satire worked, what it was supposed to be and do.
Perfect example of 'satire' vs 'repeating what's happening in the world': Hacks, compared to Hot Metal.
I'm a Tory, but I can laugh at my own 'side'. Surprisingly, "David Cameron looks and sounds a bit, you know, POSH!" doesn't cut it.
Oh, and re the original point, I never liked The Office either. I've warmed to it somewhat in recent years (after working in some myself, perhaps), but it still doesn't strike me as anything special. Similarly, The Thick Of It I enjoy, but it doesn't grab me and is certainly no Yes Minister.
Quote: Aaron @ February 20 2012, 3:34 PM GMTI'm a Tory
Oh dear, did you have to say that? I rather liked you! 
There's not a huge demand for satire from commissioners; Thick of It was successful and so is returning but BBC wants to focus on the big family comedies, and ITV and C4 both have their specialist 'political content' show and won't risk advertisers and family audiences with further output, same with Sky I assume.
There's not enough money floating around for commercial organisations to risk doing something that aims to or may potentially divide or ridicule audiences, and perhaps politicians and businessmen.
Channels are looking for programmes that target families (more people per TV and more effective advertising) and that have longer durations (less investment and upheaval) which is more likely with non-time specific content.
Quote: Harridan @ February 20 2012, 3:42 PM GMTOh dear, did you have to say that? I rather liked you!
It's no secret, you would've worked it out eventually! 
Yes Minister had an insider's insight, albeit one with an agenda, but you felt this was how business was done. Part of the problem with The Thick Of It was that it just never felt very real.
I thought I was in an extremely small minority in not liking The Thick Of It. I have to say, I'm also not a Partridge fan. In fact, apart from On The Hour/The Day Today, I'm not really an Armando Iannucci fan at all.
10 O'Clock Live is so timid and weak compared to the big beasts of yesterday's satire. And boy are we suffering for it.
The stuff that is planned for the NHS makes Thatcher look tame. But we've got Jimmy Carr pretending to wrestle a bear, dressed as Putin.
BECAUSE PUTIN LIKES TO LOOK MACHO GEDDIT!
I mean Screen Burn is brilliant. But it takes the piss out of TV. Which is the equivalent of a laser guided, supersonic missile for shooting celery.
Brooker did few series of 'Newswipe' but he mainly focussed on news reporting rather than the actual news.
Talking about Brooker, I think he's recently produced some brilliant satire - Black Mirror, Nathan Barley, Dead Set. I'd love to see more satire along those lines.
Damnation that's what I meant. But yeh he criticised the news media, not the stuff happening in the news.
Quote: Harridan @ February 20 2012, 4:04 PM GMTI thought I was in an extremely small minority in not liking The Thick Of It. I have to say, I'm also not a Partridge fan. In fact, apart from On The Hour/The Day Today, I'm not really an Armando Iannucci fan at all.
It's certainly not fashionable to admit so, but f**k it. No, Iannucci is clearly highly skilled, but also astonishingly overrated by some. Ditto Coogan. The Partridge cannon is very, very funny in places, but one character does not a genius make.
Quote: sootyj @ February 20 2012, 4:11 PM GMTThe stuff that is planned for the NHS makes Thatcher look tame.
There's so much misinformation and misunderstanding around about that bill that I think it's actually positive that comedians aren't coming in and confusing and simplifying it further.
I pretty much hate all sketch shows. (Apart from French and Saunders)
I think I was the only one who hated The Fast Show at School. I just didn't get it. But I wanted to love it.. to conform. But as a non-conformist I just ended up slagging it off.
Quote: Greggles @ February 23 2012, 10:24 AM GMTI pretty much hate all sketch shows. (Apart from French and Saunders)
I could not agree more. For some reason it simply does nothing for me..