Lead Balloon - Series 1 Page 2

Well I suppose in between celebrity life of grime, pump my bride and changing dragons dens they have to be seen to do real programs on BBC1.

Please forgive me if I sound naive but surely 383,000 viewers can't really go that much higher.

1: People who have watched it on BBC4 will continue to watch it here to keep the continuity thus not increasing BBC1’s figures.

2: Anyone who saw the first episode on BBC4 thought it was pretty medioca and probably not tried to see it past episode 3 apart from us lot who enjoy swearing at the telly.

3: It was advertised on BBC1 when it came out anyway so everyone knew where to find it if they really wanted to watch it.

4: Won't all this just happen again on BBC1 but just more people will stumble across it giving the beeb bragging rights about ‘how it's figures have grown from BBC4’ for something that is tired lacking in gags, poor characters and from what's been said nicked its core idea from Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Anyone?

On the back of excellent viewing figures for a BBC4 show, they're obviously banking on the Jack Dee factor - that a lot of people who haven't seen it on BBC4 will tune in because his name is attached to it.

Not everyone who has seen Lead Balloon feels that it is mediocre - a few people liked it on here and it has received some strong newspaper reviews. I think that it's pretty good - it's far from perfect but it does have some good characters and is funny in places. I see it as the sort of show that could do well on BBC2.

I think it is good although it is obviously a poor man's Curb. Interesting to see that the BBC4 ratings figures have dropped sharply after the first three episodes.

Gets a 7/10 for me so far. Will see it through to the end.

I'm getting more into it with every episode. Also, not everyone interested in the show will have had access to BBC 4.

This is a great show, well written, well performed and very funny. I really cant believe that so many people are slamming it on here. Oh, wait, sorry; im on an internet chat room. Forgot where I was for a moment, of course theres going to be over the top slagging going on. Carry on. My apologies.

It's not a chat room really... And anyway, debate is healthy! People are just expressing their points of view.

Im just saying theres can be a middle ground, for this show in particular its the virilance of the nay sayers that surprises me, surely it cant offend anyone that much?

Plus a lot of it isnt about debate really, its about saying this is awful, heres why and im right, or this show is outstanding and heres why and im right. There is no debate really, just a flow of heightened for effect unmovable opinion.

Perhaps it's true that some of our discussions aren't so much debates as statements, and I suppose that you have a point there, but I think that people are really just particularly passionate about comedy. Perhaps Lead Balloon is one of those love-it-or-hate-it shows?

Quote: Miranda Walker @ October 12, 2006, 4:04 PM

I've heard having an American character helps to sell a show (and novels) to the states. I wonder if that's true, and if people might be tempted to add an American character for this reason? It occured to me when I watched Love Soup, Lead Balloon and Not Going Out, all recent and all with one American. Hmmm...

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Again, for the record, we cast Megan Dodds, an American, as Kate in Not Going Out because she came out top in the audition. The part was originally written as a British character, but we adjusted the dialogue we'd already written to suit her. There certainly weren't any commercial considerations in casting an American. I can't speak for Lead Balloon, but my guess is that it wasn't an export consideration there either.

I'd imagine that a British sitcom would go down better in America if it was an all-British cast, as that's surely what they'd expect from a British sitcom. It works both ways. I always disliked the fact that Daphne was Mancunian in Frasier, especially when her so-called English friends turned up in that bar, and Anthony LaPaglia, who couldn't do the English accent at all, despite being Australian.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ October 20, 2006, 5:37 PM

This is a great show, well written, well performed and very funny. I really cant believe that so many people are slamming it on here. Oh, wait, sorry; im on an internet chat room. Forgot where I was for a moment, of course theres going to be over the top slagging going on. Carry on. My apologies.

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You should read all the comments before making such a sweeping statement. Only a couple of people criticised it - a few people (myself included) liked it, so not sure where you get the idea that there is a lot of OTT slagging going on.

ok, sorry sir.

If there's any reason to watch it, its for the cafe owner (I forget his name) and the painful interaction between himself and Rick. Very funny. Love the teaspoon episode.

Tony Gardner!
He's ace, and was in The Thick Of It too. I even watch Childrens ITV for him.

Quote: zooo @ October 22, 2006, 1:36 PM

Tony Gardner!
He's ace, and was in The Thick Of It too. I even watch Childrens ITV for him.

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Thanks for the info! Must watch The Thick of It again.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ October 20, 2006, 7:30 PM

Im just saying theres can be a middle ground, for this show in particular its the virilance of the nay sayers that surprises me, surely it cant offend anyone that much?

Plus a lot of it isnt about debate really, its about saying this is awful, heres why and im right, or this show is outstanding and heres why and im right. There is no debate really, just a flow of heightened for effect unmovable opinion.

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Any kind of debate starts with a point of view this one happens to be mine and you obviously have your own, but if you notice at the end of my comments the word 'Anyone?' as opposed to 'here’s why and I'm right'. This then lends to the DEBATE looking for other peoples point of view which most people can grasp without throwing their signed picture of Jack Dee out of the pram!

I think if anyone has a problem with how to express their point of view it may be you ahh don't you think, ahhh a bit, mmmm?