It's more like the way we are being swamped with BBC types in Salford. Bloody skinny lattes, what's wrong with a nice brew?
Mrs. Brown's Boys - Series 2 Page 5
I watched 3 or 4 episodes now. And after I've accustomed to the fact that a bloke plays the female titular role (oh, how funny) and the fact that this elderly woman swears like a fishmonger (hee hee) there's not much left to surprise me or make me smile. Like I wrote in another thread this Christmas episode bored me to death.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 29 2012, 7:29 AM BSTIf you meant that its influence on British TV comedy could be great then, well yeah I think it'll reaffirm in broadcasters' minds what the vast majority of viewers want in sitcoms, but that evidence was already there in the success of Miranda, the staggering initial ratings of The Royal Bodyguard and not least, the continuing success of old sitcom favourites like Dad's Army and OFAH, and if you include DVD sales and nostalgia repeat channels then dozens of other old studio sitcoms.
I think I'm right in saying that even its most critically acclaimed new non studio peaktime sitcom, Rev, doesn't get the viewer ratings that a daytime repeat of OFAH gets. So we always knew, if the BBC didn't, that the mainstream studio sitcom was what people want. They've just decided to brazenly neglect it in the face of blaring continuing evidence that it's the most popular thing they have.
Their new wave of young and trendy executives have been a pitiful disgrace, not knowing their audience, their history, and chasing a new trend in sitcomedy that had them alienating the majority of their core audience even long after the ratings for most non studio sitcoms had dwindled to a new low - The BBC in their wisdom happily created the regular peaktime sub one million viewer sitcom!
Well done the BBC!
Oh Alfred, you were doing so well. For once your prophecies about the industry were actually NOT the binary opposite of what I get told by professionals week-in, week-out. And then you had to go and ruin it...
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 29 2012, 7:29 AM BSTIs it dodgy in its use of supposed stage miscues or mistakes to get laughs? Yes, its worst fault by miles. It's impossible to genuinely make that many mistakes on stage and still know your cues and lines really well. Any theatre goer will tell you this doesn't look genuine. It's like they're rehearsing to act badly.
You have never been anywhere near a TV studio, have you? I do not know whether or not the Mrs. Brown's Boys 'fluffs' are scripted or not, and frankly I don't care. But any sitcom goer will tell you this DOES look genuine, and is EXACTLY the kind of pattern of mistakes that're made at a live studio audience recording.
Yet another oversight by your good self in your desire to get one over on Kipper. They keep coming! I said theatre goers, and all the times I've been, including amateur prods, I haven't seen this corpsing and knocking into props and late cues like you get on MBB, I've seen iffy acting but that's another thing entirely. MBB comes from the theatre, they've done the show alresdy on stage and I see no reason for their regular mishaps other than the obvious - they're faking it for extra laughs.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 30 2012, 7:04 PM BSTthey're faking it for extra laughs.
They need to. Lets face it its old mother riley for the 21st century. I didn't like the first bloody incarnation.
I think they fake these fluffs. But the singing in the closing scenes is even worse. I'd have more respect for this show if the makers didn't (successfully, sadly!) try to win the audience's sympathy with these cheap strategies.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ September 30 2012, 7:04 PM BSTYet another oversight by your good self in your desire to get one over on Kipper. They keep coming! I said theatre goers, and all the times I've been, including amateur prods, I haven't seen this corpsing and knocking into props and late cues like you get on MBB, I've seen iffy acting but that's another thing entirely. MBB comes from the theatre, they've done the show alresdy on stage and I see no reason for their regular mishaps other than the obvious - they're faking it for extra laughs.
Oversight? Not at all. So you're equating going to the theatre with the recording of a sitcom? The show on stage is not the same as the sitcom. You really don't make it hard for me, or anyone else, to call you out on your windbag nonsense, Alfred.
OLD MOTHER BROWN
Oh Sandra, dere you are, come and have a cuppa tea wicha ma now why doncha.
SANDRA SITS DOWN WITHOUT BUMPING INTO SETS AND SPEAKS RIGHT ON CUE
Okay ma, I'll have dis one cuppa tea wicha but den I must go an be a lazy slag elewhere okay?
DIRECTOR
No no no luvvie, cut! It was perfect, what are you doing? Now come back in and bump into something, and pause as if you've nearly forgotten your lines. Come on, remember all the rehearsals! Action.
OLD MOTHER BROWN
Oh Sandra, dere you are, come in and have a cuppa tea wicha ma why doncha.
SANDRA KNOCKS HER KNOCKERS AGAINST THE TABLE
OLD MOTHER BROWN
Ooh watch dem luv, dey alright? Now Sandra... PAUSE FOR LAUGHS
LEVEL 8 ON LAUGHTER CAN OMETER
Raaaaarrrr.
DIRECTOR
That's it, well done. Take.
It's faked, Aaron!
Agree Alfred!
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ October 1 2012, 2:26 AM BSTOLD MOTHER BROWN
Oh Sandra, dere you are, come and have a cuppa tea wicha ma now why doncha.
SANDRA SITS DOWN WITHOUT BUMPING INTO SETS AND SPEAKS RIGHT ON CUE
Okay ma, I'll have dis one cuppa tea wicha but den I must go an be a lazy slag elewhere okay?
DIRECTOR
No no no luvvie, cut! It was perfect, what are you doing? Now come back in and bump into something, and pause as if you've nearly forgotten your lines. Come on, remember all the rehearsals! Action.
OLD MOTHER BROWN
Oh Sandra, dere you are, come in and have a cuppa tea wicha ma why doncha.
SANDRA KNOCKS HER KNOCKERS AGAINST THE TABLE
OLD MOTHER BROWN
Ooh watch dem luv, dey alright? Now Sandra... PAUSE FOR LAUGHS
LEVEL 8 ON LAUGHTER CAN OMETER
Raaaaarrrr.
DIRECTOR
That's it, well done. Take.It's faked, Aaron!
I've been to dozens of BBC sitcom recordings and it's not like that.
Because studio hire is very expensive, the actors in sitcoms get hardly anytime on the set to rehearse - most of it done in rehearsal rooms in another building
Unlike theatre performers they probably only get one 'technical' run through on the day, and they probably only got the final script the day before - re-writes carry on till the last minute.
Things go wrong - it's why a half-hour sitcom takes a good two hours to film.
True it's not unknown for a performer to purposely fluff their lines to 'warm up' the audience, and if something does go awry they'll play it up because the studio audience love it.
Yes, the decision to leave them in is deliberate - all part of the show's style and the breaking of the fourth wall.
But they are not directed like that.
They don't need to - it happens
And it's still feckin' hilarious
Quote: Lazzard @ October 1 2012, 10:25 AM BSTYes, the decision to leave them in is deliberate - all part of the show's style and the breaking of the fourth wall.
You can call this style. I call it cheap distractions...strategies to appear more simpatico or trendy. McDonald's got criticised for employing a paedophile clown (i.e. Ronald McDonald) to lure in little children to eat crap. This is what happens here imo.
But ok, it's everyone's own decision to swith on or switch off. So let's leave it at that.
Which sitcoms do you prefer Gordon? I also like Gimme Gimme Gimme.
I'm a big fan of Only Fools for example. Maybe that's what doesn't work for me with MBB. The absence of a certain degree of realism or emotionality. Don't get me wrong...I also like silly sitcoms...speaking of Irish ones...I like Father Ted.
But both of these are self assured about the quality of their comic material and don't rely on (what I'd call) cheap gimmicks or the involvement of the studio audience ("oh, let's all sing a recently popular pop song together").
I also hate stand up comedians who try to "make friends" with the audience and let the spectators do the talking (Hello, what's your name, where are you from...come on, join me on the stage...") instead of presenting good material.
Quote: Gordon Bennett @ October 1 2012, 12:32 PM BSTI'm a big fan of Only Fools for example. Maybe that's what doesn't work for me with MBB. The absence of a certain degree of realism or emotionality. Don't get me wrong...I also like silly sitcoms...speaking of Irish ones...I like Father Ted.
But both of these are self assured about the quality of their comic material and don't rely on (what I'd call) cheap gimmicks or the involvement of the studio audience ("oh, let's all sing a recently popular pop song together").
I also hate stand up comedians who try to "make friends" with the audience and let the spectators do the talking (Hello, what's your name, where are you from...come on, join me on the stage...") instead of presenting good material.
It's panto with a post modern twist, can't stand it myself, but seems very popular at the moment. Like I said it reminds me of Old Mother Riley and Arthur Lucan used to give me nightmares.