The Wright Way Page 25

Quote: Matthew Stott @ May 25 2013, 12:10 PM BST

I suppose, though what time did Mrs Browns Boys start originally? That was on late too, wasn't it?

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Yes, Series 1 was broadcast in the same timeslot - and opened to easily comparable audience figures, climbing slightly toward the end of the run. Over the 6 episodes it averaged 2.82 million viewers in overnights.

By contrast, the 5 episodes of The Wright Way to date have averaged 2.02 million. Hardly a striking difference, although admittedly figures for The Wright Way have been on a downward rather than upward trend.

Consider that Mrs. Brown's Boys broadcast slightly earlier in the year (colder, darker, etc), and that - we are told - The Wright Way is the most epic of failures whilst Mrs. Brown's Boys is a big hit, and the performance of The Wright Way comes into focus as actually being wholly respectable.

Quote: Aaron @ May 25 2013, 11:53 AM BST

The critics are kind of irrelevant. The timeslot rather hinted they'd decided not to recommission it long before even episode one had aired.

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Yes, I thought that too. It's never promising, is it.

Hopefully the BBC will see right past the critics and give The Wright way a second run which I think it well deserves

I just had a violent fit of hysterics. Pity it wasn't during an episode of this.

Quote: William Purry @ May 27 2013, 7:47 PM BST

I just had a violent fit of hysterics. Pity it wasn't during an episode of this.

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Ha ha classic comment - quite unlike the dross it referred to!

Quote: beaky @ May 25 2013, 10:41 AM BST

I watched the first two episodes of Filthy, Rich and Catflap the other day, and after a creaky start they were really good. But it relied on the wild anarchism that was Elton's hallmark, which The Wright Way doesn't have.

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Filthy, Rich & Catflap was fantastic - in much the same vein as The Young Ones. I preferred it to Bottom, broadcast a few years later.

We'll, thank God that shite's over and done with!

They're going to pull this are they? Then the will be on them again.

Quote: Aaron @ May 25 2013, 12:21 PM BST

Yes, Series 1 was broadcast in the same timeslot - and opened to easily comparable audience figures, climbing slightly toward the end of the run. Over the 6 episodes it averaged 2.82 million viewers in overnights.

By contrast, the 5 episodes of The Wright Way to date have averaged 2.02 million. Hardly a striking difference, although admittedly figures for The Wright Way have been on a downward rather than upward trend.

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Not a striking difference? It is getting towards 2/3 the performance of Mrs. Brown's Boys. And if the trend is falling for TWW but was rising for MBB...

Consider that Mrs. Brown's Boys broadcast slightly earlier in the year (colder, darker, etc), and that - we are told - The Wright Way is the most epic of failures whilst Mrs. Brown's Boys is a big hit, and the performance of The Wright Way comes into focus as actually being wholly respectable.

One of the main justifications for this making it onto TV that I heard was that Ben Elton is a known quantity and has had previous successes.

As such wouldn't the expectation be much higher than it was for Mrs Brown?

If the BBC were expecting 3 million or more for TWW then it has been a big failure. If they expected 2 million for MBB then that was a big hit.

The unfunniness of the scripts aside, another way Elton has been incredibly lazy with this show is by not just re-hashing D.I. Grim with David Haig from his own The Thin Blue Line but also by lifting Luke Gell's character of Tim from Two Pints basically wholesale. Both Tim and Clive are camp and/or gay and yet try to pass themselves off as straight by always mentioning a woman they supposedly have at home that you never see.

Well, I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. Not up to the same quality as The Thin Blue Line, but a very similar silly, slightly naughty streak of humour. Not always the highest laugh count, but eminently watchable and enjoyable, and for me there were far more genuine laugh-out-loud moments than in most recent sitcoms. Sad to see it apparently not return.

Looks certain this won't be coming back. Shame as I really enjoyed, but it was put on at a stupid time and was never given a chance to get its natural audience.

Quote: Aaron @ May 29 2013, 12:02 AM BST

Well, I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. Not up to the same quality as The Thin Blue Line, but a very similar silly, slightly naughty streak of humour. Not always the highest laugh count, but eminently watchable and enjoyable, and for me there were far more genuine laugh-out-loud moments than in most recent sitcoms. Sad to see it apparently not return.

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What?

It was quite painful to watch!

Quote: gb901 @ May 29 2013, 11:44 AM BST

It was quite painful to watch!

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I'm sure it was meant to be, looking back at it, that's GW's main character trait, he's a painfully thorough and persistent beaurocrat. I'm sure it did put a lot of people off, especially Haig's slow deliberate portrayal, but that's where the humour also was.

That doctor's scene was great I thought, even the painfully slow pace of it. I think if you bother to get into the almost panto OTT style of this show it rewarded you, but I don't think too many people wanted to.

Quote: Pingl @ May 29 2013, 12:28 AM BST

Looks certain this won't be coming back. Shame as I really enjoyed, but it was put on at a stupid time and was never given a chance to get its natural audience.

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Well I'm pretty sure now after seeing all six that the time slot was set by the material and could not have been on earlier. Words they said and wrote, the long arm up the jacksy scene, that's not really just post watershed stuff, that's very post watershed, as light hearted as it all was.

I flicked bit of it on and it was like some sort of dadaist experiment in anti comedy.

They might as well have had an army of kazoo playing chimps to announce each punchline.

It beggars belief that some people enjoyed this sitsad. This was cheap, lowest common demoninator tat that could be written by a witty schoolboy.

Quote: Aaron @ May 29 2013, 12:02 AM BST

Well, I've thoroughly enjoyed this series. Not up to the same quality as The Thin Blue Line, but a very similar silly, slightly naughty streak of humour. Not always the highest laugh count, but eminently watchable and enjoyable, and for me there were far more genuine laugh-out-loud moments than in most recent sitcoms. Sad to see it apparently not return.

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I agree entirely, Aaron. Just because the critics hated it doesn't mean they shouldn't make a second series. I have loved the show and it will be a crying shame for it not to return.