The thing that really jars about the Tesco ads is they are voiced byvery rich people talking so condescendingly to "us" about how we can save pennies and how "every little helps". Grrr....
Stephen Fry Page 4
Steady, getting off topic here...
Tesco are absolute c**ts. They gave away 4 billion plastic bags in 2007. They f**king own the West Country.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ September 11 2009, 2:22 AM BSTThey f**king own the West Country.
That's not particularly difficult. I bought Yeovil with points on my loyalty card.
Well this argument is pretty self defeating from the Fry haters. If as you say, Fry is a pompous, overblown, untalented hack, then why are you so shocked he's doing adverts?
If someone were to give me £80,000 for a couple of hours in a voice over studio, I'd advertise nerve gas, land mines and Michael McIntyre's Christmas DVD.
'Merry Christmas Ladies and Gentlemen, Merry Christmas...Have you noticed that people are only Merry at Christmas? No one ever says Merry Birthday or Merry Anniversary. Why are people so merry at Christmas? Maybe it's the sherry. How's your sherry darling? It's merry. Your sherry is merry? In fact, why do people watch my show and like me at all, I'm a pile of shit...etc.'
(And I'm a Fry-o-philic person, btw. I just don't like him & Mr Merton doing those ads. 
)
The tragedy of the Direct Line adverts is that I find the characters two dimensional and the humour forced. Maybe it's the unlikely pairing of a telephone on wheels and a computer mouse, I just can't imagine them being aquaintances in a real world scenario.
A telephone on wheels and a three legged answering machine maybe, but the ill judged miscasting of a talking computer mouse is just taking the piss. They're from different worlds, different times. You might as well have Evelyn Waugh and Russell Brand discussing the merits of combined home and car insurance in a convivial setting. It just doesn't work.
However, Fry's unique take on his Twinning Tea adaptions are truly Oscar worthy. It's like I've never seen an elderly, overweight poof enjoying tea before. Bravo Stephen, Bravo!
I have to go to bed now. Some of us can't be as funny as you at 3.23am, RC.
I think Fry is ill-advised to do the Direct Line ads, because clearly it's a turn-off for some people, as evident from the responses here, and it's no surprise really, since he builds a lot of his 'act' on being impeccably discerning, and dismissive of the low-brow, all of which is devalued by this sort of thing.
I do remember a deleted scene in Series B of QI where they were talking about awful adverts such as those for Ocean Finance, during which Stephen said, "Oh, 'Abbey National - Because Life's Complicated Enough.' Who was that? Who was that?"
As soon as Stephen said that, Alan Davies retorted with, "Alright Alliance and Leicester."
I tend to think of Stephen Fry as a modern day Kenneth Williams. He lacks the vocal dexterity, and more urbane than waspish, but otherwise the comparisons are striking. Perhaps he is Kenneth Williams as he might have turned out if he was around today. An erudite, literate, comic turn. A national treasure, perhaps, but no more so than the sort of people who are the subject of those awful ITV docs about dead TV celebs. He is overexposed, but not intrinsically thumpable.
Quote: Timbo @ September 11 2009, 11:56 AM BSTI tend to think of Stephen Fry as a modern day Kenneth Williams. He lacks the vocal dexterity, and more urbane than waspish, but otherwise the comparisons are striking. Perhaps he is Kenneth Williams as he might have turned out if he was around today. An erudite, literate, comic turn. A national treasure, perhaps, but no more so than the sort of people who are the subject of those awful ITV docs about dead TV celebs. He is overexposed, but not intrinsically thumpable.
I assume you've seen the old clip of Kenneth Williams interviewing Stephen Fry? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8oyS_LS920
Both have the literary bent, but Fry has more literary talent. Fry's Paperweight was more interesting than Williams' Acid Drops, although Williams' Diaries - oh, it's silly for me to compare them. Having forgotten just about all of A Bit of Fry and Laurie (and therefore probably being wrong), I'd say that Fry seems to regard himself as a bit above common camp. Or he can't do it.
Quote: Kenneth @ September 11 2009, 12:52 PM BSTI'd say that Fry seems to regard himself as a bit above common camp. Or he can't do it.
Being Gay doesn't mean he has to do camp humour, surely? Though I'm almost certain he's probably done a bit of camp in Fry and Laurie.
Quote: Kenneth @ September 11 2009, 12:52 PM BSTI assume you've seen the old clip of Kenneth Williams interviewing Stephen Fry?
Both have the literary bent.
Homophobe.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 11 2009, 1:08 PM BSTBeing Gay doesn't mean he has to do camp humour, surely?
Only if he's a modern day Kenny Williams.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ September 11 2009, 3:00 AM BSTIf someone were to give me £80,000 for a couple of hours in a voice over studio, I'd advertise nerve gas, land mines and Michael McIntyre's Christmas DVD.
Nerve gas and land mines fair enough but have you no standards?