Here be yer quote Aaron -
'No, but I can say that they're funny.
Anyway. Interesting that you're gauging (well, making a specific comment/point about) the shows in regards to their offshoots and long-term effects/influence, rather than on, well, themselves.'
How am I supposed to react to that comment? Hence my 'they were funny' diatribe. Normally, I don't react to a lot of criticisms levelled on this forum, as comedy is such a subjective matter and what is side splittingly good fun for one person is a day in hell for another.
However, I was a young teen when TYO's first appeared on the Telly (back in the days when there were only 4 channels) and it was nothing short of a revolution. Anarchy, satire, surrealism, slapstick, pantomime and 'balls out' swearing were all cobbled together under one roof for the first time and it blew my mind. 'It was a show made by young adults, for young adults and about young adults.' or words to that effect.
The fact that we're still discussing the show some twenty odd years later says something about it's enduring quality. It effected me in a way that Rising Damp, Dad's Army or Only Fools could not.
If you (not you specifically Aaron) are a younger person and can't understand all the fuss about the show, then fair enough, but don't slag it as you've been spoiled by the fruits of it's labours for the last twenty odd years. Just as all roads led to Rome, all the alternative, and now mainstream comedy that prevailed thereafter up until present day has been directly inspired by The Young Ones.
Gah! This happened to me on another internet forum when whipper snapping hoodies were slagging off the original Star Wars movies. I was trying to explain to them that there wouldn't have been a Matrix or Lord of the Rings without Star Wars, but they were having none of it, the brain dead numptys.
Sorry for getting so wound up over this topic, but TYO really was something special and I've yet to see a comedy show since that has matched the same intelligence and revolutionary spirit of The Young Ones.
My new year's resolution will be 'I will not overreact to comments on internet message boards'...should last about six hours.
