Quote: Aaron @ September 24 2009, 3:21 PM BSTThe only episode of that I've ever heard was a Series 2 one I went to the recording of. Really should listen to the rest. It's nice to hear that farce is getting some kind of recognition though, even if it's only the topic of a sketch. (And, I suspect, probably not all too flattering a one?)
No. It wasn't anti-farce at all. It was a good sketch. Probably because Matthew Stott didn't write it. 
Heheh. 
Quote: Aaron @ September 24 2009, 3:21 PM BSTT
Surely some aspects are inherent? One has to allow a certain suspension of disbelief for even the best farce to work in its entirety.
Absolutely. But suspension of belief requires working within the rules that you have set yourself and maintaining the internal logic. Artificiality is fine, so long as it does not stick out like a sore thumb.
Chalk suffered from trying to mix the real world with an approximated real world. Farce only works if everything is immersed in the alternative reality which has been created. You can't mix real world logic with your sitcom world logic, it jars uncomfortably. This is one of the reasons "heightened comedy" sitcoms are best served by filming as much of them as possible in an artificial world - i.e. in a TV studio.
EDIT: Sort of the same kind of thing Timbo said. Apologies. 
Quote: Marc P @ September 21 2009, 9:17 PM BSTTalk us through this. 'I made my mind up quickly and didn't stay to see if I was wrong because a real life person was copied' is how I read this. Am I missing something?
Not quite, I meant it more in the way that the star actor's blatant Basil Fawlty cum John Cleese impersonation (in my eyes at the time, after Barrymore had already made his fortune off the back of it) alienated me from the first scene, making me not watch it after the first episode, and this could have been a shame, and their and my loss, if indeed the rest of the series was actually any good.
Hysterical! Just stumbled upon it on late night TV. Winning
Boy, am I late to the party or what!
I remember Chalk as hilarious, DVD ordered...now where can I get Series 2?
Just rewatched the first episode and its much more farce like than I remember. There's some good jokes although I can't decide if they're well telegraphed or I just vaguely remember them from first time around.
While I enjoyed it I didn't enjoy it enough to order the relatively expensive DVD. (Joking Apart though from the same supplier is worth it),
Quote: Oddbod @ 2nd January 2016, 12:33 AM GMTBoy, am I late to the party or what!
I remember Chalk as hilarious, DVD ordered...now where can I get Series 2?
Better late than never. Really funny show, series 1 much better that series 2 if I remember. Series 2 is not available and has never been released on DVD. I myself have only just started watching The Job lot that started in 2013! so you are not alone.
