Quote: Tony Cowards @ February 6 2012, 10:12 AM GMTSome lovely lines too, Peter Capaldi has obviously been taking writing lessons from Armando Iannucci.
Or maybe he's taken some lessons from Tony Roche, his co-writer on this and a regular writer on The Thick Of It.
Quote: Tim Walker @ February 6 2012, 1:57 PM GMTOr maybe he's taken some lessons from Tony Roche, his co-writer on this and a regular writer on The Thick Of It.
Oh yes, forgot about Tony Roche.
Sorry Tony...
I seem to be in the minority. It wasn't awful, it's just that everything in it has been done better before. I don't think there was even a hint of originality about it.
Watching it at this very moment. Losing interest fast...
Quote: Badge @ February 6 2012, 2:46 PM GMTI seem to be in the minority. It wasn't awful, it's just that everything in it has been done better before. I don't think there was even a hint of originality about it.
Quite. It was vaguely amusing, but Nigel Planer and others are on the phone wanting royalties on the format. Kenneth Williams was a bit camp and Carry On films were a bit formulaic: who knew? And the black and white pastiche of wartime films is straight from The Fast Show's Arthur Atkinson.
But what was pointless, and also laugh-free, was putting the boot in on Mary Millington. Minor actresses whose careers spiral downwards through porn to suicide don't strike me as a solid basis for comedy: it was obvious whose life was being recounted, essentially point for point (aside from the suicide being with paracetamol rather than a gas oven). If you knew who it was, there was a tiny moue of recognition. If you didn't, why was the programme spending ten minutes on this gag-free gag?
I watched it to the end, with a progressively heavier heart, but it was pretty leaden stuff.
Was the title Thumbs Up was also a reference to Frankie Howard's three Up films? Up Pompeii, Up the Chastity Belt (which never made any sense as a title) and Up the Front.
Quote: Tim Azure @ February 6 2012, 6:42 PM GMTUp the Chastity Belt (which never made any sense as a title)
Quote: Badge @ February 6 2012, 2:46 PM GMTIt wasn't awful, it's just that everything in it has been done better before. I don't think there was even a hint of originality about it.
Same here, it was enjoyable but completely pointless. As others have stated, this has been done many times before (though no one has mentioned Tommy Cockles yet) and to be fair, it could have been a lot worse.
I did enjoy the story about the Nazi bomb landing on the studio, killing two of the stars - 'Star's that burn twice as bright, burn half as long' - 'Well they did that night'.
I didn't know about Mary Millington and now that just seems in poor taste. Some good lines, but overall just aping a far more interestng and amusing true story.
My favourite bit was in the DIY store.
Quote: Tokyo Nambu @ February 6 2012, 6:00 PM GMTMinor actresses whose careers spiral downwards through porn to suicide don't strike me as a solid basis for comedy
I think the joke there - this is what I took from it, but may be wrong - is that the presenter of the documentary (Capaldi playing a fictional version of himself) was in love with the actress, and so diverted the documentary to talk about his slight obsession with her. It certainly was for a while nothing about Cricklewood. Hence the lingering shots of her wearing not much, and returning back to the topic at the end?
"I belittled her mercilessly, then went home for a long soak in the bath. Toyed with the idea of dropping the electric fire in it."
I did like the Kenneth Williams' diary spoof entries.
It's a bit difficult to find a reason why Cricklewood is called Cricklewood, to crickle apparently means to sizzle, so it could be named after a forest used for firewood?
The Wikipedia entry has a totally unconvincing origin of Cricklewood: "There was a settlement at the junction of Cricklewood Lane and the Edgeware Road by 1294, which by 1324 was being called Cricklewood..."
Cricklewood Gtr. London. Le Crikeldwode 1294. 'The wood with indented outline'. ME *crikeled + wode.
A Dictionary of British Place-Names, A.D. Mills, 2003
See also Cultural transition in the Chilterns and Essex region, 350 AD to 650 AD By John T. Baker, Page 153-154
Nerd.
